The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-10-21
National Committee, Including
Topekans, in Report.
"ADVERSITY TO THE MASSES"
Unjust Provisions Is Claim of
Signed Representatives.
"UnequaI Distribution of PeO-
pies Money" Is Plea.

employees in this country regarding the
famous Adamson bill in congress was
taken today by a committee represent
ing eighty per cent of the men in the
employ of the railroads not belonging
to the brotherhoods, when they is
sued a statement from the headquar-
ters of the committee in Topeka con-
demning the law as unjust, unfair and
with adversely to the masses
The statement was signed by the
following railway shopmen: John
Isaacson, Harry Service. James Null
lin William Zarker, Frank Sandmeyer,
Ralph Schaffer, John Fritze, Dan
Lane and Ben Mitchell mostly from
the big headquarters shop of the
Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe in To-
peka.
The statement in full follows:
The statement.
We. the undersigned committee, ap-
pointed at meeting of representatives
of the so per cent of railway employees
who are not included in the increase
of pay given by the so-called Adamson
eight-hour law, desire to protest
against the unfair and unequal dis
tribution of the peoples money, and
present the following as fair and
impartial summing up of this act OF
congress from the viewpoint OF so
per cent of railway employees.
First of all, railway employees as
whole are not in sympathy with the
statement frequently made that the
heads of the Four Brotherhoods are
unpatriotic or disloyal to the country.
On the other hand, they believe that
the leaders have been and are thoroly
loyal to their clients, the members of
their organization, and have led them
out of il situation that threatened to
be their Waterloo" It may be true
that to satisfy the radical element in
their organization they may have been
instrumental in leading them on to
the shoals that threatened to wreck
their craft and that this made it neces-
sary to adopt desperate measures to
save themselves and their followers,
but the men judge their acts from the
standard OF the world in which we live
and not by the high ideals that should
animate truly Christian nation. They
! give them the credit for playing the
game and winning on a bluff. They
| saved their organization and thus
proved their loyalty to the members
! of the Brotherhoods who were and
are their employers.
No Eight-Hour Day.
But what can be said for the admin
istration and the members of con-
gress who are supposed to represent
all the people, aye: sworn to do SO ?
Did they represent the majority or the
brotherhood portion of their constit-
| uents? Did they stand for what they
considered right? No one who knows
| anything about the operation of a rail-
road will honestly contend that the
Adamson law means an eight-hour
day, for which the trade unions are
| fighting. If anyone doubts this state
ment, let him investigate whether or
! not under this law train or engine
crew, which now make the run from
4 %
hours and for which they receive pay
| for two hundred miles or two days
will be compelled to lay in Newton un-
til twenty-four hours have elapsed
| from the time they left Kansas City
If this is the meaning of the Adamson
/ law, then there is a liability of a strike
| within the brotherhoods against it. II
it does not mean that, then it does not
conform to what the majority of union
men claim they are contending for
and therefore the Adamson bill does
not give an eight-hour day.
Receive More Pay.
What it really means is that the
men shall receive the same pay fol
| eight hours work as some of then
formerly had to work ten for. In 9th
er words, on runs which formerly took
{ ten hours or more to make. the mer
! receive overtime after eight hour:
| have expired instead of ten as hereto
fore This means one or two things
the railroads must either pay the mer
more for making the run, or they
must reduce the load and increase the
number of trains and in either case
the cost for hauling ton of freigh
per mile will be increased.
| 1t has been intimated. and we be
lieve even promised, that if. after in
vestigation, this is proven to be true
an increase of rates will be granted
Right here is where the unskilled anc
other classes feel that the adminietra
ton and congress are doing them al
irreparable wrong, for they know i
rates go UP the cost of living is in
creased and their already overbur
dened condition is made worse Mari
you: they do not blame the brother
hoods, but those who are sworn t,
legislate for all the people and not fo
any particular class
This kind of prosperity to the ia
vored few means adversely to tn
masses and this is true whether tn
favored few are members of a broth
erhood or are the mem bers of a ricl
corporation Let us throw aside al
cant and admit that if rates are to b
raised to benefit a class already wei
paid. measured by the standard of ou
country. it must come out of the fesl
and blood of the families of the grea
masses of labor unless they can secur
a corresponding increase in thei
wages.
Slap at Congress Leaders.
1t is claimed by some that the earn
ings of the railroads of our countr
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