Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1901-02-20
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 20, 1901.
The PROBLEM OF the HOUR.

Minneapolis Journals
Sweeping reductions III the working forces
OF the railroads that have lately been con
solidating" will shortly be announced. This
will be about the first important result Of the
carrying out Of the community OF interests
deal which has so persiStently been advocated
by James j. Hill. There is variety of esti-
mates of the number of railroad employees
VITO will lose their positions in consequence OF
centralZing the exc cutive work, the abolition
of agencies that have been competing, and
the consolidation of traffic and accounting
departments. Within the last few days
prominent western railroad man has said that
fully rs. 600 men would find their services at an
end because OF the changes that have been
going oh Other estimates place the number
latter figure ut least will be reached. EcOno-
my of operation is the chief reason underlying
the recent consultations Therefore two sets
of officers will not be kept in office on the con
Solidated lines where one set OF officers can
do the work. Therefore where two railroads
| nave come together it is L question of the
executive officers. In the Vanderbilt system
alone there has been i'm annual saving OF more
| than 100000 through recent merging of Of
fees. This has all been in salaries paid and
conStit uteS but a small part of the actual say
| ings in Ill directions brought about by the
changes Enormous savings have been affect
| the Jersey Central railroads. the Southern and
| the Mobile & Ohio: the Southern Pacific and
| the Union Pacific and the further reductions
| in the clerical and executive forces will make
u far greater difference than has been noted
| in what has gone before. The next two years
will see many IA railroad official and many Il
railroad employee retire to private life.
The Juggernaut of Capitalization is
rolling along, crushing the laboring
classes under it's mighty wheels. Not
only will there be \ large number of
men thrown out of emp'oyme Mt, but
the reduction in the number of en-
ployes will in ;rease the competition
for the places left and thus enable the
roads to reduce wages for those left
Strikes would be impossible, for with
so many railroad men out of employ
ment the places of the strikers could
soon be filled. Thus the corporation
makes saving in the number Of en-
p!oyes and in the salaries of those re-
tanned, and makes it's employees prac-
tically slaves to it's will.
If economy in railroad management
led to reduction in freight rates and
thus lessened the burdens of the PEG.
pie the good might overshsdow the
evil wrou ght. But this Capitalization
makes the corporations absolute
rulers over the people at large in the
matter of charging exorbiuant rates.
The power of this gigantic combina-
ton enables it to grind everybody
under its heel. J. Pierpont Morgan
is today more powerful Than McKin-
lev or even Mary Hanna
It is too late in the day now to talk
about legislation to prevent such
combin ations as these. The question
that now confronts US is this: Shall
private corporations control the rail-
roads, reduce expenses, throw thous-
ands of men out of employment, add
heavier burdens to those already
borne by the people, and go on in
ere asing in power; or shall the gov
eminent take charge of the railroads,
run them economically and in the in
terests of the people, and by thus pro-
noting the welfare of the people and
increasing their capacity for consum-
ing the products of industry make
room for the employment in other
branches for the discharged railroad
employees? The country is rich enough
to support its entire population, but
if a small coterie of men are to alb
sorb the profits of the labor of mil
lions, then some must starve in the
midst of plenty. The individual has
lost the battle against private social
ism for the benefit of few. Public
ownership of public utilities is the
only remedy for this new evil. It
must come if we are to avoid anarchy,
which is sure to come if people are
driven to desperation.