The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1916-10-13
Ry FRANK &. CELL
Editor Of The Neb:aok. Farm T,iGGszine

The farmers of america recently
tacrti :. crisis. from which hey were
dcljvert;; hy prompt action by the
President Of the Eni1ad StataS-tIe
threat OF the n&tiou-wide railway
strike. The railway nalls,.ssr> and
the Representatives OF the -l3o.UDo men
employed in train service, we're dead
locked over hours ct i;thou and wage
schedules. President Wilson volun-
reered 10 acs is mediator. but had
no power to force arbitration. An
impasse Was reached.
The 3;rollerhood issued a strike
order effective on Labor Day. &19tem-
Der /. The railroad mani. gen:aclts
showed that they recognized the I'M
iuii4~ncn of Ike strike. Embargo o.
du4s We're issued OF freight 81 g:nerts.
Supplies; and strike breakers were mo
billed. The country waited breath
:e>Sly. Iar me storm IT, break. Il y-;;s
apparent that neither side was bluff
ting.
The President saw Il national caialn-
III impending. lie called leaders OF
ii~ pu.1y into conference with him
and VITA them wrote the bill present
Ell 10 Congress with the special mes
sage OF the President next day. Nsi-
ther the rsiI7oaGo 7or tbs railway
bro1hernoods were consulted. Neither
SIDE i,..4vv waa1 the BIZ! contained;
reitesr made any demand, o. has. the
sl..-aSt infiuence in the framing OF
the bill
That portion CT tire III providing an
eight-Ilycr day for employees engaged
in the operation Of tr.,in: heea5Ge q
law Il vas accepted hy tl.e Brother
hoods. ,Ac strike order vas cancelled,
tn c&i.Hijy WAS ;lEer:lI.
No c.-3a ctood % lose 30 nauci, from
Thu a.ti!>e as -he farmer. 4 single
week O. Inactivity IL icc.- III: afG 81
press service would sisvc p.Tliyz.9c
his market Tor month CT more. Com
inc It the ti,r1e CT marketing ef perch
able products, his toss from This
course alone would have run into MIL
lions.
Staggering Losses Arc7tet.
It is estimated hE the railroad man
agempDts that the increase III wages
because Of tie eight-hour day Will
amount 20 from S54Q0o0GD to $100,-
100000 q year Allowing their l:o!l-
est fg-re, $4,000, COG, the farmers
of the United Statea vvou;d have lost
more than this in thirty days had
there rot bean snaa il, The White
House zig enough to protect the in
terest OF the whole people.
Five cents a buShel on wheat Is
easy picking for the pit gamblers
when they can play the market at
their own sweet will. 1t would have
meant S50,G0H,G00 dollars loss to the
farmers OF the billion bushel crop.
James X. -Arnl<t1y, one of the larg-
est shippers q truit in California, :,
Republican. recently said that il the
strike had taken place it would have
bankruptod many OF the fruit growers
of that State. RE said il would have
caused loss Of NOT less thar @2o,oGo,-
600 to che fruit industry OF California
alone. This amount is probably nauci'
too low.
The peach crop nov going to mar
ket, with a value Of about SIS, oco, ooc
"S~'G navy DI~ii "a aSti%Ihii7 49,.
loss. The $500, coo, 600 apple croF
would have shrunk by haif in value
The potato crop, of value OF abou
S22o0oo,OOO would have involved
further loss Of at least $50, cOO,O o0. TIL
cabbage farmer of Northern Ohio, tn
grower OF tomatoes for the cannery
and the celery grower Of Michigan an
Florida would have kept mournfu
company. Melons from Colorado, Cal
fornia, Arizona and Delaware, grape
from western New York, and frol
Yakima and Wenatchee, prunes, picl
les, poultry, butter and eggs Woul
have gone down in the common catG
cysm
What would a strike have meant I
the live stock market OF the farmer
And what would it have meant to til
Consumer. with the cold storage facii
ties in control OF the Fuckers con
bine?
Wol1 Have Faraiyzed Industry.
The direct and Immediate loss MIG
he farmer would have sustained
ase o. q strike is but enc phase
ne dancer which threatened bis int
SIS. The depressing influence up'
larEet prices. resulting from the
biiity of consumers 20 buy because
q. oi employment, Wo3iA have be
1T in Every item OF this years Il:
'odG"t>. Take this single iAStanc
Ais telegram, seat % President Y
a on September "a Is Henry Hol
q worlds greatest automobile man
.ture-: