Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-08-06
THE RAILROADS
To the Editor of the Teleg,obh:

4 y tue L%uHOT or EHe clCRfuphs
The government has taken over
the railroads, let us all hope it will
facilitate the faster movements OF
freight in all directions, in such a
critical period.
Every railroader in whatever ca
pacity he may be, should do all in his
power to help the u. S. A. in its
great undertaking to stop this fear
full war and establish peace to the
world.
1t is war time now, when even the
laws of equity become void, and the
grab of whatsoever is deemed neces-
sary, regardless of ownerships. 1t is
war time when the savage races
show their acquiescence with their
rulers by their war dances.
We are civilized and cultivated, we
show our adherence by our open
hearts and open purses.
Fear not ye railroad workers, the
u. S. A. is. just in all it's dealings,
they have already given you token
of their views and good feelings by
increasing your wages, it readily
realized that to get the best worl;
the men must be paid sufficiently to
enable them to live comfortably and
appreciate their position.
The government has guaranteed
dividends fully equal to those earned
in recent years, to the stockholders
of all the railroads it has taken
over. This is of course only justice.
Now, great judgment and caution
must be used by the government for
it seems their intentions are to con-
solidate and combine all these form
er separate railroad interests which
oh he In ffxy tAfl
of their respective chiefs which has
taken years of mental and physical
work to accomplish.
These great concerns have always
been keen competitors. Now if the
government is going to retain these
properties well and good, but if they
are ever going to be returned, none
of them must be deteriorated in
value for If to-day any preference
is shown by passing the business of
one concern whether freight or pas
senger, etc, etc, under the direction
and management of the other (their
former competitors), it would natur-
ally deteriorate one and benefit the
other and here you have the core OF
the serious problem and one that
Will be mighty hard to mend here
after.
Among our best railroad officials
and workers there has always exist
ed kind of dominating and master
feeling which will be hard to elimi-
nate, take any center where this
competitive element has been going
on for years and to-day by the pro-
posed consolidation and condensation
of all these interests it will mean
that at some centers one side will
have to close up and go over to the
other, with a feeling that one side
has won and the other lost, yet this
unity of interest is intended to get
the best out of each concern and to
save expense.
Every individual with a glimmer
of Goodness must thank God for
having given the world the United
States of America through which in
strumentality peace of the world
will be again restored and guarded
and end of this terrible enemy the
kaiser, his Hohenzollern bunch and
his allies will be quenched and eradi-
Gated forever.
With Gods blessing and cheers for
our great country, our Army, our
Navy and our statesmen, let us all
with clenched teeth go to it and do
our bit to help in this great cause
",ntented heart, for the sun