Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1916-08-18

AS a result of the demands for more
wages which the train service employees
of the railroads have been pressing upon
the transportation lines, the country Is
face to face with the possibility of the
greatest strike and the most serious
Industrial catastrophe In its history.
The engineers, conductors, firemen and
brakemen on practically all the rail-
road lines have voted to place their
entire interests In charge OF few
leaders within their organizations, and
to give these leaders authority to call
a strike If they wish to do so.
What such a strike would mean to
the American people cannot be set
forth in mere facts and figures. 1t can
be dimly imagined by those who real
ice what an intimate and vital part
transportation plays in every industrial
activity Of the country.
Cities Would Face Starvation.
There is scarcely a person in any
part of the land who would not be I'M
mediately affected If the millions OF
busily turning wheels on our nearly
three hundred thousand miles Of rail-
way were to stop for single day. II
the tie-up continued for week, the
blow to the industry of the country
would be greater than that caused by
any panic of recent history. To the
big cities of the country. and particu-
larly to the cities of the eastern sea-
board, it would mean a cutting off Of
food supplies that would place the in
habitants virtually in a state of siege.
In the case of many food products
these cities do not carry on hand
stock sufficient to feed their people for
more than week, and in the case Of
some, such as milk and fresh vege-
tables, supplies are replenished daily.
The stoppage of transportation there
fore, would mean suffering and want
to these city jewellers, and if continued
for long would threaten many Of them
with actual starvation.
Vast Loss to Farmers.
To the farmers Of the country a gen.
eral railroad strike would be catas-
trophe, only less serious. Cut off from
his market, the farmer could not move
his produce. and the price of grain and
other staples would be quickly cut In
two, while the market value of more
perishable articles would disappear en-
tirely. The strike would make 1t ex-
tremely difficult to harvest crops In
many sections. 1t would make the dis
posal Of the crops impossible, and
would infict losses amounting to hun
dreds of millions of dollars upon the
farmers Of the country
The great industrial plants of the
country would soon be forced to close
down following the declaration Of a
strike because they could not obtain
supplies needed for their operation, nor
could they ship their finished products
to market. Their plants would soon
be idle, and millions of men would be
thrown out of work.
With the income of practically
every class of citizens either seri-
ously cut down or suspended entire
ly, merchants would transact little
business, because there would be few
purchasers. In short. the industrial
activities Of the whole country would
be virtually palsied from the moment
the railroads ceased to operate. The
injury to the railway companies and to
the striking employees would be enor-
nous. but it would be tnfinitesimal
compared with the staggering loss that
would fall upon the general public.