Report of the Committee Appointed to Investigate the Railroad Riots in July, 1877: Read in the Senate and House of Representatives May 23, 1878Pennsylvania. General Assembly. Committee Appointed to Investigate the Railroad Riots in July, 1877
History
Report of the Committee Appointed to Investigate the Railroad Riots in July, 1877: Read in the Senate and House of Representatives May 23, 1878
Pennsylvania. General Assembly. Committee Appointed to Investigate the Railroad Riots in July, 1877
Why cannot the laboring men of the country see through the flimsy
disguise of these men, and look at them as they are, the leeches and
vampires who prey upon the life-blood of the interest they profess to
befriend. There are men in all parties who have, or claim to have, some
reputation as statesmen, who are not above the arts of the common
demagogue, and who seem at times to be running a race with him to see
which can stoop to the lowest tricks to secure the votes of the dear
laborer. By the efforts of these men, and the tricks they practice,
this conflict has been brought on. But the capitalist himself has not
been blameless; instead of, in the common phrase, meeting his workmen
half-way, and trying to come to a fair understanding with them, he has
put himself on his dignity, and has placed all the blame of the results
brought about by the demagogue upon the laborer himself. He must
remember that the laborer is human, with hopes and aspirations as well
as passions and prejudices, and that it is much better to cultivate the
former by fair, frank, and courteous treatment, than to inflame the
latter by the opposite course. The laborer believes, as he has a right
to believe, that his wishes should be sometimes consulted, and that he
should be recognized as one of the parties to the contract, and as
such, fully consulted whenever the same is to be changed or abrogated.
We believe it is in the power of the capitalist who is an employer of
men, by fair, frank, and just treatment of his employés, not only in
the immediate question of wages, but also in looking after their social
and educational interests, to completely undermine and destroy the
occupation and influence of the demagogue spoken of, and create that
mutual trust and friendship which ought to exist between labor and
capital, and thereby put an end to the frequently recurring strikes
which inflict such serious damage on the business of the country, and
do no man or set of men the least particle of good.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account