The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 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 a few
leaders within their organizations, and
to give these leaders authority to call
strike IL they wish to do so.
What such strike would mean to
the American people cannot be set
forth I'm mere facts and figures. 1t can
be dimly imagined by those who real
ize 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 II 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 q 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 q cutting OF 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 a
stock sufficient TO feed their people for
more than a week, and N 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 dwellers, and IL continued
| for long would threaten many of them
with actual starvation.
Vast Loss 20 Farmers.
To the farmers OF the country q gen.
eral railroad strike would be a catas-
| trophe. only less serious. Cut OF from
| his market. the farmer could not move
his produce. and the price of grain and
other staples would he quickly cut In
| two. while the market value OF more
perishablc articles would disappear en-
| tirely. The strike would make IL ex-
tremely difficult 10 harvest crops In
many sections. Ii would make the dis
posal Of the crops impossible, and
would intiict 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 q
strike because they could not obtain
supplies needed tOr their operation, nor
could they ship their finished products
To market Their plants would soon
| he idle and millions af men would be
thrown out al work
With the income uf practically
every class II citizens either seri-
ously crt down us >E>0nded entire
ly. merchants would Transact little
business. be Az, ,Ae-e would be few
purchasers In short The Industrial
activities OF 'ae whole country would
be virtually paisied from the msmenl
the railroads. 'eGsed to operate The
| injury 10 the railway, companies AID 10
the striking eihPloves would be enor
nous, but II would he naniteSimal
, compared with the stagg" ',g loss tha,
would fall upon the gene !. public.
J - e