Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1888-12-08

itself, and he was in no way to blam,
Ross discharged him next day when he RI
ported for duty without any cause bein
assigned. He didn't want TO make an
protest over it. SO tool. his discharge an
left.
aAEothsr engineer named Hite was dis
charged for running into q car left on a
AMI being on the wrong side OF the cury
he couldn't see it, and the frema
didn't happen to notice il. He was dis
charged without trial.
tan engineer named Fitzgerald laid o
when he was sick. He was called to &
oub, but wsg unable to go, and was dil
charged.
.Hazlitt, one Of the oldest and best en-
gineers in the service, was discharged TO
knocking out a cylinder head. a case OF
curing every day. The piston head work
ing loose on the piston knocked it cut. II
couldn't see that a piece OF machinery il
an enclosed box was out OF order.
'sThen Bentley was discharged for refus
ing to do another mans work in turnin
his engine on the Y at Anaconda. 1t wa
the work OF a hostier and not his duty.
"Landers, Fisher and johnson had {,
quit because their places were made SO dis
| agreeable for them that they could no
work under Ross.
John Meeks had been working steadily
for three nights and two days with onll
four hours sleep. He was played out, asked
for a lay-off and got it. Tn
agreement we have with the company say
that the men shall be the judges OF thei
fitness for going to work, but a man VIII
can't work thirty-six hours on a stretcl
without stopping is no account. A callel
was sent for Meeks next morning to run {
switch engine when his e#a engine was i
the round house ready to go out. 81,
agreed to go out on his own engine but re
fused to go out on the switch engine anG
for that he was discharged. You under
stand that when man has az engine he be.
ZONES accustomed to it just as a mar
does with a team of horses, and he comes
to understand it's workings and takes q
liking to it. But Ross discharged him as ]
tell you.
"~McLaughlin's case was this: He was
the engineer on the switch engine, which
caused the death OF q switchman in the
South Butte yard a few nights ago. His
feelings were SO unstrung by the occurrence
that he didn't feel safe to run an engine,
and asked Ross to get another mau to run
his engine. He did.so, and then discharged
Mclaughlin.
Il was refused the rights / wat entitled
to under the agreement with the company.
l asked for a rest after thirty-six hours
work, and Ross said that would set me
back on the line OF promotion. l appealed
Superintendent Dickinson, and the lat
ter decided that l should get my passenger
These are only a few OF the in
Of Ross arbitrary action"
when did you decide or your recent
action?"
son Sunday night we had a meeting at
which it was decided to draw up a. set of
grievances on the cases OF Meeks, McLaugh-
lin and myself. That was the first paper
you SAW at Superintendent Dickinson's
Office. A committee waited on Ross Mon
day morning and he refused point blank to
tee consisting Of w. T. Brennan, chairman;
myself, secretary; r. Q. 3. .Stoddard, John
G. A. Cross and Pat Meeks went up
at 10 O'Clock to Mr.. Dickinson's office
and waited until noon without seeing
him. We left word We wanted to see him,
and went back at 2 o'clock and presented
the paper we gave Ross, together with the
passed at a meeting after Ross
had refused to do us justice, asking his re-
Mr.. Dickinson granted all our re-
quests except that McLaughli,, be rein
stated unless he would retract something
be had said. We then asked
to discharge Ross. We laid
before him three times as many cases OF
Ross arbitrary action as | have given you
and put the matter very plainly before
him. Mr.. Dickinson said that if we could
prove that Ross had been arbitrary aud
unjust toward the men he would remove
him. We thought we had doneso by citing
him these instances. We gave Mr.. Dickin-
until 10 O'Clock this morning for an
He said he could answer there
and then and would not consider that last
article as to dismissing Ross.
"a union meeting was held on Monday
at which the committee reported
their action and asked to be discharged.
The meeting refused to do SO, and we were
urther instructed to 60 to Mr.. Dickinson
This morning and tell him that unless Ross
vas removed from the office OF Master Mez1
,hanic the men would quit the service Of
company. 1t was the sense OF the
nesting that matters, SO far as Ross was
concerned, had come to q crisis. They
we're simply being discharged piecemeal for
10 offence: one at a time, and they felt
hey might as well go in a body altogether
~ d UlL1c Wu0u HOTh WIS SOOU.
What do you suppose was Ross object
n his arbitrary aetion?"
Ross obiecth has all along been to discharge
men. He has threatened time
md again to make all the old men 90 some
line or other. He wants to get scabs un-
Ter him, men whom he can handle as he
and whom he would not have to
reat according to Brotherhood rules. !
hats the whole secret OF his action as it
,ppears to me-"
NOW, that you have struck, what are
GU going to do?"
This is not a STRIKE" answered Mr.. De |
amp, positively. 'TAe engineers and fire.
len ave simply quit the service OF the |
ompany as long as that man Ross is in |
tice. The company is perfectly welcome |
0 get any one to run their engines they |
an, but we won't. We calculate to be
rderly and intend to keep away from the
OF the company. There is no occa-
on, so lar as we are concerned, for all
lese men as deputy sheriffs down there.
hey may as well GO home. We have
osed up With the company, have severed
IT connection with it and expert to re-
i've in good time what is coming to u.s."
Did Mr.. Dickinson not state to you his
tention OF removing Ross before you
,ked him to?"
Mr.. Dickinson did state this morning
to US that Ross removal had
zen undo contemplation, but would give
no definite assurance that he would
.'entualIy do So"
80 that your grievance is only on &C.
unit OF Ross?"
Just as | have told you. He has been
moving men n by one, and we con-
lded to go altogether, while we can get
1rk elsewhere. Work is good everywhere
this season, but if we waited until Ross
us one by one we might get
out when work is dull. We have
Ily the kindliest feelings toward Mr.. :
crimson. He has always tried to do
lat is right by the men from the first day :
came to the road. But what use was it :
have our grievances righted by Mr.. .
to have them overriden by =
'ss? That's our position, and I hope
u will do us the justice to place us in +
r true light before the public"
THE SITUATION.
The public have what facts before them =,
1T could be collected on the subject from
, side Of the road and of the men who
it. The fact remains that the Montana a
ion is tied up on account of the con- ?
uance In its service of one man who has "
ldered himself obnoxious to the en- e
yes unde him. In speaking to other q
road employees about it, their general 8
lily was that if they were Ross shoes and {
'Ir employees made it a point that they q
60 out if he remained, they would Il
p up to Mr.. Dickinson's Office and hand n
hn,- kIA-J n