The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1873-04-01
& seftta tie ,iintter|

;s3s iSss,ns7 4 cannot settls ths tsattsf
u a'.'s. ..o.;i,, a Jetajled statement of the
s sa..s,S md demand shalt be submitted TO
.iY. .hn ss',h.diyisions In The whole organiza-
ton, If majority Of the SUBDIVISIONS Fote
n,and they will then be justified in submit
TING IL TO the officers Of the company, and be
entitled to the support of the whole orsani-
cation if trouble occurs"
The above rules were amended at the 81.
Louis Convention, TO apply 10 any member
Of subdivision. requiring their expulsion
if they engage in strike without the con-
sen. of their Division. ~,
In case the above rules are not comp!leu
with it becomes the duty Of the Grand Chlel
and First Grand Assistant Engineers to slis.
pend the charter of the DIVISION. ana az,
members that are in any way implicated are
deprived of all benefits and privileges as mem
bers during said suspension.
When the Annual Convention meets the
comr,aipt must be fully investigated. and il
sustained the suspension will be made per-
pc.u;l. =,
Il is not proper to say just what will be
done in this case by the Grand Officers until
have the opportunity to consult my asso-
cia,e. For myself, shall use my utmost
endesyols to maintain the rules Of our organ
ization inyiolate. My whole efforts here
have been to restore quiet on .the road, and
prevent any further interruption TO the bust.
ness Of Il public thoroughfhre, and believe
the comlrln, now assume the entire rcSpan-
sibiity Of any future interruption TO their
business.
1t will be seen by The above report that
by combination Of unfortunate circum-
stances the business of an important rail-
road company his been entirely suspended,
engineers cannot tell of any time set for d
strike.
The superintendent supposed the refusal
Of the engineer to go with his train saturday
eyenin" was by the advice and mutual un.
derstanding Of ali The engineers. Hence this
prccauiion at Moberly not To make any
Change. The action of the Division sunday
restored confidence, but the report Of their
acticn sent to Kansas City did not arrive in
time to proven; the trouble there, and this
seems to have been about the way all the
trouble has occurred.
and that circumstance, although well intend.
ell, caused a great tu,nult; but no part OF the
tumut was instigated or encouraged by the
engineer, who was entirely ignorant Of the
superintcndeGt'S reasons for ordering the dis.
patrhcr not to call him.
The strike was at its worst stage on Mon
Cay the 18th, yet | do not think it any
cXaegeration to say that more than one-halt
at I..I,. u
order to run mt that time; besides, quite Il
number Of trains were Oh sidc-trachs wall
in" tor orders, the engineers supposiDg that
the company would not allow them to work,
while the company supposed that the engi-
neers would not work if they were wanted.
Now, this came about by a want Of conf
deuce and from tue fact that the general Off
GERS were new men on the road, and dis
graceful strike has occurred without any
definite beginning.
There is no doubt now about the impro-
priciy Of The threat made by the committee !;
bul from other facts learned have no doubt
but what it was generally expressed by the
members OF Division Sc that they would not
WORK unless Chaplin WAS removed; and the
committee did not express any more threats
than man OF The members bad before the
committee saw The officials.
This threat, in substance demand, is the
offence committed against the rules Of the
Brotherhood. If the explanatory letter had
stated tbat the acts of tue committee were
entirely rcpudiatcd il would have prevented
this trouble; but the letter WIS si@ucd AZ
chairman by the very man that made the
MrCdt: hence its inconsistency. Alter It
was to- late the Division appointed new
committee and repudialed the threhlS they
all had made. This action was previous TO
the settlement of the 15Ib, which / Claim
ought 10 have been satisfactory to the COM
Iauy. But the Brotherhood have established
rules that must he ohcycd, and If violated
the violators must be punished notWith-
standing they might have previously made
al honorable settlement with the railroad
company that employed t:!cln.
L wish it distinctly understood that set
Element with The company will not excuse
any division fora violation OF any rule made
by tie Brotherhood.
The rcG,l!ancnce of our organization and
the approval OF influential men cannot be re-
tanned unless we arc able to do what we pro-
fcss to; that is, ''prevcnt Strikes" unless the
cause is so PLAIN that any body OF intelligent
men would vote to sustain Us.
In the present trouble we have found some
defects in our rules. This only prove. that
experience is the best schooimaster. And !
have no doubt but what our next COnven-
ton will adopt every additional safeguard
that can tie devised TO prevent recurrence
Of like disaster. | know the purpose O!
our organization is to prevent strikes, and
the fact that we have not had any strikes OF
any account since 1865 should he Il guaran-
tee to all interested that there Is some virtue
in tie rules Of the Brotherhood.
] lm now ready to advise that on no ac-
count shall any demand be made upon II
company unless the names of all the men
making il are attached, aud that our grand
officers lie authorized to use every influence
TO furnish engineers to run the trains Gil any
railroad where the engineers engage in il
strike contrary to the rules OF the Drothcl-
hood. With these two additional rules
think we could find out who WIS responsible
in the first instance, and by the second suG-
geston | think we could prevent few
members III one division from disgracin@
thousands of members that have not even
heard that any trouble existed.
At present it is the purpose of the rail-
road company to stock their road with an
entire set OF new engineers. am in hopes
that such engineers as prove themselves
blamelcss will not be p described, and that no
member Of the Brotherhood will try 10 pre-
vent any person from running on said road,
There i, no objections against any member
Of the Brotherhood obtaining work on this
road if they can do so on the contrary. it is
their duty TO accept situations there ii they
ire out OF work and are allowed to run OH
that road. CHARLES WILSON, G. Z. L.
Suspended.
MoberIy Division, No. S., of the B. of L.