The Gem worker and the Idaho labor herald. (Boise, Idaho) 1914-1917, 1916-02-10

tant supporter of any railroad owners
contention in differences between EN-
ployer and employee INDUCES in til,
following, special plea, which shoulC
not be hard to answer by any one who
knows much concerning railroads il
their relation to the public:
The proportion of the gross re-
ceipts of the railroads paid out in
wages has been steadily rising in the
last few years by reason of the sue
cessive advances in wages.
"Out of every dollar received now
by the railroads for carrying freight
and passengers the employees get As
cents; in other words, the payroll
absorbs not far from half of the $3,-
O00,000000 of gross revenue. Two
thirds of the total cost o6 operation
is for labor. The employees share
of the total receipts has risen from
40 per cent to 45 per cent in the last
few years.
The men of the trains-the engi-
neers, firemen, conductors and train
men-are an army of third OF mill
lion, and their share of the payroll
approaches $400,O00,00 per year.
While these employees form l9 per
cent of the railroad army, they abb
sorb 28 per cent of the pay roll.
Their concerted demands for higher
pay increased their yearly earnings
from 1910 to 1914 by more than $70,-
100000, without any increase in the
number of the men employed. These
are the men whose nationwide de-
mand for new schedule will be pre-
sented to the railroads this spring
They are the highest paid men in the
rank and file of the railroad service,
many of them earning more than
their division officers"
If the above article, from the pro-
railroad Sun, is not the strongest un-
conscious argument in favor OF orga-
nized labor and proof of the power of
organization, there is none in exis-
tence.
But let us go into the merits of the
case little regards justice of the
mems contentious for the eight-hour
day. The fact that the Government
itself has adopted the eight-hour day
stands out as proof that the people
of the United States approve of the
schedule. The fact that danger to life
from accident is less under normal
and moderate hours is another. The
fact that the American people, the
general public, foot the final bill by
paying the freight and passenger rates
yet another. The fact that the people
of the United States are more bene-
fted by a distribution of high wages
to many employees than by dividends
to a smaller number of stockholders
is still another.
There is another question which
this great coming wage contest will
DiinS Oul plOihlllCll y--WltlicI the
country can continue permanently
railroad system which is based upon
profit to the private owners first and
service to the public afterward.
Labor has become so strong in its
organization that it can now demand
justice at the hands of the private
owners.
The reason il can make fight, if
necessary, by general strike is but
tressed by the fact that the National
Government will remain neutral or
step in to arbitrate the differences,
trying to obtain concessions from
each side toward peace, instead of taxi
ing the railroad owners side militant
1y, as in the past Labor has gained
enormously by organization but it
has gained equally as much by help
ing to elect to Office a President who
is not biased against organized labor
and has given labor a representation
in government namely, by creating a
Department Of Commerce and Labor,
with Vim. L. Wilson, who is one of
organized labor's powerful friends as
head of this department With a Pres
ident who had been hostile and pro-
railroad in sympathy it is not at all
unlikely that labor would have had
to postpone its struggle for the eight
hour day until either neutral or
sympathizer was in the White House
If the Brotherhoods are asking for