The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1897-03-25

1892. sos 1895 ............ AL
Thus it will be seen that in 1893 they
had 5l5 men employed on every hun
dred miles Of railroad. In 1895 they
had reduced that number to AL on
each hundred miles.
Mr.. PALMER. Will the Senator from
North Carolina permit me to ask him
a single question:!
Mr.. BUTLER. Certainly.
Mr.. PALMER. Why did they do it?
Mr.. BUTLER. They did it TO in
crease their own profits without any
regards to the rights of their employ
ees or the interests of the public. One
thing is certain, their action illustrates
one of the beauties of the gold stand
ard. We certainly had the gold stand
ard, and bonds were being used con-
stantly. They said if we had free silver
| they would have to reduce the number
of their employees and reduce their
salaries. This table shows that they
reduced the number of employees and
reduced their salaries, while the num-
Der of miles Of railroad operated was
| increasing all the time. Not only
that, but another table which | will
| soon present shows that they increased
| the salaries of their officers while they
decreased the salaries of their EN- .
ployees. They did this under the
gold standard; and yet they were try
ing to make the people believe that
they would have to do that very thing if
the country adopted a free silver law.
They were trying to fool the country.
The policy of the railroads under the
gold standard is to do just what they
are now doing, and have been doing
yet they charge that they would have
10 do it under free silver
Mr.. PALMER. Mr.. President, may
b. allowed to remark that | suppose
the railroads hired all the employ ees
| they needed, and if they reduced the
number it was because they could not
make money enoug h to pay them. l
suppose that was the reason.
MIR. BUTLER. Then why did they
increase the salaries Of their officials
who were already getting from fifteen
to twenty thousand dollars year?
Mr.. PALMER. | do not know that
this is true.
Mr.. BUTLER. 1t is true, and l will
give the Senator the facts and tell him
where get them before I get through
| have them all here
Mr.. PALMER. That they did it is
possible. do not know why they did
it.
Mr.. Butler. The salaries of uthe
men who were getting $4,000 a
year had t. be increased in
hard times, and the wages of the men
getting but 81 so day had to be re.
duced to $l25.
Mr.. PALMER. Why was that?
Mr.. BUTLER. Because we have turn.
ed over a great public function, which
is monopoly, into the hands of pri.
vate individuals and allowed them to
run it according TO their Owh greed
their own desires, and in the interest;
of their own pocket.
Mr.. PALMER. That is no answer
Mr. BUTLER. 1t is an answer. and
one that they would like to dodge, but
it Is true answer.
Mr.. PALMpR. | do not think so.
Mr. BUTLER. They run these great
public functions fer their own prof,
and for their own emolument, and
not with regard, as they ought to do
to the public interest.
MR. PALMER. Does not the SeDa.
tor from North Carolina manage his
own business in the same way?
Mr. BUTLER. Ii any business were
one which concerned every citizen ir
America; il it were one that was i'm.
portant to life, liberty, and property
and the welfare of the nation; if my
business were the operation of grea
public function, its management
should not be allowed to be dictated b,
my own greed and selfishness and sell
interest.
Mr.. PALMER. But xoui1 the Sena
tor do so?
Mr.. BUTLER. l expect that any
poor, weak human nature that is cloth
ed with the management of Rrea
public function and is allowed to ru1
it simply by the dictates of his owl
greed and self interest would do tn,
same thing.
Mr.. PALMER. l expect so.
ia. BUTLER. l expect so; bu
you must remember that the Bibl
tells us not only to avoid evil
| but to avoid the appearance of evil
{ 1t is your fault and mine if we nur
5 ture and encourage and support
: system which gives greed and self-in
terest chance to Cypress b.
+ manity. chance to para
!, lyze industry. chance to bull,
Z up one industry and tear down an
. other. Are you and l doing our dut,
as good citizens when we allow thi
2 power to be put into the hands O
e men and 10 stay there unrestraine d
which can close up every oil refiner,
, in the country but one, and make al
absolute monopoly out Of the Stand
t ard Oil Company? That compan,
g would never be monopoly withou
railway COLLISION. The respo asibilit
. for this rests upon the representa-
tives Of the people.
ITO be continued next week.