The Progressive West Virginian. [volume] (Williamson, W. Va.) 1911-1913, 1912-10-31
DANCER AHEAD!
| SIGNALS A FAKE
Republican Circular Warning
Railroad Men Is fa'pahe
False Alarm.
EASY TO MAKE FIGURES LIE.
Old Trick Of Setting Red Lights on a
Clear Traek--Facts Presented So
Railroad Men May Judge.

Clear Traek--Facts Presented So
Railroad Men May Judge.
! The Republican national committee
% distributing circulars among railroad
men predicting a panic and hard times
In the event of Democratic victory
Among their statements intended 10
mislead railroad men Is this:
/ RAILROAD MEN,
STOP LOOKi LISTENl
LEST YOU FORGET
S1.33S.S79.
Big sum OF money, isn't TT
Nevertheless It's exactly that much
more paid to the railroad employees
Of the United States under the admin
istration OF President Taft in 1910 thar
waa paid in 1907. the year before Mr.
Taft became president
This Is sample Of the old time Re.
publican habit OF claiming credit for
all natural progress-credlt even for
good crops.
II ls true that In 1910 the wages OF
railroad employees amounted to some
t71 100000 more than In 1907
But that represented three years
progress.
In 1905 the amount paid to railroad
employees was 5000, sol ,653. In 1901
1t was 1.072 1886. 1877 This was an in
crease Of $l71 ,5S4. TIA In a single year
preceding the Taft administration.
amounting to more than double the In
crease during three years Of the TAFT
administration
nh ar Ftrn
Stunning you won't have the statistics
at hand to inform yourself aud that
therefore they will fool you into be-
lieving that the Taft administration
made railroad mems prospe&tyi
Then stop. look. listen again
In four years preceding Taft's nd.
ministration l.l93 miles OF railroad
were sold under foreclosure. The
stocks and bonds OF these roads
amounted to $47s03l.OOO
Under three years Of the Taft ad
ministration 5,ll5 miles were foreclos,
cd. involving 1894 ,434.562.
I Tho Tariff Humbus Again.
] A still more palpable presumption by
Republicans that railroad men are
/ fools is the following statement IN
their circular:
The total number OF railway en-
| ployees in 1895 was 7S5.034.
| The total number OF railway en-
| ployees in 1911 was l.699.8o9
Under Republican administrat ton the
number OF railway employees has In
| creased from 7S5.034during a Demo-
cratic administra tion--to l,699, s05. an In
l If 1
Do you want Democratic president
| and return to conditions and number
Of employees OF 1855?
The Taft people take 1895 because
the last Democratic low tariff bill.
known as the Wilson bill. went INFO
| force In 1894, and they would like to
have railroad men believe that n Dem
ocratic tariff revision made the hard
times.
What the Facts Prove.
Now. what are the facts?
The hard times" began back in
1890, right after the Republican high
tariff. known as the Mckinley tariff
went into effect Grover Cleveland.
the last Democratic president, WAS
elected In 1892 The panic came on 10
| 1893. not as q result Of Cleveland 8
! election. but as result OF conditions
that had been growing steadily worse
under Republican rule. The panic WAS
over before the Democratic tariff bill
was passed In 1894. and after that
prosperity began to return
| Now let us make fair comparison
! Of these railroad figures
In 1893, under the Republican high
were 873.6O2 railroad men employed.
or b15 per 100 miles
| In 1894. part high tariff and part low
tariff. the number fell to 179,G08. or
~ for 100 miles-decrease II per 100
miles
From this year on go long as the
Democratic administration was In pow,
or, conditions improved steadily
In 1895 the total number Of railroad
I, men at work was increased to 7s5.034
In 1895 1t was sE26.G20
| In 1897 Mckinley came into the pres
Idency. and the Republicans set abont
to redeem the country with high
thTlu AMI IN lSbi ltlE III AL
NUMBER OF RAILROAD EMPLOY
EES FELL OFF TO S23.476
Republican Panic of 1907.
Then In IN. fall Of 1907 there was
another Dan!t' under the Roosevelt ad
ministratioD and under a Republican
high tariff. We're the railroad men
protected from loss Of jobs? Scarce
~! The next year. 1908 the number
Of railroad employees fell of by
235. 100. decrease of i12 per 100
miles against II per 100 miles In 1894.
the year when the results of the panic
Of 1898 were felt most severely.
So what Is the use of trying TO make
fools Of railroad men or OF any other
Americans by distortlng nguresf The
truth Is thai these fluctuations were
not due to high tariff or low tariff.
I The program OF the new party legal