Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-04-18

The chief objects sought were the passage
OF Senator voorhees, BILL which is intended
10 give any railroad employee who Ia ar
rested for contempt of court the right to
appeal to any other court, and also the
right of trial by jury. They also argued
That favorable action be taken on the bill
introduced by Mr.. Erdman of Pennsyl-
Vania, which provides for a board of arbi-
tratlon In disputes between a railroad COM
pany and its employees, and the Phillips
DILL creating national bipartisan board
the object of which will be to remove the
necessity of any strike
a representative of The Star came upon
the group Of labor leaders just as they
were bidding goodbye to a member of the
lower house A couple of railroad mon,
wen known for their liberal views on the
labor problem, were also encountered
turning TO The Star reporter as the group
OF labor leaders walked away one of the
ra, irSoa men, who is from the west, said:
1nls labor question, to my mind is
narder nut to crack than that of silver or
tarl1. have been paying particular at
tehtioh 10 the interests of railroads and
wage earners for the past twenty years,
ana the more l know about the subject the
iaIuer IL seems to me to find a remedy
large percentage of the voters
throughout the western states are rail-
readers or dependent for their living on
the idea that everything that is evil is
represented In railroad corporations and
that any legislation placed on the statute
DOCKS mat mat would act as a handicap to the
nTaus WIZ De received with favor every
',ns. AS consequence, in almost every
western state, promises have been made by
s'a'e legislators that are simply idotic
Better Methods in the East,
IN the matter of railroad MANAGEMENT
'he managers OF the eastern railroads are
heaus ana shoulders above their western
pfothers. When the time comes for re-
trenchment the heads of the western roads
look around, and, with a great want of ga
gacity, decide that organized labor is the
VI aiISn 10 De reduced. strike and de-
noranzatlon follows. Under the same CIR
cuHstances in the east the shrewd man,
ayers, after deciding that a cut in wages is
necessary, pick out the trackmen. the
snfas ana n higher officials as the ones to
S Ss Inc trackmen, for the most part.
hVe IN the country, are unorganized and
IL present a class of labor who look rnon a
CUT IN wages as necessary evil The
clerks are likewise unorganized vba1
there are hundreds Of higher oficials VA
are reaiy necessary in time of prosperity
but when business Stacks up may be class
co as Injuries. This class is not reduced
on the pay rolls: they are beheaded, fig
uratvely Speaking
III sun greater economy is necessary a
general reduction in the train forces will
De mace. NO reduction of wages in that
pfanch or the service, mind you Those
.that are discharged are told that they will
De taken back when business regains a
solid footing, and their protests 10 organ
Ecu Zee. iaDor headquarters are generally use
less Ihose that remain are enabled to
make their usual monthly salary and are
satisfied. If not pleased The managers in
the vest look on in wonder that the labor
tloupleS IN their section do not materialize
in the east.
Railroad management has got to be a
great thlns. Years back, say twenty the
S S:d dua 81 OF railroad that ran up near
sio'ooc,too was considered a big corpora
tCn; now an ordinary road will saddle itself
with $4,000, 900 debt, and. strange "a GOV
IN some cases carry it. Take the Baltimore
ard Ohio road as case With Dronnr n,a,,
agement that property should he abIs 70
pay a handsome dividend but the peonIe
in power cannot be made to see the wisdom
OF copying after successful roads. 1t would
pay that corporation to get from the Penn
sylVanla or New York Central an official
rear the head, and pay him his own prir.
no matter what it may be-
Effect of Reducing Wages.
1T Is a question of knowing when and
when not to do a thing. If you use vour
memory little you will recall that tha
great troubles of 1877 started on the Ralti-
more and Ohio road, and under the condi-
tons that existed at that time str,r.
should have been STAYED off at anv nrioe
but the company wanted to pay dividends
and In the face of the transparent dtssatis,
Iactioh cut and recut wages until the en-
ployes were down TO plane bordering IN
starvation. The reduction in salaries sSyod
something like 100000 to the comnanv
put the destruction of property that fol-
1Umeo reached away up in the millions
rake the other two roads 1 have mentionnd
and under the same circumstances the div;
bends would have stopped and the an
proves reasoned with until better times
lDh
all over the country that year. hnt tbrao
1ourths of them were purely sympathetic
as the railroad men as class fully under
stood the financial situation, and knew it
would better them but little to strike
AT such times labor troubles are epi-
demic. 1t seems as if the germs are In the
blood. and all that is needed is start
me baltimore and Ohio furnished it that
year Inc road is undoubtedly one of the
finest properties in this country, and If the
management would take 1t in their heads To
ignore the stockholders for saw about
seven years, the road could be put on such
q solid financial basis as to make IT RANK
with the best in the country.
Some time since there was a report cur
rent In railroad circles that a general re-
duction in wages of all employees of eastern
railroads would be made the LIST of Nav
but this was promptly denied by both Presi.
dents Roberts and Depew, two. of the
shrewdest railroad men that have ever
been at the head of great corporations
The former, when told of the rumor said
that such move would not be considered
for moment. The railroad business he
said, was picking up very satisfactorily
within the last three months and would
probably continue in that line for months
to come. Even aside from considerations
of hberality or fairness, his conservative
Judgment admonshed him that such A
course might arouse a counter demonstra
ton, which would greatly overbalance in
cost any estimated saving by the reduction
of wages.
As Political Factors.
"The labor leaders have about come TO
the conclusion that the best way to gain
their points with the corporations is to 20
into politics, and 1 think this idea a good
one. Everybody knows what a power the
railroad men have in small country towns
in local politics. Why shouldn't they elect
state senator's and assemblymen as well as
burgesses?
Now, here is a pretty problem for the
railroad men to consider. There are as
many railroad men who are voters in the
United States as there are voters in nine of
the states Of the Union that Is, the total
vote OF these nine states, which are New
Hampshire, Vermont Rhode Island. Della
ware, Florida, North and South Dakota,
Colorado and Washington; and these states
W.