Payette enterprise. (Payette, Canyon Co., Idaho) 1909-1935, 1921-04-07
Send, Oregon, March 20, 1921
Mr.. VIII Wells. Editor,
Payc;te Enterprise,
Payette, Idaho.
Dear Sir:

check for which l wish you woulC
credit my account SO that / may en-
Joy the pleasure of receiving YOU
paper in the future and l wish you
would kindly mail me statement
along with receipt.
l am particularly interested IL
your last issue under date OF March
cath. in that there appears in youl
editorial columns an article which
primarily takes wallop at the rail-
road workers of whom 1 happen to
be one.
There seems to be a general trend
on the part OF all the newspapers in
your class TO be OF the opinion that
the railroad men as a whole, are
unnecessarily taking advantage OF
the conditions of the National. agree
ments, rules and working conditions,
and are therefore, as your article
would lead one who does not know
the truth, very oppressive on their
employers at especially the present
time when it is imperative that all
who would see this country recover
from the War and its attendant ir-
Irregularities, strive to help get back
to normal.
1t is therefore my purpose in writ
ing this to try and place one or two
facts before the readers of your pa
per SO that they will at least have an
opportunity to think that there might
be slim chance for some two hun
bred and fifty thousand workers to
get more than just mere existence
out OF their toll.
1 am aware OF the source of your
article as / have seen the same in
print several times before it came
oueSin your columns, along with sew
eral others which bear the same
ear marks and are put out for mol
other purpose than to influence publ
lie opinion.
1t is fact that these several inci-j
dents are quite scarce when you
think of the enormity of the rail-
road systems for where there are no
more than two or three dozen of
them, there are thousands of engines
repaired, thousands of cars repaired,
and thousands of incidents taking
place daily that come under the scope
of an opportunity for just the same
practice as outlined in your article.
The Government Statisticians state
that prior to the War worker could
break even, if he was receiving fif I
teen hundred dollars per year. First, 4
i would like to ask VINO wants to
break even, only?
Second, / want to ask what were
the fellows doing who were only re- {
ceiying eight hundred dollars per l
year, and had families to look after? {
Please allow me to state also that t
prior to the War and prior to the ex- I
istence of the agreements, there were S
N existence practices instituted by /
he employers which were detrimen- 4
al to the health of the workers d
which were made impossible by the c
existence of the agreements. Now, o
here are no readers of your paper a
Who will, from a fair minded point g
# view, turn down and brand the C
Efforts of railroad workers as false
oppressive and entirely out of line il
Nth good business methods when Il
hey know that the bread and butter a
+ the workers children is at stake, o.
nd also their other well being such ST
s schools, opportunity to attend
hem, musical education, etc.
When anyone is not breaking even
!. is natural conclusion that some
art of the necessary routine of life N,
going to be neglected, and right
ere. / want to ask you if you, or any
your readers do not contend, that tb
there are any people in the world ct
no deserve fair wage, fair 10
nance to train themselves and their
iildren in all those things which tic
e uplifting, and go to make up
lie physical, spiritual and one hun sh
ed per cent efficient Manhood and ra
'omanhood, the workers in this
'od old .. S. A. are the ones. Be
Taking this controversy which has wi
Gently arisen between the rail
ads and their employees from shi
andpoint of figures, please allow
e to quote the following: inc
Some one railroad official has shs
ated that by abrogating the agree
snts saving of 100000 900 per
mum would be the consequence and AID
same day another official stated
at the amount saved would be
50,O00,000. Ask yourself where
3 fallacy OF such statements are. for
If this saving is $500, 000, 900 per ed
mum, taking all railroads In the to
ited States into consideration, it set
PRESENTS five per cent Of the total mo
'nings Of all railroads in the Unit ed
States. Now, II abrogating the Ian