Newark leader. ([Newark, Ohio]) 1917-1946, 1922-08-25


tween organized capital and organized
labor has been in full sway. The
paid press states that it is costing
the organized workers over two mil
lion dollars per day through the loss
of wages alone. This may look like
an enormous figure to some who do
not understand the situation; but
when you stop to consider the num-
Der of men out, it is not an alarming
figure at all. And at the same time
if they had stated what organized
capital is losing, by being so bull
headed and aomineering the loss to
the workers is but trifle IN COM
parison.
The headquarters f this organiza-
ton is on Wall street, New York City,
and it is divided into locals, known as
railroad companies. AS an lllustra-
ton we will take one little local,
known as the Baltimore and ONO
Railroad Company, which IS again
divided into sub-locals, known as
terminals. One of these terminals is
shown on the map as Newark, Ohio,
and this is the point from which we
cleaned our information.
The shops at Newark, Ohio, when
running in full force, employ around
1900 men, and at the present time
they are all standing idle except the
roundhouse, where they have collected
a few of the lower elements of human
ity together and are attempting to re-
pair locomotives that are to go out
in passenger service. That very few
of these men are mechanics is plain to
be seen by the condition that their
power is in today. If they send a
man to the yard to put on an air
hose, four of their gunner, armed to
the teeth, go also. Why this is we
cannot say, unless it is to see he does
it right or to keep him from stealing
the hose. Such an affair was recently
witnessed, and it took these five men
two hours to get back to the round.
house. Now figure the cost. One OF
the old employees could have made the
round trip in twenty minutes, and II
it had taken any longer he would have
had to explain the reason. The
wages paid these five men for two
hours time (not work. is $500. The
old employe would have got 26 cents,
and yet they claim they could not pay
the old wages. When they cut our
pay they never offered to feed and
clothe us, neither did they offer US
police protection; and when we drew
our last pay they only had one Of
their B. & o. police on duty to see
that we were not short-changed.
Think of it, only one man to take care
of 45O honest, law-abiding citizens,
while down in the shop it takes four
to watch one They surely must not
be the right kind of people, or they
would not need to be watched. AS
near as we can find out there are
about fifty of these strikebreakers and
gunner employed, and they are work
ing twelve hours per day, or putting
in that much time. How much work
they are doing can be easily reckoned,
as about rs per cent of their motive
power is out of commission, and the
other rs per cent is just holding to-
gether. Yet they tell what it is cost
ing US in wages. 1t may be costing
us several million dollars to win this
controversy, but look at the billion
dollars loss to these companies. 1t
is not the wage question that is up
permost in their minds, it is the de-
struction of organized labor; the few
paultry cents per hour is nothing.
Capital, according to law, has a
right to organize and become con-
trolling element in any enterprise it
may wish. Now this being the case,
why has not Labor the same rights
and power? 1t has, and has shown
the world that it intends to perpetu
ate its organization. Had organized
capital thought for one moment that
the workers would ever hold together
as they have it would never have
forced US into this controversy. They
figured on spending a few millions,
but not as many as they have, and
are going to spend, to get their roads
in operation again. They also thought
that about 85 per cent of the men
would refuse to strike. Another thing
they figured wrong was that they
would whip us back into the shops
in a couple of weeks. They know they
are. whipped, and are too bull-headed
or weak-minded to admit it. 1t is pos
sible that they have food supply
they wish this gang to eat before they
leave, (and some of them look like
they need the eats.)
1t cannot be considered an honor
to be a strikebreaker, and have to
work under an armed guard. It is
more like penal servitude, and were
this strike settled tomorrow these men