THE GREAT RAILROAD STRIKE.

Inangahua Times, Volume IV, Issue 72, 24 September 1877, Page 2

THE GREAT RAILROAD STRIKE.

(•Prom the World. )» | ', " Let tlie soldiers pome," s-iid the s'rrk* : in? milrond men. wiien iltp Untied State* ! troops had bepn ordered to the scene- of the War' for Brpndr KWe m-iv as well ihe killed ns starred to <Je»th, fi tlrey pmitinned. There W a signiffeonce in these words that, rstilrond corporations, and indWd all c rporatfons m s well ;i3 our pubK* 1 men, should slody. Capital can control labor. It! run enslave, starrp, and crt»h workinp-men ; it mm ami d"oes preveni them from nrcpiirinpj that iiitelHctPßn'e which would enahle them ic conceive an effJ-ctual renn'dy for their sufferings ; but in their despair they bvcmne desperatp, and will Iwfe We«d or dit« in the attempt. They devn-stnte anrf destroy oil het'ore them, and it ffict more loss <m rapital in one d«y lhan capital can make in a year by eutlmg ctown vMgpg to the- starvationpcn'nt, The tnp'rr who set Rre »r» tlVe railroad Nu'.ldinjrs at Pitts!>mv. and' prevented the firemen froni extinuuishin.^ the flnnestill millions worth ol property was destroyed were not " ro«di ■s, r ' as reported by vennP newspaper*, bnt worlnnti m«n goaidt-d into dVsperaUon by stnTciiinn wasjes. nnd want of empioympnt. They dd nk't Fresider.t FTnyps. his Cnhinui. and all the Governors and Co'igre^tnen in thp country would be iii-eU- lo rjo »nder the vuw „)T r \\m*inw>'* ■— 'bat i*. thg-y rebelln* against their o^pTC»«ors i»t thw vt.ip th^considpred best. We are opposed to vu I'micp. hut we are nl.-o m-p^ed to capita'i'it'p tvrn'iny nnd sreed. nnrf we li'ivp no doubt that, the sympsi'liy --f PV erv rijrlil-mii'de' m«a in Ainrr:<pi if ""i'h tl»p s'riker« r who r wlm'^ver ni'iv lie »aid • against the m»-in* ih-y (>mpl.<y r hi-p h«ttlinn for « mei «r sn^is[<nct> tn- th'-ir wirps nnd tamilifx.-^yoe' •'••i-r-<pon.lent. writin» from l'itt< ; ur..-. i'i?.Kins u> Hurt Ilipvewcro ih-uisands of |ip.i|'l" in iha> i city frho dVI «»'>t eel n m->d to,- months |.p*'ore Sitimhiy, J'dy 2iNt. «he» llir ' mi 1 road i-n-i «'ere broken open vt tlv depit. -nd eiwptie.l o' their cmi-nN of hnms. fl'ur. f»nrl other pr.->vUi.>nß. TImI this s'.irvHtion should (•••n'iniu; month n'>er month and year »ter yp»r. is n dts-(-race to our ('onsr.-ss. and if pnbb« m-n do not tnfte !io <!' of fl'iia h.bor in timo, they inav ere long have tv deal with it in a vpi-v unpleasant w.iy. WHO AT?R TITE PRI^CIFLK ACTORS ? The nsserfions of tlie New York HeralrF and other newspaper 1 !, fTrnt the rioter* ar? .vrofcssionnl thferes, roir<rh«. etc., have no foundation in fart. 'Hie rioter* nrc simply working men. no better nnd no worse than other men ; hut tlie aim of the Ferald'and similar papers, which nre the deadly enemies of lab'ir is to make the world believe the mnforftv of working men nre contented, and thus d"o detect noprrlar sympathy fr^m the s'arri"g labourer*, ft will not do us top*«sovpr tliis matter by nr*rely assertinQ that itis. only an. outbreak of roughs. It is a rising of working men agfrin-st oppres' ion and starvation waee« r nn-d you, Shy'ocks. whose Taws have b'gg.trpd" lirbor all over {be land, had' bettpr res ! »rd ft as such., and do Justice to labor, or you may be the mrffi'is of prnvoHng more violence and ' bloodshed than we hnve yet heard* of. ' Tlie whole ea>jse of the starvation wages anct.warrt of employmeTrt rs our barbarous money system. It pnables money brokers ito extort'in interest what oirght to bepnid ih wages; rt retnrls production- by tlrs high interest, and thu« prerenis t))e laborer from supporting lrbs family. Employers, by acting honestly towards their worftmenv mfary cfa somethmg to 1 alleviate tlie general distress. Kilt until onr pre. sent srystena o c 6nirnce has been abolished, low wages witl inevitably continue, and a large proportion of the working men of the United States- muat necessarily remain unemployed, DO BATLmVDS PAT? ! When railroad men nslc a redress of their grievances — when they dem-urd living wages, they are told that railroads don't pay. Id one senVe this is true, in j another it is not trwev The great majority pf railroad's eouW pay fair wages but for the insnti-able preed of their manager* and stockholders. Is there no railroad 1 in the . whole country paying ? Certainly there is. but there is not one of them paying fair wages to its white saves. Not one. See how tbey can pay when they are compelled to do it. Several railroad companies-, among them the Central Pacific, the LouNn"H'e and Cincinnati,-!nnrf-th-er P»n Handle, reminded their j. orders for a reduction of wage* wlren they ; , heard of the strikes in the East. Most j of, the. railroids pay well, in an indirect way. those who conlrol them. A crent , cipitalist uses a railroad to snb^rve his , own p"-">o«es. nnd although tint ronrl J • may "ot W profitable ns a sepnrnfe cn -^ tpr'-.rise. it, !.<t pr"fit--i''le in *o:-vi-ie the ', I cnpilnlis-t -'Til li:-' eo;i '--Ifit I" !w "* l r " '' "-'" .' ' : ' !l1 ' ' '

