Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1916-08-10

family Life, the strengthening OIL Inc
state that goes to make so strong
nation, of independence and free peo-
pie.
Unless 1 am mistaken these ideals
animate you, and we will not lose
sight of the fact nor will the public
lose sight Of it that what you have
done SO Tar has been done by bitter
struggle.
Since l came to this city yesterday
a gentleman for whom l have the high
est regard, representing in his person
and through organizations, a great
deal of the wealth of this western
country, said to me: Il am glad to
see that you are going to speak before
the organization up in the Auditorium
| tomorrow morning; 1 know that your
conservative voice will be raised in
| such way as to prevent the awful
| result Of a strike in the great trans
portation industry Of this country
told him: 'tYou are mistaken; I am
| not going to address a convention of
the railroad arrangements of this
| country: am going to address great
body, representing, as l understand it,
some ninety thousand of the workers
on the railroads OF the continent, and
I am going to say, upon my conscience,
that they ought to use their economic
power in bringing about the eight
hour day" (Applause.) 1 told him
further that If he desired to have &C
cess to a body that might prevent
| ttie-up of the freight and passenger
service on the railroads Of the United
Estates he should endeavor to attend
Injecting of the railroad managers or
ganization and ask them to give these
men what they are entitled to as
workers and American citizens. and
keep the wheels of the railroads NOV
ing. (Applause.)
I need to make no argument here, as
II have had the pleasure of doing many
times in gatherings of a more public
character. We understand exactly
what this movement means. We I'M
derstand. this demand, made as 1t is
II by men who have risen to the door of
freedom economically, and who pro-
pose that their crafts shall be eman-
cipated from intolerable employment
4 conditions. This is going to be, I
TERMINAL. ..... ...h shrdluu u
hope. an illustration of the great ad-
vantages OF cohesiveness in labor. It
is going to be the greatest exhibition
Of solidarity of labor, I think, that has
ever been given in these United States.
And I might have said to this gentle
man, as I have said many times in
public gatherings the thinking power
that the worker has when expressed
rightfully. and with a view to bringing
about proper conditions, is neither a
bad thing for himself nor a bad thing
for the community of which he is an
integral part
The Southwestern Strike of the .
Late Eighties.
May I indulse in a little remi-
niscence, because it always comes to
my mind upon occasions of this kind.
During the great Southwestern strike
in the late Sos, I was a clerk in the
freight auditing department of the
Missouri Pacific, and I was particular
~ close to that situation that consti-
tutes, perhaps, a thrilling memory to
many OF the older men that are sitting
in this hall today. Ny ideas of this
business were the IDEAS Of course, of
q 19-year- old clerk, but remember
well the appeal that was made to u.s.
an appeal by the general manager of
the railroad company to his men-a call
upon the organization of that industry
ito help the company to defeat the eff
forts Of the organized employees re-
call that to that department contain
ing something over forty men, docu-
ment came from the Office of the presi-
dent and general manager. stating that
the road had ceased operation, as
you remember it did for something
like thirty days. This document an
nounced that any clerk that renorte d
at the office every morning at eight
o'clock, and was willing to join the
police reserve for the protection of
the property, would be carried upon
1.-THE pay roll, but out Of that forty men
only two responded to the call. CAP
plause.) One has gone before the
Great Judge. the poor fellow being
weakling, physically as well as men
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