Cresco plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1913-1945, 1916-10-27

Cessation Of Railroad Operation Would
Have Wiped Out the $751; 90, 900 Peach
Crop, Cut In Half the 100000, 900
Apple Crop. Taken 100000 Of the
Potato Crop, and Those Items Are
Only Drop In the Bucket.
BY FRANK G. ODELL.
Editor Nsbroska Farm naSasias.
The farmers Of America recently
faced crisis, from which they were
delivered by prompt action by the
President of the United States the
threat of a nationwide railway strike.
The railway managers and the repre-
sentatives Of the 100000 employed In
train service were deadlocked over
hours of lsnor and wage schedules.
President wilson volunteered to act as
mediator, but had no power to force
I arbitration. An impasse was reached.
The Brotherhoods issued strike or
der effective on Labor Day, Sept. 4.
The railroad arrangements showed that
they recognized the imminence Of the
strike. Embargo ORDERS were issued
on freight shipments. Supplies and
strike breakers were modified. The
country waited. breathless, for the
storm to break. 1t was apparent that
neither side was blufhng.
The President saw national calam.
ity impending. He called leaders Of
his party into conference with him,
and with them wrote the bill present
ed to congress with the special mes
sage Of the President next day.
Neither the railroads nor the railway
Brothsrhoods were consulted. Neither
| side know what the bill contained,
neither made any demand o. had the
| SLIGHTEST influence in the framing Of
the bill.
That portion Of the bill providing an
eight-hour day for employees engaged
in the operation Of trains became a
law. It was accepted by the Brother
hoods, the strike order was cancelled
| and the calamity was averted.
No class stood to lose 90 much from
the strike ~ the farmer. A single week
Of inactivity in freight end sxprsss
service would have paraIyxsd his mar
i<st for q month Or more. Coming at
che time Of marketing Of psrishabis
products, his loss from this source alone
would have run into millions.
Staggering Losses Avsrtsd.
It is estimated by the railroad man.
agement that the increase in wages
because Of the eight-hour day will
amount to from $50, OOO, 600 to 500, 000. :
600 4 year. Allowing their highest Ne.
urs. efoo0ooo oo. the farmers Of The
United States would have lest more
than this in thirty days he'd thsre net
besn q man in the White House big
enough 70 protect the interest Of the
whole people. 49,
| Five cents q bushel on wheat Is easy
picking for the pit gamblers when they
| can play the market at their own
sweet will. It would have meant nifty
million dollars loss to the farmers on
the billion bushel crop.
| James X. Armsby, one Of the largest
shippers Of fruit In California. q Re-
publican, recently said that IL the
strike had taken place It would have
bankrupted many of the fruit growers
| Of that State He ssid 4 would have
| caused loss Of not lsss than 10000
900 to the fruit industry Of California
alone. This amount 10 probably much
too low.
The peach crop now going 70 market,
with value Of about @65,ooo0oo,
would have been practically, . total
LOSE The $2oo,ooo,o 900 apple crop would
haws been shrunk by half in value.
Tbs potato crop, Of value Of about
$1,000, 900, would have involved fur
thsr loss Of At isast $5o,0oo,ooo. The
cabbage farmer of Northern Ohio, the
grower Of tomatoes for the cannery
and the celery grower Of Michigan and
Florida would have kept mournful
company. Melons from Colorado, Cali
fornia, Arizona and Delaware. grapes
from western New York and from IA
kima and Wenatchee, prunes, pickles,
poultry, butter and eggs should have
gone down in the common cataclysm-
| What would strike have meant to
the live stock market Of the farmer?
And what would It have meant to the
consumer, with the cold storage facili-
ties in control Of the packers' combine7
WsuiA Have Paraiyssd Industry.
The direct and immediate loss which
the farmer; would have sustained In
/ case Of Z strike Is but one phase OF the
danger. which threatened his intefoets.
4 = ~ - -S.sN-A