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Show I ilj THE ADAMSON LAW AND III J THE UNDERPAID. Ijjfjl A story comes from Duluth, Minn., 11 III! of ",00 emP,oyes on tne railroads II about to send President Wilson an ap- BJ j peal against the Adamson law. Tho Hl l employes are reported to be workmen II j outside of the engineers, firemen, nl conductors and trainmen, and "they ij ' seek to get their claims Into the com- U i mission before the union men absorb 1 jj all the revenues of the railroads." P lift We sunpose tnese 7,000 men are H among the underpaid to whom refer- I I ence has been made by more than one ij president of the railroads. What is ij o th,e significance of this move? First. SI a it is political; second, It is a confes- ij f sion that the unorganized employes of the railroads are hopeless; that hay ing nothing but a just cause on then side, their appeals for better wages reach ears that hear not. It seems, tc us the remedy is unmistakable. Or ganize! Evidently those men In the omploj of the big, powerful companies whe go beseeching in the name of justice and have nothing more with which to impress their demands on corporate wealth, are certain to meet with rebuffs re-buffs and continue to be underpaid and overworked. In this present day of checks and balances, of force arrayed against force, oScontending Interests, the men who trust solely to the magnanimity of those they deal with, who depend on due consideration, who expect exact justice without possessing the power with which to command respect and right treatment, are bound to meet disappointment and be used as mere pawns in the gamo of life. Power and influence must be met by power and influence. The higher the men in organized , labor, move up in the scale of living eventually the higher up will go the men beyond the pale of the labor unions, and no laborer should envy any other laborer who receives better conditions of employment because each betterment makes for the im-provement im-provement of the welfare of all work'ers. We are told that the members of the railroad unions are being tricked by the Adamson law. Then, why should the jailroad employes outside the union petition the President to be included in-cluded as victims of the tricksters? The railroad unions include in their membership many of the brightest men in the United States, and when any one goes about reflecting on the degree of intelligence of tjie leaders of those men, he assumes for himself a position on a pedestal so high as to be in danger of a terrible fall. |
