The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-10-24
To Members of the American Railway
Union and all railway employees in til,


ing the board of directors of the Ameri-
can Railway Union, desire To address you
upon matter of momentous import in
connection with the great political cam
paign now in progress. You have no
doubt been struck with the unprecedented
activity and astounding tactics of railway
owners and managers i'll this campaign.
High officials arc going up and down the
line addressing employees and warning
them against the frightful consequence
of free silver coinage. Roundhouses, de.
pots and shops have been temporarily
changed into political wigwams. Sound
money" clubs have been organized and
employees intmidated to join them. Cir
culars and campaign documents are being
delivered to the employees with their
wages, and in many instances employees
are given to understand that their con-
tinuance in Service depends upon their
supporting the gold standard candidates.
In this proceeding the money question only
is permitted to be discussed, and only one
side of that.
Now, what of all this? The raload man.
ayers are overwhelming employees with
predictions of frightful disaster that will
follow in the wake of free coinage. Wages
will be cut in two, they say, thousands
will be thrown out of employment and
the country ruined. This one issue is
forced upon employees to the exclusion of
all others. Their minds are not to be
diverted from the free silver calamity for
single instant. 1t is to command their
united, ceaseless and terrified gaze to the
very election booth, SO that by no posi-
bility may the discovery be made that
sound money is only preteNt for deceiv-
ing and hoodwinking employees and that
railroad managers have II totally different
motive for transforming the corporations
they represent into huge Republican ma
chimes i'll this campaign.
The money question has been in Ameri
can politics in all its various forms since
the foundation of the Government. When
have railroad corporations organized
drilled and openly commanded their en-
ployes to vote the company's ticket?
Never before to an extent that would re-
motely compare with their brazen activ
ity in this campaign. Employees have
yielded up everything, and now they are
to be stripped of their votes and deprived
of their last means of protection against
oppression and injustice.
Aud now, we ask, why this unheard of
activity on the part of railroad managers
for Bryan's defeat and McKinley's cleo
ton? How is it to be accounted for? We
appeal to railroad employees to pause and
think. The like of the present situation
has never been witnessed. The country
stands amazed in the presence of such
bold, bald and shameless intimidation.
Again, we ask, what does it all mean?
What can be it's significance? Why such
ceaseless, stupendous and desperate eff
forts to control an election? Is it on ac
count of free coinage? No. The absurdity
of the proposition is evident on the face of
it, That railroad companies have some
interest in the money question is con-
coded, but that they would turn earth,
heaven and hell on that account, to pre-
vent in injury to their poor employees,
is not only ridiculous, but an insult to
every employee of common intelligence
who is not wholly the property of the
company. al III % 3aaM
They have been cutting the wages of
their employees by all the means ingenuity
could suggest, and if they believed that
free silver would cut in two the wages
they are now receiving. we know of moth
ing in their past record that would war
rant the assumption that they would OPP
pose free coinage.
On no. il is not free coinage that has I'M
loosencd and enraged this railroad Mo-
loch. Then, what is it; Here is the an
swer The attack in the Democratic plat
form on,govcrnment by Injunction Here
is the mill, in the cocoanut We know
whereof we speak. The authority which
we make this avowal is from Il source
which cannot be questioned. But such
authority is scarcely required Upon sec
ond thought the proposition ovcrwhclm-
ingly confirms itself and becomes rs clear
rs the MONDAY sun. For years railway
managers have been wrestling with the
problem of cutting wages and controlling
IL. 1Itr In la.
ployes were more or less organized. The
managers found the opposition of these
organizations extremely annoying. Com
mittces greatly distressed them. Mr.. In
gals, president of the Big Four system,
in his annual report to the board o. direc-
tors dilated upon the great and growing
difficulties of handling employees and
treated the question rs one OF paramount
Importance. The managers could not
treat their employees as they pleased.
There was more or less friction, and some.
times strikes occurred, and these were
embarrassing and expensive. The dread
Of strike restrained the managers and
kept them within uncomfortable bounds
Something must be done to overcome
these organizations and reduce EN- ployes
to submission. r. M@s TN
Experimenting began in various dircc-
NtDHS' HlItilN WV lStt'i was SolNShs
The federal court would solve the prob
lem. The strike of the engineers and fire
men on the Toledo, Ann Arbor and North
Michigan was paralyzed by IL federal
court Injunction. Other disturbances
followed and were settled in like fashion,
until Judge jenkins actually restrained
the employees of the Northern Pacific from
quitting the service of the company, be-
cause of reduction of wages, under pen.
atty of being adjudged guilty of contempt
of court and committed to Jail. The rail
way companies exclaimed in one voice,
Eureka. The problem of problems was