The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1877-08-01

| municatlons discussing the strike OF the TUT
road men, the most important being letter
to the HERALD from Mr.. Arthur Chief OF
the Brotherhood of Engineers, and con-
versation of Mr.. Vanderbilt with HERALD
reporter.
Mr.. Vanderbilt has received deserved
praise for the tact and skill with which no
maintained order on his road and kept his
men at their posts His opinions on the
causes of the difficulty and the true remedies
for them would have peculiar interest from
the fact of this success. We are not in
clined to give too much Importance
to what he said to our reporter in what
was evidently desultory conversation,
| and we hesitate to believe that he
really thinks the Communistic spirit has
seriously affected the workingmen OF
the United States. We certainly do not be-
lieve it ourselves, but the contrary. Every
effort Of the Commune leaders has shown
that they possess the confidence OF no
considerable part of the industrious work.
men. Neither at the polls, nor in their
efforts in other ways have they ever devel-
oped even respectable strength.
Mr. Arthur gives a brief history of the
Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, of
which he is at present the chief, and of its
purposes. The society has at present one
hundred and ninety-two subordinate divis-
ions, he says, and we learn from other
sources that it has in fact about thirteen
thousand members and fund Of nearly
half million of dollars. Mr.. Arthur says
that among its objects one is to insure the
lives Of its members, securing to the family
of each, in case Of death or disability in the
line of his duty, the sum of three thousand
dollars. The society has paid nearly million
of dollars as insurance and fifty thousand
dollars more to needy members. This at
least is good work. 1t is generally admitted,
we believe, that the society requires OF its
members sobriety faithfulness to duty and
general good conduct
Mr.. Arthur describes in detail the rules
which have been adopted by the Brother
hood for the prevention Of strikes and the
harmonizihg of differences between its
members and their employers, and these
seem to us unexceptionable and excellent
He asserts that by the conferences and de-
liberations enforced by these rules strikes
have been prevented on thirteen different
roads during the past three years. he makes
also one extremely important declaration.
Admitting that the society sympathized
with the strike Of the train men
and believed they were justified in
refusing work under the last reduce
ton, "and in persuading and hiring others
not to take their places, he says, "beyond
that they had no right to go, no matter how
much they felt aggrieved, and all those who
have resorted to violence have forfeited all
claim to public sympathy and are looked
upon and treated as outlaws" We are very
glad to read these words from the chief and
representative of SO important and infuen-
tial an organization Of workingmen. In
this fundamental matter they are in har-
mony with justice and the laws of the land.
| Mr.. Arthur proceeds to a series of some
what too general charges against the rail-
road managers he accuses them Of o spirit
of tyranny over their workmen; of wasting
! the means of their corporations in specula-
tons; of bleeding the roads for the benefit
of private enterprises, such as fast freight
trains, express and sleeping car companies,
&C., in which the managers and directors
are privately interested, and remarks that
this waste, extravaganza and speculation the
managers seek to make up by reducing the
wages of the workmen. He points out,
also, change which has taken place in the
manner Of paying all classes employed on
the roads, asserting that it inficts hard
ships on the men for which there is no sat-
isfaction.
| The one plain fact which pre-eminently
interests the public in this family quarrel
is that there is such quarrel. There is o
widespread disagreement between the
managers of some Of the great railroads
and their workmen That is so important a
fact that it is the duty of the press to dis
| cuss it and to seek out its causes. 1t is not
enough to say that the times are hard and
everything is reduced to the lowest liv-
ing basis. Mr.. Arthur and numerous
striking train men deny that everything is
so reduced. On the contrary, they assert
that wasteful management goes on and
bleeds the roads, and that if there was a re-
form in their management there would be
no necessity for such reductions as brought
on the strike. Is this true? Is it true that
railroad managers and directors are person
ally interested in 'fast freight" and other
enterprises which, having special privileges
on the roads, make money to their owners
which ought in justice to be made by the
| roode and tn On in tn the oenara1 earninos ,
Is it true that by what the complain
auts call ''wild and injudicious cut
ting of rates" the managers have needlessly
impoverished their roads? Is it true that,
in their eagerness to extend operations,
some managers have leased lines at rates
which net loss, and that they make up
from the earnings Of their own roads losses