The Portland daily press., 1888-03-03
vIcILANr ARTHUR
Tells the public of What His Follow
ers Complain.
Brotherhood Committeeman Sum-
moned to Meet the Chief.
Many Trains Running with Reading
Men at the Throttle.

CHICAGO, March 2.-The agreement be-
tween the Brotherhood and Knights. where
by the former are to call their men off the
Reading road and the latter to keep away
from the fight in the G. u. and z. matter,
had no apparent effect on the number OF ap-
plicants at the general offices of the Burling-
ton this morning. A majority OF the men,
however, were young and looked more IKE
fremen than engineers. The officials of the
company claim the situation Is steadily i'm
proving They accepted 160 men yesterday
and expected to put ON $50 today. Fourteen
passenger trains were sent out from Chica-
60 today and 16 came in. The company
claim they are running local freight trains
on some portions of the system.
To the Public.
Chief Arthur issued tonight a statement to
the public concerning the position Of the
strikers. He says the employees are not res
ponsible to the public for the situation on
the railroad. The employees have legal
right to place an estimate on their services
and refuse to work II the road refuses to pay
the estimate. They willuse no means but
moral suasion to prevent others from filing
their places, and have carefully refrained
from anything to justify public censure.
They will do everything honorable to COM
pei the road to grant their requests bnt moth
ing to bring reproach upon them or their or
ganization. The question at issue is simply
whether this road shall pay the same wages
for the same work as the Chicago q Alton,
st Paul, Northwestern and 80 per cent OF the
mileage of all the roads in the country. The
road ifnow paying 80 per cent less.
The principle Of paying men according to
wears of service, is illogical and unjust, and
would be so pronounced by court OF equity.
Under that system man serves from three
to five years as fireman. year or more as
hostler, and another year or two ON switch
ing engine, when he may get on the road. By
this time he has served an apprenticeship OF
from five to nine years. Still the company
expects him to serve three years longer, be-
fore he gets full pay. There is no other
trade in existence that Is asked, or would
submit to the injustice of mans being
candidate for the superannuated list before
becoming full-hedged master of his trade.
There is practically no difference in the SER
vice rendered or the results to the railway
between the engineer of the first grade and
the one of the third. There is no trade or
calling in which years of service will deter
mine a mans ability. An engineer OF one
years service is often better qualified to run
an engine than one with twenty years expe-
rence. There is only one just rule to deter
mine the question-equal pay for equal ser
vice.
In the present controversy, the engineers
and firemen can afford to lose the fight. but
there is no possible way in which they can
recede from their demands on the question OF
wages, except at the sacrifice of their entire
organization. 1t would not be expected. and
it would not be just to expect, that other
roads leading into Chicago would continue to
pay higher wages than the %" If the engi-
neers should accede to the present wages
offered by that road they would have another
fight on their hands in 20 hours, and would
have to submit or abandon the association.
There is no other way out of the difficulty but
by concession on the part OF the company
ter end. do not speak by authority but.
with knowledge.