Hutchinson gazette., 1898-04-28

comparison between peace aud war
When all the reads. are running on q
peace (?1 footing they kill or injure
1900 persons in half month. That
would be three hundred persons killed
or injured by one-Afth of the roads.
In the Debs strike, the losses were one
hundred killed, or injured, or, one-third
of the usual peace-footing casualties in.
the same length of time, on the same
roads, under she usual corporate man.
agement.
A strike is war No war is, just or
even excusable, unless there are good:
and justifying reasons. 1t can never
be justified except as a last resort for
the defense of just human rights.
Why then do railway employees some
times. engRgein strikes?'
First. Because, ignoring the exist
ence of the ballot box,i in this country,
they see no other way to defend their
rights against corporate greed; and to
maintain scale of wages above the
point of starvation and nakedness of
themselves, and families. And it must
be admitted that the power Of the
Btirke,. and, the fear of it on the part
of the corporations. has wonderful
influence in mitigating the hard lot of
the. oVer-worked and under-psid rail-
way employee OF this country.
Second The strike gives the rail-
way employee time to- wash off the
CRIME and blood, and smoke, and to enc
joy a. few nights rest in bed. He has
time to. become acquainted with his
family, and to learn, the color of his
childrens hair and eyesIn broad day
light,
And third, as to, the dangers and
casualties, the men avoid two-thirds of
the killings and the woundings. On
this test comparison as to life and per-
sonal injuries, the savings by the Debs
strille.of July 1894, were at least two
hundred persons. Such savings in a
short. two weeks campaign Of active
hOstilities are worth counting. OF
course the slow tortures and murders.
of mem by overworlS has, for the time
ceased. That, also, is net gain.
Reader, do you eyer observe the in-
, famed eyes and worn aspect of the
half dead men at the furnace or the
engine after run of twenty to forty
hours without rest or sleep? Have
you ever imagined to yourself that
that noble, brave and faithful man
has wife and family with whom he
would be glad to spend a whole day
now and then. Do you now see why
railroad men, bearing all the burdens
and dangers which are their lot, with
frequent insults from brutal officials,
sometimes strike in hope OF relief
The whips, guns and bloodhounds of
= the old cotton states never worked,
J. distressed and mangled the chattel
slaves as the white men who do the.
work on our American railways are
now worked mangled and killed The
old slavery recognized q race and color
line. Corporate slavery includes all
men, black, white and yellow. Chat
tel slavery never worked a man to
death or worthlessness, without less
to the matter. Corporate slavery is a
perpetual torture and carnage of thou
sands per month with NO sufficient e.
nancial or moral restraint to protect
them. 1t is but the swapping of dead
or MANNED men for sound ones, driven
to their tasks by hunger, and the spir-
it of corporate greed maintains it's well
ratisfed cOmplacency.
"Slavery amt % nary color,
'Taint the skin that makes it worse,
All it cares for in feller,
Is to make him fill it's purse"
Hosea Bigelow
Slavery is a means by which tho
master enjoy the earnings of the man,
through unfair means of coercion, as,
whips hunger and other modes Of per-
sonSl distress. Very Resp
JOHN DAVIS.