The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 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 ia
race to face with the possibility of the
greatest strike and the most serious
Industrial catastrophe in its history.
The engineers, conductors. fremen 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
a strike If they wish to do 80.
What such a strike would mean to
the American people cannot be set
forth in mere facts and figures. 1t a
be dimly imagined by those who real.
lie 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 a single day. II
the tie-up continued for a 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, 1t would mean q cutting Oh 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 in the case of
some, such as milk and fresh vese-
tables, supplies r r~eplenished daily.
The stoppage Of transportation there
fore. would NEAR suffering and want
to these city jewellers, and II continued
for long would threaten many Of them
with actual starvation.
Vast Loss TO Fsrmsvs
To the farmers Of the country q gen. |
eral railroad strike would be a cstas-
trophe, only less serious. Cut OF from |
bis market, the farmer could not move
his produce, and the price Of grain and
other staples would be quickly cut In
two, while the market value of more
.perishable articles would disappear en-
tirely. The strike would make II ex-
tremely difficult to harvest crops IN
many sections. It would make the dis
posal Of the crops impossible. and
would infiict losses amounting to hum
areds of millions Of dollars upon the
Of the country.
The great industrial plants, OF The
country would soon be forced to close
Town following the declaration OF
'trike because they could not obtain
'upplies needed for their operation. nor
'ould they ship their finished. products
o market. Their plants would soon
'e Idle, and millions of men would be
brown out Of work.
With the income of practically
very class Of citizens either ser.
'usly cut down or suspended entire.
y, merchants would transact littla
BUSINESS, because there would be few
purchasers. In short, the Industrial
lctivities of the whole country would
'e virtually palsied from the moment
he railroads ceased to operate. The ,
injury to the railway companies ana to
he striking employees would be enor-
nous, but 1t would be i~nfnitesfmal
ompared with the staggering loss that
would fall upon the general public.