The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1908-12-24

lCQnkl1aed from p4..e
~
trains across the Florida ssfaits s6
Havana, distance ~ ninety mtles:
without compelling passenge to1
leave their car seats or sleeping-caf
IBerths ana without the necessity Or
breaking bulk on. d single cpnsigns
ment Of freight This viii mean.
that the Cuban sugar painter will be
enabled TO load his product on a
freight car sidetracked at his plan
Itation, have the car hauled by rain.
to Havana. fioated to Key West and
then rail-hauled right to New York
or any other point without any OF
the expense, trouble or damage dan
gers OF second handling.
This great project, which is being
financed. from beginning TO end. by
Mr.. Tlagler personally. generally IL
regarded BY engineers as the most
expensive stretch OF railroad ever.
built, the average cost OF constrnc-
tlon, from end to end. exceeding
100000 a mile, while the addition
al capital requirements for docks,
channeling, car floats and equipment
viii bring the total cost approximate
IL to $4,000, 900. Already Mr..
Flagler has expended upwards of
SIS. 600, 900 on the work.
It was more than year and half
ago when this great work was inter-
rupted by the United States Attorney
General and charges were made that
laborers on the railroad work were
held in bondage, compelled to work
practically without pay and were sub
jected to various sorts of oppression.
The case was presented to the
Federal grand jury in New York and
indictments charging conspiracy,
We're found against Edward ]. TRAY,
of Jacksonville, Fla, resident labor
agent for the road against Francisco
Sabbia. who has private bank at
225 Bowery in this city; and against
Frank "A. Hough and David 3. Har-
ley, who were empoyed by the COM
pany to take south the gangs of
workmen that were engaged in New
York. AT an expense that has been
estimated to be as high as $500. 900
the governments attorneys, after
three years of preparation. had their
cases literally thrown out OF court,
as being without foundation, Judge
Hough not even requiring the attor-
neys for the railroad to present their
defense.
1t since has been shown that the
whole so-caled "peonage" agitation
was started by irresponsible workmen
who had been sent south BY the COM
pany, and then. after the usual man
ner Of "hoboes." had run away from
their work and sought, by their tales
of slavery" to justify their leaving.
Several of these men had them
selves interviewed for newspaper
purposes but later, when 1t came to
making aftidavits as to the truth Of
their statements. they were forced
to recant woefully and to admit they
were well-treated while working on
the keys.
] When the Florida East Coast ex-
tension was projected. the Florida
sate authorities offered to the rail-
road, which has done all its own
construction work without sublet-
ting a single contract. the use of
levery convict under sentence. Had
this offer been accepted the road
would have had sufficient number
OF men at work at forty cents a day
without the Importation of single
bit of labor.
When the proposition was outlined
to Mr.. Flagler by his representatives
he declined to build the road by any
hands other than free American labor
and the work Of bringing in this labor
was begun. A. first the men were
paid $1.25 day and had to make
their contributions toward their own
commissary department, This. as
was found early in the proceeding
was unsatisfactory and within a short
time the railroad was paying a mini
mum of $3.50 day to It's men and
was providing them with their food
and quarters. Figures connected
with the work show that it has cost
the company $1.oS a day to feed each
man employed aud both General Shat
tue and General Brooke of the Unit
ed States Army, on tours of inspec-
tion Of the work. declared that the
sanitary conditions of the camps and
OF the coinmissariat for the men were
better than was to he found in the
regular United States Army.
1t is significant fact that while