the railroad subserves. Stockholders wiK get tueir dividends, if possible at all, railroad bondholders must hare their interest, and the 'consequence ,is that unless vr©rkins£iHen \f\rU Tor .nothing, or next to nothing, railroad bond and stockholders will not be satisfied. \ln fact, i he interest paid by the white slaves to a few railroad bondholders is greater tinui the ftimes p=iid to tht? whole rarlroal iWes of flic lTiii»r*il States. Loplc a I the tollowmtr facts and figure x. WHAt THE WHIT?; SLATES SAVE TO PAT THE MOXKT t> 'AVER. The lvnHed debt of a I the railroads ire thio coun'rv is 2,3oo.uoo()o»<U>ls. 'I his railroad iU'!>t is ure.-ner than Hie national oVIh of ti » Tnif-H S a es Tin' Hit.-rrst mi the 2.300 000.000 of railrmid d -!>t sit si-r n per c-iu '» 161.W.0(X> a year, a.iart entirely from diViden N i«> stor-khoiilrr-*. | liis enoriuou< ii»t»*ivst c:in only \t • paid by la -or. CmstqnenMy cnclr r>ne of the 2OO.nm> enifjN^ces ha» '»'• '">= lnl> >i\ ht pmv S >■> r!ol*. n .\ear r or 2 57"d >!s n ilav. ns ini.-r-P9+ on this 1) i.hlpil illi 1 l)t"illl' > -8. Fi\ tlii* infTi'st '»t oite per cen f an t ♦ lie rereiiti* of milrojuN won-l h« sutli. ci-nf. to |»-iy prory iMimloye' 2 1 t loN. !>••• (!;iy over what h« ncnv l'plx without diinin's'iing the mcmv of stockholders, anH still riflrn-u| li.inllioldiTS would Im suffiuifn'ly piW t'»r the use of their rtioMp' 1 , Prodndiw r.i>mot »{T>rd to pny th« e>ornioiH ini'-re^t di>m<mdi>d by tlic money system; lie «bolish*>d, tire c >pilit.'fin< o* tlie ff-pat mn**<ps nf the people wilKbo getting' <vor.se evrv day, while the mo»PV power will becoinv tnorn npirleut »nJfOiisiqienlly more powerful. Het>>re the present war hetvreen labor nnd capital is p{K>piu>iliy sotted railroad 1 kinirs mn7 dis«i»v«*r, to their cost, that siftrr all honesty ht o b-st policy. V\\o workmen- do nr»t asfc favors; -the? only (ieinand jiHfi<*»". <>nd when this is denied 3 them thHr oppres*>r i ? will be held ro-snon-srWe' by «'l «ooi men f«r the destruction of life andl pn>peity taut, may take place.