Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-04-17
LOCOMOTIVES FIREMEN.

pubic, DuI III Is HcVCIeACiOoo oiUO, oh'''
one of the most important and deserving
organizations of the country is that Ia
corporated under the name of the Broth
erhood of Locomotive Firemen. This or
der was instituted in December, 1873, by
fireman of the Erie railway, whose
name is Joshua A. Leach, and who is at
present resident of Atchison, Kansas, q
man of large heart and active brain. This
gentleman organized the first lodge of the
order at Port Jervis, N. T., and was
chosen grand master, position in which
he served for the two succeeding years
that is, until he himself desired success
sor at the international convention held
at ST. Louis in 1876, when w. r. Worth,
of Brookfeld, Mo-, was chosen to fill his
chair. In the convention at Indianapo-
lis in the following year, T. B. Alley, Of
Louisville, KY, was elected to the posi-
ton. From the obscure and modest lodge
at Port Jervis, the organization had by
this time grown to
UPWARD OF FIFTY LODGES,
and numbered membership of about
200, embracing men from all parts of
the United States and the Canadas. AT
the Buffalo convention of 1878, w. T.
Goundie, of Philadelphia, succeeded MIR.
Alley, to whose energy much of the pros
perity of the order at this time may be
attributed. Mr. Goundie proved to be a
worthy successor, and carried forward
a. 40 IL in%a1lironflxy and ruaI1
At this point it may be proper to men
ton the relation of the order to the
great strike of 1877. Much injustice has
been done it by those not conversant
with it's attitude toward the railroad au-
thorities. On the roads where the strike
originated, viz, the Pennsylvania Cen
trail and the Baltimore d Ohio, not a
single lodge of the order was in existence,
and it is safe to say, that had the spirit
and teaching of the order been the guide
of those who began the trouble, it would
never have commenced. 1t is a notable
fact that the strikers were in no instances
members of the order, and this fact is
made more prominent by the additional
fact that on roads where the order did
exist, there was no disturbances.
The membership to man
DESIRED PEACE AND HARMONY,
and deprecated any movement tending
to revolution and lawlessness. Itwas the
misfortune of the organization at this
time, however, to have in the person of
its secretary and treasurer man who,
whatever he had done toward building up
the society in the past, was in no sense
fit for the position, and his conduct did
much toward placing the order in false
light. At Indianapolis, which was then
the headquarters of the organization, he
made himself conspicuous by usurping a
power not guaranteed by the constitution,
and acting in such a manner as to bring
the order into distrust and odium with the
railway officials 1t was found necessary
for many reasons, among which may be
mentioned notorious incompetency and
unworthiness, to remove this man from
the position which he disgraced, and his
resignation was asked by the present grand
master, Mr.. F. W. Arnold, of Columbus,
o., who had been appointed to
succeed Mr.. Gouldie at the Chicago
convention in 1879, and was reelected to
the position by the delegates in conven-
ton last September in the same city. MI.
Arnold's firmness in the matter just men
toned was so highly approved that the
honor Of his reelection may be largely at
tributed to that circumstance. AS it had
been the misfortune of the organization
to have the positisn of treasurer and sec
rotary filled by one who had neither love
for the order nor respect for himself, so
on his forced resignation it became the
good fortune of the order to secure for
the same positions gentleman who is not
| only fully competent to discharge all the
duties Of his office, which are now of an
| important character, but who is one OF
the most honorable and intelligent OF
men, MIR. Eugene Y. pDebs, of Terre
Haute, Ind. Mr.. Debs is young man OF
high position in society, active and
energetic, and is at present city
clerk of Terre Haute He has
| filed bond of $4,000 for the
| faithful discharge Of the. duties, and il
| may be mentioned that the names of eight
| of the most prominent citizens of Terrt
Haute are his bondsmen gentlemen who
are Endorsed by the mayor of that city and
by Mr.. Riley McKeen, president of the
indianapolis, Terre Haute s. St. Louis
railroad. "a,
| At the Buffalo convention it was found
necessary, by reason of the growth of the
organization and the increasing demand
for charters, TO create the Office of
ORGANIZER AND INSTRUCTOR.
To this end, Mr.. S. Al. Stevens, of Low
ell. Mass, was elected to the position
and it may be doubted if in all the history
of the order more fortunate step ha.
been taken. Mr. Stevens is peculiarly
| adapted for the position, being thoroughly
in sympathy with the men and an
untiring, unselfsh worker. He was for
merly employed as fireman and engineer
on the Boston, Lowell s. Nashua railroad
and Mr.. VIM. M. Parker, superintendent
of that road, speaks of him in an intro
lductory letter as follows: "Mr. Steven.
is now engaged in promoting the inter
tests of fireman, and in that capacity i.
doing his best to instill into their minds
the importance of sobriety, economy, ant
lfaithfulness to the interests of the rail
roads that employ them. tits his earnes
endeavor to impress upon them the fac