The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1916-07-15
4 WASHINGTON FARMER AN.
SWERS THE RAILROADS.
Tells Them They Cam Expect No
Sympathy From Class of Workers
They Have Consistently Robbed for
Years

c.. r. Sottrell. of Kent, Wash, who
Is a farmer and incidentally national
and rural credits commits
sioncr for the Washington State
Grange, received circular from the
Western Railway Managers Associa-
tion recently, asking for sympathy and
assistance for the railroads and at
to show him the injustice of
the demands of the workers for an
cight-hour day. Mr.. Cottrell's reply
follows:
Kent, Wash, March IL, 1915.
10 the Executive Committee of the
Association of Western Railways:
"Gentlemen: In reply to your cir
cular letter Ga perusal of which leads
me to believe that you seek sympathy
from farmers in your adjustment of
wages with your employes) sent to
me, ! presume, because of the fact
that 1 follow farming as an occupa-
ton, I beg to state that If your COM
mittee imagines it will strengthen it's
cause by appealing to that class of
people (the American farmer) who
have felt the oppression of excessive
freight rates for the past twenty years,
they will be somewhat surprised to
learn that the farmer of today Is not
permitting himself to be used as a
cats paw to pull chestnuts from any
corporation fire.
Il note in your circular letter that
you very neatly sidestep the real
cause why your employees are demand
ing an increase in salary, but elabor-
ate upon the new inventions added to
your equipment which makes the oc-
cupation less hazardous than in form
er years.
I'm adding your automatic couplers
and other labor-saving devices, have
you thought that by so doing you have
deprived certain former employees Of
the right to sell the only commodity
they have to sell-labor? Have you
considered that your present employe
pays certain per cent. taxes towards
the maintenance Of this unemployed
brother? Did you say that he could
take up land and become a farmer {?
Perhaps that would be feasible if
You would assist in eliminating the
waste between himself as a producer
and the consumer, but at present any
railroad man on the continent would
starve as farmer.
IF have been correctly informed,
1t takes combustible material. prop
erly placed, to make the various parts
of your iron monsters do the bidding
Of man and transport the farmers
crops to market at a price sufficiently
large to guarantee a certain per cent.
to your bona fide stockholders and
large enough. to pay dividends on the
watered stock. The only added cost
to you from former years is the in
creased cost of labor to produce, as
YOU own your own mines of fuel.
HAS 1t occurred to you gentlemen
that it takes combustible material
properly placed to cause the human
machinery to move and do your bid
ding? Your employe does not own his
mine, but must purchase in the open
market at price from SO to 200 per
cent. In excess of what he had to pay
twenty years ago? Do you know that
81 today will possibly purchase the
same article that cost 80 cents twenty
years ago?
mo, Mr.. Railroad Owner, instead of
using such methods to keep your en-
ployes down to the lowest level, you
Should seek the cause of this high
cost Of living. Open up your closet
door and there you will find the
skeleton Of high freight rates between
producer and consumer. Go farther
on and upon opening other doors you
will find other skeletons that will ex-
plain to you why your employees ask
for an advance in wages. You have
one OF the strongest organizations on
earth. Why antagonize your employe
because he has seen fit to follow the
example you have set him? Rather
seek cooperation.
II take pleasure In informing you
that the farmers of Washington State
arc thoroughly organized and in har-
mony with organized labor.
Good luck to your employees.
"Yours truly,
(Signed &C. Il. Cotterell.