The Muskogee cimeter. [volume] (Muskogee, Indian Territory, Okla.) 1901-19??, 1908-09-04

couragement
"To think what IL means in thou.
sands Of homes is not pleasant topic,
but we should look the situation
squarely in the face, and each man
should be pressed to share his re.
sponsibility in seeking a remedy.
THE campaign orators Of Septem-
Der and October must face the coun.
try full Of men out Of employment.
The stump speakers will be seeking
votes and the idle will be seeking
work.
"Of what else can the railroad men
be thinking except of what caused
the reduction in their income of $780,.
OO0,O year? They are listening for
those who have suggestions as to how
to get on the payroll again and at old
wages"
But there are other factors in the
railroad situation?'" it was suggested
TO Mr.. Yoakum.
THE railroad employe," he replied,
"is the most important factor in the
railroad situation from every point
of view. The owners of the railroads,
known as bond and stockholders, are
less in number than the employees and
have less at stake. One year ago
there were, according to the Inter
State Commerce Commissions figures,
] 1,G75,OOO employees, and they received
I,O15OOO.OOO as wages, and. accord
ing TO Slason Thompson, statistician
thnpa nnn af hnpl
and stockholders receiving less than
half the amount paid as wages.
out of every dollar earned by the
railroads the employe gets AZ cents
of it in wages, while the bond and
stockholders combined only receive
81 cents out OF each dollar, or one.
half as much as the employe. There.
fore, numerically and financially, the
employees have by far the greatest in
terest in the railway revenues, and
are the ones who are now asking the
most pertinent questions. They have
more at stake than the owners, and
are just as capable of deciding for
themselves and taking care of their
own interests.
The AZ cents for the employe and
the 2l cents for the bond and stock.
holder only account for 63 cents of
each dollar earned by the railroads,
but it shows the combined interests
of 2,675,O00 employees, bond and stock.
holders in the railroads of the Ma
ton. or the remaining 81 cents Of
the dollar, Z cents go for taxes and in
surance, and the balance Of 80 cents
largely for material and supplies, in
the manufacture of which labor is
the largest item.
The loss to the entire country on
account OF inability of railroads to
purchase supplies is as serious to the
public as the forced reduction in the
payrolls. Last year the total amount
of the railroad purchases was one and
a quarter billion dollars. At the pres.
ent time they are only buying at the
rate of one.half billion dollars per an,
mum, which at this rate means a loss
! to the manufacturers and the general
trade of the country of more than
! $75O,OOO,000 a year, or two million
dollars a day. If to this is added the
approximate one million dollars q
working day which the railroad EN-
ploye is suffering of this heavy loss
it is apparent that the business of the
country is losing at this rate approx
imately three million dollars a day or
account of shrinkage directly connect
ed with railroad operation.
do you wonder why the Labor
Commissioners of the State of New York
is reporting that onethird of the
union men are idle because there is nc
work, or that Jacob Schiff is appeal
ing to the city officials of New York
TO open up municipal work for theil
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