The Idaho recorder. [volume] (Salmon City, Idaho) 1886-1927, 1908-06-11
THE RAILROAD VOTE.

There are increasing indications
that some OF the railroad manager
are going to attempt TO organize The
railroad vote for the purpose o.
throwing IL against any party which
attempts railroad reg ulation. The
railroad vote can be divided into two
classes. One class contains officials
those who collect and handle The
money which the railroads earn
these are the men who have made
railroad management odious by theil
contempt for the public and by tbeii
indifference to the interests Of the
stockholders. In the second class we
find those who are employed by the
railroads engineers, firemen, con
ductors, brakemen, trainmen, sta
tion agents, freight handlers, etc,
etc. 1t is customary for the manag
ers to appeal to tie employees about
election time, when an attempt Is
being made to elect some official
friendly to the management. The
usual method of coercion is to threat
en- reduction of wages IL the rail-
road Is not able to select the officials.
The employees, however and they
constitute the real voting strength
of the railroad element-Ought to
know by this time that the man Sc
lected by the managers is seldom
friendly to the employees. In all
matters affecting labor, the man who
obligates himself to the railroad
management is opposed to anything
that the employees ask for, although
the employees may have been coerced
into supporting him when candi
date.
If the railroad employees want law
making the railroads liable for in
juries to employees, they must find
their support from the farmers, Ia
borers in the cities and the public
generally, for the men elected by the
railroad influence are almost as a
unit against such legislation.
And so II the railroad employees
want relief from government by in
junction, they cannot hope for 1T
from the men elected ny railroad In
huence. They ought, by this time,
to understand that their real friends
are the people who want justice to
all and who believe that the railroad
employees are entitled to the relief
which they seek.
When an effort was being made to
secure reduction in passenger rates,
the railroad managers threatened the
employees with wage reduction, If the
rate bills passed, but reduced passen-
ger rates increase tratfc, and in
traffic makes demand for
more trainmen, and the employees
Will find 1t to their advantage to
favor that which helps the public.
So with the proposition to prevent
watered stock. If part of the rail-
road earnings must go to pay divi-
bends on stock which represents no
Investment in money, a smaller sum
IS left for legitimate expenses. The
railroad employees have Interests In
common with the general public, and
hey need not fear that reductions
VIII be carried to point where hon.
'st railroading will be injured. The
employees will be better off when rail-
'oad managers are compelled to earn
heir money by attending to the bus
ness OF the road AMI not by exploit
ng the public through the stock
The democratic party stands for
ustice to railroad employees, to the
and to the public, whose
'atronage enables the railroads to
xist. No legitimate business will
% injured by democratic success,
nd the railroad employees will stanu
their own light II they allow them.
elves to be deceived by the men who
ave been manipulating the railroads
Dr. the building up OF enormous for
lnes. All that the public demands
that the railroads shall recognize
heir quasi-public character aud dis
narge the important duties tina. de.
olive upon them.
w. J. Bryan.