Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-10-01
Sanity as to the Railroads.

Al TIE ItCeHl COHNtIilioIt VI IOSoillo-
tive engineers and firemen at Column
bus, Ohio. with delegates present
representing 10000 firemen, notable
speech was made by 3. F. Yoakum an
official of the organization. The text
of the speech was the inter dependence
of capital and labor, and Mr.. Yoakum
illustrated it by showing how recent
deinagogic attacks on railroads by
western and southern politicians have
injured the firemen in the cabs as well
as the capitalists in their offices. He
was not obJecting to honest agitation
for the correction of abuses, but to
political over agitation, and he insisted
that this Injuries the employe as we'll
as those who invest in railroad securi-
ties. He said:
George Harris, president of the
Burlington told me that his company
last year purchased $4,000 tons of new
rails, against none this year 1t re-
qures on an average two tons Of iron
ore, one ton of coke, and one half ton
U llIlltStbllt, an Ol W lllCll liluSl De
supplied by labor to make one ton of
steel rails. This one railroad not pur-
chasing Its requirements means the
loss of 1000 carloads OF freight to
the railroads. which loss falls largely
on the emploYe, as he loses AZ cents
on every dollar that would have been
earned in moving this freight. The
number of tons of new rails ana
fastenn9S purchased by all the rail
roads of the country during the year
1907 was 5000, 600 which meant the
movement Of 1890, 0O0 tons Of raw ma
terial and finished product. or 4 total
Of $4,000 carloads Of freight This is
taking money from the employees
pretty fast
Mr.. Yoal>um makes a strong point
When he suggests that underneath all
the exposures of corporation misman-
agement there is a solid substratum of
commercial integrity, and that the
business of the country is conducted
upon honest lines with rare exceptions
War against corporations merely be
cause they are corporations is folly;
ana WIKI against al Is Nstl iSdllISl
labor also. The indiscriminate at
tacks upon railroads by demagogueS
in the various states, resulting in re
strictive legislation, We're aimed Just
as much at the Woodworking railroad
employees living IN those states as they
were against Capitalists" in the east.
Their is evidence here and there that
the wave Of prejudice is subsiding, but
there are agitators yet WHO hope to
gain Office by setting labor ana capital
against each other. These politicians
are the bane of prosperity and the enc
mics of all men who work with other
tools than their tongues. Railroad
mei, like Mr.. Yoakum, by showing a
willingness to cooperate in every way
with the people in enforcing proper
featiung the efforts of demagogues to
stir up strife. The people want
square deal, and win give it. They
will not always be bamboozled by the
politicians. They are coming to real
ize that if the majority of corporations,
ircluding railroads, had not been hon
esly conducted the country would
have gone to smash long ago. Mr..
Yoal<un brought out in his speech that
the average mileage Travelled by each
fireman annually is $4,000, and the fire
mems pay roll last year was $52.ono,-
900. Since the October financial panic
the pay roll has been at the rate of
5000, goo year. According to Mr..
Yoakum, American locomotive firemen
receive an average wage of $500 per
annum, against 5000 per annum re-
ceived by liremen in Great Britain. The
employees of American railroads re-
crivc AZ cents out of every dollar
earned by the roads.