Norwich bulletin., 1912-07-22
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.
Sometimes t Pays to Look Backward.


 MT. Editor: Although today is well along in July. 1912, the 18th, I think it may be a little interesting to glance backward 10 the same date, 1893. Tn company with three reporters worKlng for northern papers in the clty ol Washington, l joined Washington I journeyed down into Vlr- einia to a place called CharlottesVille, where ii was rurnored that some tramps had held up railroad train and were to be lynched by the indignant resi- dents It was 10 o'clock at night when we crossed what was then the long bridge" over to Jackson City, a suburb of both Washington and Alexandria, and right and left our attention was at tracted to little fires by the side of the track Being reporters, out for news, we naturally inquired of the trainman what the fires meant. His reply was: "Oh, nothing but hoboes: they are camped all over the state" And as we ran farther and farther into the wilds of Virginia we found the fires became more numerous and somewhat larger When we arrived at Orange court house, where the holdup was said to have taken place we learned that 90 trarnps were locked in box car short distance ahead of us and would
 
 superintendent of the road and others would deal with them as they eonsid- cred best,
 A short nap, a few more steps and one of my partners yelled Wake up!' to the rest of us and we tumbled off in a pretty old fashioned town scatter ed along both sides of the Richmond and Danville railroad, where excite ment was running high and several hundred people were awaiting the ar rival of the Lynchburg freight with its | cargo of train robbers, or whatever | they were.
 l Thirty six men of all ages and o''io-s were in that car, and almost as many 1 trades as men. The facts as drd19n | out by the superintendent were thst | somewhere between Alexandria and l Orange courthouse the tramps caught | the train while at water tank, and refusing to get off, were locked in, and 1 the message of a holdup sent to | Washington and division end stations.
 There were machinists, carpenters. seven wooden weavers, bricklayers and railroad men in that bunch 24 of them | had union cards, all paid up; some of them were Odd Fellows, Masens. K. of F., and members of other orders, and | all told the same story: No work at 1 | freeze. anyway" The people who had cudgels to thrash the men with drop ped them one at a time. The superin- tendent was a kind man and spoke to | them about as follows: Boys, we all know it is terrible hard times up north It is also hard here We are perfectly willing for you to get along south on our road if 1t is done in a decent man. ner; but how can l as superintendent stand for a gang of you taking full possession of a train? What shall I dc with you? Someone please suggest"
 The result of the meeting was tha' the men were each given a loaf o
 bread and pound of bologna and told tC leave town. After the story of the
 bread and bologna got well going near. ly 50 other men showed themselve! from different parts of that train, a! the temptation to eat was greater thar
 to hang on to their hiding place.
 We went back to Washington with
 story, but not such an exciting one al we had expected
 My paper was intensely democrati.
 and consequently my article was badl, ; cut the live part of it Killed" as ! news gatherer says, but the impression | has never left my mind. Hundred ; upon hundreds of honest workingmer ldbOI uHlOu IH6InD6FSs CH1lSIldnS, He : brews and others were swarYning owe northern Virginia, going south becaus l. factories, shops and work of all kin had no use for them at home. Is i 3 not a good time to remember the con
 ditions of the country by glancin
 backward just when a threat to brin l about those same conditions Is bein , made gain?
 q It is not the actual passage of ba g legislation that made the trouble | e July, 1893, because the Wilson con e gress had not started in it's work e destruction. but the uncertaint 1 caused by business men knowing tha l certain political leaders stand eve e ready to strike a death blow to tn n business of New England and tn e more prosperous north caused a cessa e tion of all business dealings until tn l, fnanciers were certain of their groun, d Glance backward in the privacy of you
 home let the high cost of living re
 duced by tariff reduction go in enc ca
 and out at the other. but when cleo
 tion day comes make your cross in ? circle that means Forward, March an s not backward glances.
 e c. B. MONTGOMERY.
 Packer, Conn.