The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-10-06
PROSPERITY IN ROANOKE.
The Town is Not Filled With Happy,
Contented People

Editor Roanoke Times:--There appears
in the Roanoke Tunes of Tuesday, Sep
TENDER %, an article entitled, prosperity
in Roanoke" TO which we, the Brother
hood of Railway Carmen, wish to make u
reply, as we think it does us an injUs.
tice as we'll, and is misleading to great
many people. we do not dispute the fact
that there is plenty of work In the shops,
nor 10 we deny that Roanoke is in bet
ter financial condition than she was two
years ago, which we consider Is due to
the working people to a large extent, for
this reason, that the men who have had
work in the shops, especially from July,
1895, up to the last three or four months,
have had living wages with some little
surplus money to pay their old debts,
caused by tn, two years OF idleness previ-
Gus to 1895. But under the new admin
istration 1t Is u settled fact that the
wages OF the carmen or freight depart
ment have been cut and it Is n fact that
cannot be rubbed out. We can speak for
our men that they are not among the
happy, coutented people" who are men
toned in The Times. On an average, we
think that we have made about half of
what we made in 1895, with the fact
staring us in the face that we are paying
nearly double for our living, and so
much less money to pay with makes us
'discontented" people, and brings to our
doors the fact that we are able to only
pay our necessary current expenses.
And If Mr. Barr il not here to cut
wages and is not acquainted with the
fact that they ale cut, we, asa body of
men, kindly invite au Investigation on
his part. There are II great many of us
who cannot afford the luxury of reading
The Roanoke Times, nor to eat wheat
cl@tl
reporter keeps this thingup we will have
to take out an injunction eujoining our
creditors from warrantng our debts.
They, thinking we are in the midst of a
second Klondike, will no doubt be push
ing MS for money we have not. and being
an honest sober set of men, wish TO pay
all we owe, and will do so when we have
the wherewith to pay up
We have no personal attacks to make.
but wish to say that some of the late en-
pioyes Of the freight department are rated
the same as men who are old employees
and men who understand their work
men who, as rule, are mechanics. Yet
we have to compete with a class fresh
from the farm without tools necessary to
do the work and without training as to
the work; but do not understand us to
say that we are not glad to see them Mt
work, or anyone else who wants work
we also believe them to be good men,
not knowing them any better than we do
Now. then, as to our liberal hearted real
estate agents and real estate owners, II
great many or us as renters think that if
they could make up their minds to reduce
our rents little each month-the agent
give small portion of his percentage and
the owner give n small bit-it would.be of
some aid, and the probabilities are that
bn Il
stead, II you ask them about house they
will tell you that rent has gone up and
invariably add on the seven.y-five cents
per month to pay the Glow" water tax of
our city; and we also wish the Norfolk
and Western could reduce the freight
rates on coal 80 that we could buy our
coal as cheap here as our Deighbors in
other places east of here. A little helm
from all might have tendency to make