The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1910-01-21

that, unless something was done. both
railroad wages and railroad dividends
must be inevitably cut.
Morriessey was one Of those who
declared that the only possible course
that promised results was an appeal to
enlightened public opinion. The pub.
lie, 80 long damned by railroad auto.
Gratis, must be treated with the respect
and courtesy that ii was now in posi-
ton to demand; it must be educated
and its favor must be courted; and in
this work the sixteen hundred thous.
and railroad employees in the United
States are vastly the most important
factor, because of their numbers and
their intimate contact with the great
mass of the people. First of all it
was necessary to educate them; to
convince them that. If railroad earn.
ings are decreased by law, railroad
wages must drop accordingly. There
are also more than half million in.
diWdual investors in the stocks of
railroad corporations who might exert
a considerable force in the formation
of the controlling public opinion
They, too, must be brought to see the
light.
Accordingly the American Railroad
Employees and Investors association
was formed, suite of Offices rented
in a Chicago skyscraper and pat
Morrissey installed at it's head It's
first executive committe was composed
of the presidents of the Chicago, Mil
waukee and St. Paul; the Chicago,
Burlington and Quincy; the Atchison
Topeka and Santa Fe, and the Chicago,
Rock Island and Pacific Railroad com.
panes; and the heads of the four
great brotherhoods of railroad EN-
ployees. A former officer of the Or
der of Railway Conductors was made
secretary, and dozen organizers, all
| prominent in the work of the various
unions, were put into the field. Then
1 the printing press and the mails were
set to work, and the propaganda was
we'll under way. At about the same
time a remarkable and, to most people
| ineXpliCable change came over the
attitude of many great railroad men.
The late f. H. Hartman, for example
belying his reputation as a despotiC
sphinx. began with geniality that
we'll became him to take the public
into his confidence as to his plans
and purposes. John D. Rockefeller
broke the silence of years and wrote
his benign and bleating autobiogra
ply. All over the country great rail
roads inaugurated a policy of reason
able publicity. Other great corpora
tions followed their example.
This is what Pat" Morrissey has tc
say about the movement Il know thai
the railroad companies have done bat
things in the past. l know that the
way great private fortunes have beer
amassed in their control has justly
aroused public hostility. I have nc
excuse to make for that sort of thing
But under present laws and present
standards of public sentiment it cam
be done now. And it isn't fair tC
blame the railroads of today for the
sins of their ancestors.
1--WE want to teach the railroad EN-
ployes, first of all, that they are az
vitality interested in stopping the tloot
of hostile legislation as are the rail
road corporations themselves. They
want to keep wages up-to get then
increased. But out of every dollal
taken from the railroad treasury for
ty-two cents comes from their possible
wage fund At least one out of ever,
dozen men. women and children in thu
United States gets his living directl!
from some railroad company. Yo,
can't hurt the railroads without hurt
ing them.
They are to be our missionaries
one million six hundred thousand o
them directly employed. And the.
will make good missionaries, too, be
, cause they are the most intelligent
as we'll as the best paid, class of labo
in the world. The average railroad
man gets six hundred and forty do
, lars year as opposed to five hundlet
and fifty dollars, the average earning
of men employed in manufacture.
: Pat" Morrissey and his dozen OF
, ganizers have been running about owe
the middle west and the south for
year, now, getting the railroad me,
into line. 1t has been hard to max
. them take part in this movement. Blu
Morrissey is a patient and determine
t man. He declares that he wouldn
, be in the organization for a minut
! if it was not movement that protect
: the interests of the workman to tn
| same extent as those of the employer
3 He points out that the new associatio
5 is pledged to take no part in an
= dispute over wages; but that its sol
: subject is to change conditions so tina
3 higher wages may be possible. Ant
2 slowly, he appears to be winning
( Already more than twenty-five thol
I sand railroad men have been enrolle
i. in the local branches, which are bein
- organized in every town that support
! any considerable railroad population
n These branches have their regula
4 officers and lodge halls, and meet q
t stated intervals to discuss new phase
l. of the problem and to listen to tn