Wichita eagle., 1888-04-04
SULlIVAN'S VERSION,

in strike no one at all seemed willing to
predict.
SULLWAN's VERSION.
| CHICAGO, April 3-Mr. Alexander Sulli.
van, the chief legal adviser of Mr. Aurther
chief of the Brotherhood of Locomotive
Engineers, was interviewed this evening
in relation to the resolution of the house
committee on commerce to appoint com
mittee to investigate the c. B. & c. strike
he said:
''The controversy between the Burling-
ton road and its late employees is not a
! employees in which the public have no in
terest. IL is proper subject for public in
quiry The Burlington managers
seem to have forgotten that the primary
object of a railroad is to benefit the
public and that the enrichment of its
stockholders and managers Is only Incl
dental. They have reversed this rule and
| consider only their stubborn resolve 10
! beat down brave, competent, faithful
! body of men, without regard to the welfare
of the people to whom they owe their eX-
! istence. The late employees of the Burling-
| ton road will welcome congressional in
| yestigatlon. In the first place, it will be
| shown that the Burlington road has not
| been asked to pay higher wages than are
being paid by its competitors. The rail-
road officials have sought to convey TO the
| public the idea that they were asked to
! pay higher wages than their competitors
pay. An investigation will demonstrate
the utter falsity of that charge. They
have been asked to pay what their
neighbors pay and no more. The Burling-
! ton managers pretend that their manage
| ment of their own property was sought to
| be interfered with. The thin basis for
| this pretense is the fact that the wages
| schedule on that road is made up on the
trip in place of the mile system The
| burlington trip system is a sbrewd device,
concocted to present fair comparison of
| its wage rates with those of its competi-
tors. If that road paid by the mile its
wage tables would showithat it paid poorer
wages than any other road into Chicago.
| But it has devised a trip system under
which its engineers are paid 1915 a trip
| from Aurora to Galesburg, that being A
run of 123 miles. No other road pays less
than 3T cents per mile Hence the Bur-
lington engineers are deprived of6212 cents
on each trip in comparison with the wages
of engineers on other roads 1t pays So for
runs precisely like those for which the
Union Pacific pays S3.S7. So it is, all over
its vast system. The men have shown
their good faith by offering to submit
their case to board of arbitrator to be
composed exclusively of railroad man
ayers. Surely the managers of other
rosds could not, would not, award the
Burlington men more than current market
wages, because if they did their own men
would Instantly ask to be placed on an
equality with the Burlington men. Hence
the fairness of the mems proposition. But
the men were insolently told that there
was nothing to arbitrate If the road
offerd arbitration and the men refused it
the latter would be denounced as obstruc-
tionists, ignoramuses, bullhedds and
vagabonds. The road refused arbitration
by a jury selected from it own class. Yet
its managers are praised by some people
as body of men wisely protecting
their rights. Meanwhile the public are
suffering. The business of this great
metropolis and of the vast country tribu-
tary to it is discharged. Neither life nor
property is safe on the Burlington road.
The testimony taken before the railroad
commissioners today has shown that Sc
rious accidents resulting in injuries, some
of them well nigh fatal, to human beings
and great injury TO property have occurred
on the Burlington road because of the
careiessnesS and incompetence of It's new
employees, some of whom have been shown
to be drunkards who were
dismissed from that very road,
but who were taken back to replace
that the Rock Island and other roads
should be coerced into doing the BuriinS
ton business, when the Burlington could
do the business itself If it would pay the
same wages that the Rock Island pays, is
81 monstrous one Why not make the Rock
Island buy new engines to replace those
destroyed by the drunken, ignorant crews
with whom il is vainly trying to do the
business which il did so well when it had
brotherhood men in its service.
JUSTICE YATES MONEY AFFAIRS
WASHINGTON. ID. c., April 3.-Civil Ser
vice Commissioner Edgerton is very indig-
nant over the published report that the
family of the late Chief Justice Waite is
in great financial distress. The Post this
morning publishes an interview with him
on the subject. in which he says that
while the reports are absurd, he fears that
they may be believed by unthinking peo-
pie. He says that Judge Waite's sons are
both well-to-do and whatever their father 5
estate may have been. the family is not
likely TO want for anything.
What displeased Mr.. Edgerton most is
that the subject should be discussed at all !
Such an interference in the private affairs
of the family in the midst of Mrs. Waite's
great distress he regards as unwarrantable |
and indecent.
81 knew the chief justice" said Sir. Ed |
gerton last night, as well. think, a. any |
man knew him, and he knew much Of
me as any man did we had known each !
other intimately for over fifty years: yet /
don't know whether ne died worth 500 600 /
Or 81 .001,000 / never looked into mis- 4
purse, and, except professionally, De never |
inquired about my private affairs. know 1
what his salary as chief justice was /
Whether be had any other sources of in- |
come or not, never inquired, but l know !
that he always lived like gentleman and /
never lived beyond his income. He was /
not a man who would ever do that The /
suggestion about the begging committee /
OF the friends Of the family is entirely I'M /
founded. SO far .s | know. and this inter /
ference with the private affairs of the fam /
lily so soon after Judge Waite's death. in /
the midst of Mrs. Waite's great griet i
must be very painful TO her, and TO me il 4
seems an outrage"