The wageworker. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1904-????, 1907-08-09
How Fairbanks Loves
The Laboring Man

accepted these certificates at face
value, but as time went on and no
cash hove in sight they began dis
counting them. Finally these cer-
tificates were being traded at 80 and
So cents on the dollar. Section hands
earning $1.15 day were paid in Ger
tificates of Indebtedness good for 80
cents on the dollar at the grocery.
but which the section men had to ac-
cept at par.
In sheer desperation some of the
employees took the matter into court,
!! and this lower court decided that
the receivers would have to stop
sending the cash to New York to pay
interest on the roads bonds, and pay
it to the wage earners. The re-
ceivers were so notified, but Charles
Warren Fairbanks, presidential as
pirant and friend of the working
1nan," advised the receivers to pay
no attention to the court order, as he
would attend to that part of it. And
he did. He appealed to the next
highest court. and in the meantime
the cash went to the bondholders and
the certificates of indebtedness went
tc the employes-always at par to
the Garner but at 80 cents on the dol
lar at the grocery.
Fairbanks wept this up for nearly
two years. OF course he knew that
he would be defeated in the end. but
he had money enough at his COM
ruand to wear out the little mer-
chants and little bankers who held
the certificates. Mr.. Fairbanks knew
his business all right, all right, and
don't you forget it.
Along towards the last was where he
got in his work. Some very smooth
spoken young gentlemen went out
over the Indianapolis, Bloomington &
Western system and began buying
up the certificates. They bought
them cheap, too. A rot of small mer-
chants had gone broke trying to
carry them, and they were glad to
realize anything from the seemingly
worthless paper. In good time prac-
tically every certificate was bought
up.
Then came the finale. And that's
where Charles Warren Fairbanks
made a bunch of money to finance a
presidential campaign.
THESE CERTIFICATES OF IN
DEBTEDNESS WERE TURNED TO
THE RECEIVERS AND THE RE-
CEIvERs CAsHED THEM AT 100
CENTS ON THE DOLLAR.
The employees who had toiled
through storm and stress did not get
the 70 cents. Not much, Mary Ann.
Charles Warren Fairbanks and the
ccterie of conscienceless financiers
gobbled up the unearned increment.
And they gobbled up millions of dol
lars by the trick, too.
AS the railroad entered Farmer
City on the east it came through a
rather deep cut about a half-mile'
long. The winter of the receivership
was a bad one, and one night ter
rife snowstorm drifted that cut full
and packed it down. 1t had to be
shoveled out by hand. The local
agent, whose name is now forgotten.
wired the receivers for instructions.
They ordered him to hire men for the
work. The agent tried to do so, but
nobody outside of the two section
crews would work unless promised
cash. The agent so reported and he
was instructed to tell everybody that
they would be paid cash for shoveling
the snow. Under this promise a
couple of hundred men responded,
and the snow was removed in a
couple of days. The agent asked
! that the money be sent by wire. II
never came. Instead he was told to
send in the time book. He did So
and in return RECEIVED CERTIFI
} GATES OF TEDNE S s
WHICH THE BILKED WORKING.
MEN HAD TO TAKE OR GET
NOTHING, AND THESE CERTIFI
; Gates WE'RE WITH DIFFICULTY
! TRADED AT 80 CENTS ON THE
DOLLAR FOR GROCERIES ANI
COAL.
Bear in mind, that this certificate
of Indebtedness" business was de
! vised in the cunning brain of Charles
! Warren Fairbanks, and by him
pushed through to a highly success
full enthusiastically successful fol
r Mr.. Fairbanks and his friends, bu