The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-08-13
-.--- RAILROADS AND wAGEss

sA,,,. FReasons Advanced fer the 1n-
 creane of Freight Rates. ,.. Railroad Record and Common CAEtisl. Let us have plain heart to 'neare talk about this wage and rate increase
 aaist'0a: Let us face facts ana speak plain. Here is the proposition..
 isafes must be Increased enough 70 add sf0o, 900 year to the earnihs or wases sss r04ns must # be cut sioo.Ooo.voo q. year.
 Why? e We will answer that later. ..
 First get this fact and II IS fact,. fixed firmly in your nind:.
 The newspaper editors and other peo- pie who are opposing the rate inereess. i ..,s 6aca,se there is only one alternative7r Increased rates or decreased wages. Don't ioss sight oEl that '.,s
 Nov here IS another poini tG i,nS rsnsT Eli Esrrlrnan McRae Brown and Finley do not want to reduce wages. All the railway leaders frankly say that con a- ought not to be reduced
 Wages are not fooa high,
 Rates are too low. s A cut of $100 900. 900 tiq the wages or ], l,500.0e0 railway employees means seess a year to each oge. .s.,.-,.. i.
 An advance Of Sl00,e0e,Q0e In fretghSt rates distgibuted. smeng; the ss.ooo.gggg cs,g., 'irs Tssree Se'sSs you "a ars--sss tor the average railway worker or sl.t4 for every
 Judge Clements. of the inter-state cornmerce cornnaission. ana some of the state railroad commissioners say:
 You must not put this tax or si'iA Oh. no. Soak the. railroad workers $68 per year. You have not heard r. Roosevelt Of Oyster Bay. talking that way. Nor Judge Taft Nor W J
 Ths increase already arranged for on grain. flour and meats over the so.sh mssns 4s ssnts r.sa ge9E tS SsI. sns papers that this advance will hit the South for sS0000 900. That is just about sassoo oOo eSt esdo 6o O6 the way o,,1t It Atlantic and Gulf States. x Going back to the queation--why do the roads need to earn or save $l00,- 900 900 more The answer is because they are running behind. They have no credit and barely enough money to skin along. They. cannot buy lumber, iron and steel without credit. They cannot hire labor unless they have the and roadbed are not getting the atten- ton they should have. -Eridgas. butldss ings rails and rolling stock are wear orders are being placed for cars, loco motives. rails or structural shapes,
 And there will be mo orders of con ssapsnGs bs oral S1t sses ssrnP9s o9 nsEs ayass in freight rates would be even greater l than the direct financial returns. It would give investors an assurance thpt tnsir interest wouid, De ga,iaa,na ,s snS materials. An authority says that the | railroads buy eb per sent of the steel output of the United states. They buy 45 per cent of the south.s lumber and Der output of the whole eouptryrl Tn normal times. 12s000, oe0 people or one- seventh of our entire poppla tons get i their living from the railroads and al-.,
 An advance equal to. sl.14 per. capita | would maintain wages at the elds scale; 1t would send the roads into the lum. new life into those trades reopen mills light the fires under cold fur | naces. and give employment to thou Nearly ali manufaeturIne trades @ would quickly feel the stimuIng Xil producers of raw material would get
 This is a question of, yitai interest | to railroad and all other labor. Labor I should be up and doing. The shippers proposed advanee In rates; Locally. l many of them are perfectly willing | for an advance 70 be made. beeausat they ,ds Ssieys that m % ofsP nf IouIs h | head of the greatest hardware house In the world; says; Give the railroads | CTS probably feel that they are not
 It is up to the working people to
 hs win the figRt if they viii undertake ik | The case is S14a4 vs. S66.