The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1915-01-28

1t takes the corn crop, the most
valuable in agriculture, which sold
last year for $1,C92, 100000. to pay of
the employees of the railroads. the
money derived from our annual sales
of livestock of approximately $4,000
100000, the yearly cotton crop, valued
at 1920, 0O0; the wheat crop,
which is worth $61O,O00,O0O, and the
oat crop, that is worth $440,O00,0O0,
are required to meet the annual pay
roll of the manufacturers. The
money derived from the remaining
staple crops is used in meeting the
payroll of the bankers, merchants
etc. After these obligations are paid,
the farmer has only few punches OF
vegetables, some fruit and poultry
which he can sell and call the pro-
ceeds his own.
When the farmer pays OFF his help
he has very little left and to meet
these tremendous pawolls he has
been forced to mortgage homes, work
women in the field and increase the
hours of his labor. We are, there
fore, compelled to call upon all in
dustries dependent upon the farmers
for subsistence to retrench in their
expenditures and to cut off all un,
necessary expenses. This course is
absolutely necessary in order to avoid
a reduction in wages, and we want,
If possible, to retain the present wage
scale paid railroad and all other in
dustrial employees
We will devote this article to
discussion of unnecessary expenses
and whether required by law or per-
mitted by the managements of the
concerns, is wholly immaterial. We
want all waste labor and extrava-
gance. of whatever character, cut out.
We will mention the full crew bill as
illustrating the character Of unneces-
sary expenses to which we refer
Union Opposes Full Crew" Bill.
The Texas Farmers Union regis.
tered its opposition to this character
OF legislation at the last annual meet
ing held in Fort Worth, Tex, August
4, 1914, by resolution, which We.quote.
as follows:
The matter OF prime importance
to the farmers of this state is an ade-
quate and efficient marketing system;
and we recognize that such system
is impossible without adequate rail-
road facilities, embracing the greatest
amount of service at the least pos
sible cost. We further recognize that
the farmers and producers in the end
pay approximately 95 per cent OF the
expenses of operating the railroads.
and it is therefore to the interest OF
the producers that the expenses OF
the common carriers be as small as
Is possible. consistent with good SER
vice and safety. We, therefore, call
upon our lawmakers, courts and
jures to bear the foregoing facts in
mind when dealing with the common
cially reaffirm the declarations of
the last annual convention of our
State Union, opposing the passage OF
the so-called full-crew' bill before
the thirty-third legislature of Texas"
The farmers of Missouri in the last
election, by an overwhelming ma
jority, swept this law off the statute
book of that state, and it should
come off of all statute books where
1T appears and no legislature of this
nation should pass such a law or
similar legislation which requires un-
necessary expenditures.
4 The same rule applies to all regu-
latory measures which increase the
expenses of industry without giving
corresponding benefits to the public.
There is ofttimes body of men as
sembled at legislatures-and they
have right to be there-who, in
their zeal for rendering their fellow
associates a service, sometimes favor