The Topeka state journal., 1900-04-17
SI,75O A DAY.
New York Is to Pay on Account of
Difference Of $29 q Day in Wages.

AS44C4EANC VI tpsO q LAY IL w dfSGS.
New York, April 17.-According to the
Tribune the cost Of the militia and
deputy sheriffs on guard at Croton
dam to the state and county is S1750
a day This expense will be trebled
by the calling out of the Seventh regi-
ment. Italian Consul General Branchi
estimates that the increase of wages
demanded by the strikers would amount
to SIS a day. In addition the strikers
protest against the deduction Of two
cents day from their wages as a med
ical fee. q total of S14. So that the
amount in dispute is S29 per day.
Sergeant Robert Douglass who was
killed at CrOtOn dam last night was q
years old, native Of Scotland and and
eN-member OF the British army
Consul General Branchi was asked
whether the strikers were paid direct
ly by the contractors or through the
medium Of padrones, who might de-
duct part of the wages.
There are no padrOnes at all among
these wOrkmen,' replied SignOr Bran
chi. These men are engaged and paid
directly by the contractors and have
been for the past five or six years.
All this trouble could have been avoid
ed, the state could have been saved a.
great deal of money, and the work
would have been going on without IN
terruptiOn if the contractors had been
a little less selfish and a little more
considerate Of the rights of others.
These italian labOrers are peaceably in
cllned and are content to work hard
for very moderate wages. But there is
a figure at which a man with a family
cannot work without starving. And
this is the difficulty with the men who
have struck for an advance of wa ges
There is a feature about this strike
with which people in general are not
familiar. 1t is this, that out of the $50
strikers only 100 to 120 who were get
ting $1.25 a day struck for an advance
The n
out from sympathy, as they were al
ready receiving higher wages. These
men have been working up there for
the past five or six years, and many
Of them have built small houses or
shanties.
During the past six or eight months
prices Of provisions and other necessi-
ties have been going up. The increase
IS still greater at the Italian quarters,
because they are four miles from the
railroad. and all provisions have to be
brought from the city. To these poor
/ people who earned only SIPS a day the
increase Of prices Of provisions was ire
mendous and they felt it keenly. They
1 asked the contractors for an advance of
I p cents day and for an eight hour
/ work day, but the second demand was
4 merely a formal one, as workmen in the
! building trades are generally asking for
/ eight hours. What they did want was
/ an advance of wages to enable them to
/ buy the same quantity Of food for their
/ A~AtAAAA-Ea that lAlEg ilclu 4OuE before pro-
/ visions became dearer. That was all
! they desired
The contractors b1untly refused to
! listen to the mems demands, and the
result was that they went out on strike
/ ana Inelr more fortunate fellow work.
men went out with them from SYM
! pathy, as I have said. The strikers
/ would naturally be irritated when the
/ contractors threatened to bring new
] men into their places, while they would
/ be driven out of the homes that they
/ mad built for themselves. I am not at
all Justirying the action Of the men.
/ VINO are ignorant and have very little
! reasoning power. but there are certain
/ things which ignorant men will resort
[ to when starvation and ruin stare them
! IN the face. and the contractors could
/ easily have prevented all this trouble
/ by listening to the men. who would
/ have met them half way in order TO re-
/ sumo work. I am satisfied that could
/ have persuaded the men to cOmprO
mise on half their demand, and they
4 would have accepted an advance of 121z
/ cents a day. This would have cost the
J contractors between 81. so and SIS more
( a day than they have been payins to
these 100 or 40 men. But they refused
/ to listen to any compromise. and to
/ save this insignificant sum they seem
( willing to have even riots and blood
1 shed and have the state pay large sums
/ for soldiers services
The strikers viii certainly make no
resistance to the troops, and there will
be no trouble. I shall make no fur
/ ther move in this matter, but I feel
/ confident that the contractors viii
eventually be obliged to pay their men
the advance demanded, because they
/ cannot get other men to fill their
places at s1.25, and they viii rather pay
/ an advance 20 the old men whom they
{ already understand than to g1een
hands. Can they get poor Italian i'm
migrants to take their place, do you
I ask2 No, they can not because even
the contractors at S1.25 a day
No family can afford to be without One
/ Minute Cough Cure 1t viii stop a cough
and cure a cold quicker than any other