The record-union., 1898-09-23
RAILWAY men.
HOW THEIR INTERESTS ARE
ASSAILED BY DEMAGOGUES.
The Locomotive Fireman's Jour-
nal" Gives Some Very
Pointed Facts.

| IOrnla, containing the fOllOWlnS
The following, published in the 10
comotive Firemans Journal for April
1898, recommends itself to the careful
| consideration of every railway en-
| ploye:
| 1t seems to me both foolishly and
wickedly wrong for anyone to preach
the doctrine that "the companies" and
''the employees have conflicting inter
ests. It is foolish and wrong for any
| one to try to create prejudice among
the men against the companies or to
irritate the managements against the
men.
Two propositions lie at the root OF
the whole matter:
| First-There is only one way in which
any individual company Cor the COM
panies as whole can possibly prosper,
and that is by having the cordial
hearty cooperation Of the employees.
| Second-There is only one way in
which the employees can be assured OF
regular work and adequate pay, and
| that is by the companies being rea-
sonably prosperous.
We all know that causes of contro-
versy may-and will-arise between in
! dividual employees or classes of EN-
| ployes and individual companies. In
| the same way two partners in any
| business enterprise may honestly dis
agree on some one particular point
on the method of handling some one
item in their business or on their re-
| spective shares of the profits from
some enterprise. But if these two part
| ners permit such an occasional differ
| 70 ;p+0 #
attitude of hostility toward one another
if in the regular current Of their
| business they pull in different direc-
| tions-there is only one end that can
come. That end is bankruptcy to
| both. 1t is precisely the same with
the railway companies and the men.
Difficulties may arise from time to
time. When they do arise, let them
meet and settle them peaceably If may
| be; by force, if must. But when they
| are settled, let that be an end Of it
and let both then remember that they
! are partners in the same business
that they must not carry rancor and
| ill-will into their daily lives, but that,
unless they will avoid the bankruptcy
and unhappiness Of both, they must
work cordially and earnestly together
| for the good Of both.
! I do not quite know where the line
is drawn between Officials and ''em-
| ployesi'; for all Officials are only
employees Of those above them, and
the President is an employe Of the
Board Of Directors l know that some
men who are commonly called "offi-
cials'' earn less money than many
employees" and know that few "em-
ployes" work any harder than the ma
jority Of officials"
We often hear and read nonsense
from in-informed people about the
high salaries paid to railway officials.
Be sure Of this: That no Board Of Di-
rectors ever offer a President a bigger
salary than they have to offer him to
get his services; nor did any manager
ever fail to hire a Superintendent as
cheaply as he could. The recently
issued Interstate Commerce Commits
sion's report states that last year there
were 5,372 general officers on the rail-
ways Of the country, their aggregate
salary being S12, ,957. This was an
| average salary of S2,326.5O for each
officer. There were S21 ,240 employees
below the rank of general officeri If
ished and their salaries distributed
equally among the men left in the SER
vice, it would have increased the pay
Of each e1nploye by S1521 a year, or
Al cents for each working day.
do not quite know how the rail-
ways Of the country could be run with
out the 5,312 general officers, but the
above figures show how wantonly fool
fcLa = fe.
aries" paid to higher officials. as If it
worked any injustice to the employe.
| Salaries are not excessive. If they
were all wiped out it would only help
the average enploye by Al cents per
day.
Again on the subject of dividends.
More nonsense is talked about the en-
ployes being squeezed" to pay divi-
dends to stockholders. I presume that
it is conceded that the stockholders are
entitled to something. Then how
much? Last year 70.17 per cent. Of
the stock Of the railways earned moth
ing at all, and if all the money that
was paid in dividends on all the stock
of all the railways of the country had
been distributed to the employees it
would only have made an increase Of
33 cents a day to each man.
OF course it is ridiculous to talk of
such a thing as the stock Of all the
railways being wiped out AS a mat
ter of fact, the stockholders are en-
titled, and ought to get considerably
more money than they receive now.
What want to show is that the mon
ey paid in general officers salaries and
the money paid in dividends is, all put
together, comparatively insignificant
compared to the money paid to the
employees.
The officers last year got $12,O00,O00
The stockholders got SS7,000O00
The employees got S460, 100000
They earned it, too, every cent of
It. But, that being granted, the fact
remains that the employees are by far
the greatest beneficiaries Of the opera
ton Of the railways They are far
more interested than anybody else
when earnings are reduced and they
proht far more than anybody else
when earnings increase.
A reference to the annual report of
almost any large Western company op-
Grating, say, 5000 miles of line and
employing 10000 men, will show that
last year, in order to meet the de-
crease in earnings, there was a de-
crease in the payroll of each COM
pany in the neighborhood of million
dollars during the year. Whereas in
1893 there We're 515 men employed for
every 100 miles of road in the coun-
try; last year there were only 454 to
every 100 miles-a difference Of over
1900 men on road with 5000 miles
of line.
NOW things are niclSinp IN and If is