Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1915-02-18
Twas Ever Thus

tNt dn enuS are DtlnE tlrCu'
lated by railroad mon in the EN-.
ploy of the railroad companies
throughout the state These pc
titinnS are being presented to
the legislature, now in session at
Jefferson City, asking that body
tn enact new laws. or to restore
the old laws controlling rail.
roads, so that n 3 cent per mile
passenger rate and the old
freight rate on car lots may be
resumed. and this will be done.
Railway officials are schemers
for railway officials. For some
time they have been doing and
saying many things to create
for them the sympathy of the
people. They have cut down the
forces Of all departments from
the poorly paid section hand up
to the general offices, and in
some departments have short
ened the hours of labor with a
corresponding wage decrease, to
further 'curtail expenses" But
who has yet heard of the reduc-
ton OF those princely salaries of
the official. the reduction of their
clerical force, or the cutting off
of private cars and the immense
expense of their maintenance
and operation: These employees
of the roads will tell you the
roads cannot run on the present
rate of revenue and put these
men back to work whom they
have laid off, but if the safety of
the travelling public demands it
they must do so or sell out and
buy a small road they can man.
age to keep the leaks out of.
Many shop. men and others
we're laid off just previous to the
last election to create public
sympathy and defeat the full
crew. amendment, and it was
done. They got Us going then,
and are tring to put another
one over on us now, and they
will do il while we sit idle and let
them pile up petitions before the
legislature without accompany
ing remonstrarces.
Suppose the railroads are los
ing money; T. not the mer-
chant and farmer. the artisan
and laborer in our section losing
money by not clearing as much
owing to the ShOrtnesS of crops
for the past three years: Is
that any reason why we must
dig down into our pockets for
more cash to furnish more luxu-
ries for these poor officials: 1t
would seem so.
If they are in earnest about
retrenchmont, and it is really
necessary, why don't they Top
or a few thousand dollars an.
nnally from the exorbitant sala-
ries of Zach of those higher
ups:' Why don't they plug up
the drain of thousands of dollars
monthly from the use of their
private cars, used exclusively
by officials, and when they must
make n trip do so in the day
coaches or chair cars with
white folks who pay their
fares and assist in making it pos.
Sible for the roads to maintain
their business at a profit to the
shareholders? win they do
either: Not on your life"
They know how to beat that
game. They strut around with
the four aces up one sleeve and
the 'ker up the Other-telling
hard luck stories and crying
retrenchment from the house.
tops land beginning and ending
rctrenchment at the small end)
knowing you do not know the
game, and send out an army of
their paid employees to solicit sig.
natures to these petitions lit
will doubtless cost them their
jobs to refuse to gO), and no
matter how few the names on
these petitions, they will win,
for we will not fool away our
valuable time circulating re-
mOnstrances.
No, we had rather be gouged
little deeper than to openly re.
monstrate; rather stand at the
platforms or along the right.of.
way and watch the. specials OF
the "brasS.collarS'' 90 by. know.