The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-02-25
BIG RAILWAY TO BE TIED UP
Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Engi-
neers and Firemen Will Strike.
the Company to Abandon Its Scheme of
Adjusting Wages by Classification.


tied up from one end to the other. Freight
as we'll as passenger traffic will be stopped, and
most of the switch engines will be abandoned.
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and
the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen have
decided upon strike as . last resort to enforce
their demands upon the railroad company, and
as both organizations are very strong on this
road as we'll as elsewhere, they confidently ex-
pect to tie mp the road completely and win the
strike. This strike derives its Importance not
only from the large interests involved and the
strikers possible success in paralyzing of the
biggest railroads of the West, but because, of
late, it has been generally accepted that the
loco motive engineers were SO opposed to stri kes
that no conjunction of circumstances could be i'm
agined that would induce the members to resort
to that means. The resolution OF the c., B. & @.
men is genuine su rprise few days ago
CHEZ Arthur startled the labor world by the
announcement that it the intention of his
organization to do away with classified wages
and make the pay of all men the same for the
same work, without reference to the length of
time they had been employed by the company.
Thus the locomotive engineers, hitherto consid-
cred the most conservative labor organization
of the country, placed itself, in the matter of
wages, on the same ground as the most advanced
trades unions. The conclusion to do away with
all classifcations In the wages of the engineers
and it may be added here that fremen are act
ing in concert with them throughout-was
reached by the Brotherhood at it's session in
Chicago last October. and a resolution was
adopted to enforce this new plan all over the
United States wherever the organization was
strong enough to do so. This proviso was added
for the purpose of avoiding conflict whore the
w ta ha haaf he
cipal reason for this step, as Mr.. Arthur ex-
plains was that the railroads were beginnin: to
discharge men who had been in the service
long time and were drawing better
pay. and to put in their places
men who were not veterans in the trade, but
were capable of doing the work just as we'll and
willing to take lower wages. Tho result was
that engineers OF long experience had difficulty
in getting work. and the general standard of
wages was reduced. The applied to the
firemen, who got 30 to 60 per cent of the pay of
engineers. After several months of labor the
men have succeeded in introducing uniform
scale OF wages for all engineers in road service
on the Chicago, Milwaukee & st Paul, the
Chicago & Northwestern, the Chicago & Alton,
the Wabash, the Chicago & Atlantic. tho Asch-
ison, Topeka & Santa Fe and other Western line.
The new scale is 81 cents mile for freight en-
gineers and cents for passenger engineers, and
90 per cent. for the fremen. All their negotia-
tons were successful until they called on the
Chicago. BURLINGTON & Quincy road For three
weeks past committee of tho engineers and
fremen of that road. with Chief Arthur, of the
engineers, and grandmother Sargent. of the
fremen. at the head, have been negotiating
with General Manager Stone and Superintendent
Besler to bring about arrangement similar
to those on other roads. At present the Chica-
go, Burlington 81 Quincy is working under an
arrangement made last year with Vicepresi-
dent Potter. It makes special arrangements
with Its, its men .aonb by the 1s. trip: paying
Chicago to Galesburg. or from Aurora to Chica-
go. or wherever it may be. and the engineers
complain that they get the worst of this arrange
ment The officials of the railroad claimed that
to grant the demands of the engineers and fire.
men would greatly increase their expenses by
advancing the average of their wages, and re-
fused to accede to it. The committee of Chicago,
Burlington q Quincy men considered the mat
ter among themselves and this morning an
nounced to Arthur and Sergeant that they had
decided to call out all tho engineers and fremen
on the road as far as the two brotherhoods con-
trolled them. The number OF engineers and
fremen on the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy
is about $780, which is about evenly divided be-
tween the two grades.
II have given the official sanction OF the
brotherhood of Engineers to the resolution of
the Chicago, Burlington q Quincy men," said
Chief Arthur this evening. because I think
they have asked nothing but what is right and
fair: We have asked no more than the other
roads have granted and if they grant it there is
no reason why tho Chicago Burlington & Quin-
cy cannot. They claim that it would largely in
crease their expenses. do not believe it would.
II would average the wages of the men. and pos
sibly advance the average little, but it would
be very little, and the road could well afford it,
as we'll As all the trunk lines"
"Doyou think that if the men are called out, 10
will tie up tho road from end to end.
Il do. decidedly. Our organization is strong
the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, and do
not think they get men to take places"
General Manager Stone, of the Chicago. Bur-
lington & Quincy, could not be found to-day.
and at his Office it was said he would not speak
about the matter. Superintendens Peasley is
out of the city.
Oficlals of the Chicago Burlington & Quincy
railroad state that they had heard a report that
the engineers and firemen on that road were
liable to strike, but they had received no no.
tice from the engineers themselves to that eff
that in any event the engineers would
give at least twenty-four hours notice
of their intention to quit work. Regarding
the demands of the engineers, of the lead
ing officials of the Burlington road said: I'VE
have considered this matter very carefully, but
fail to find any right or justice in paying all en-
there is difference in the service
performed, and therefore have con-
cluded that there ought to be some
difference in For this reason we have
refused to pay engineers 81 cents or 81 cents per
mile The engineers represented by Chief Ar
thur have received our ultmatum, but we OF
the opinion that they will think twice before
going out on a strike"
Coat of Mining Coal and Getting Il to Market
HAzELToN. Pa, Feb 24-The congressional
committee continued its inquiry here to-day in
the miners strike in tho Lehigh coal region
Thomas Campbell, who keeps general store at
Freeland. testified that the company stores
charged IS per cert. profit in some cases above
the ordidary prices charged at the individual
stores, Thomas A. Buckley, miner and just
ice of the peace. testified as to the wages of the
miners.
A. P. Pardee, one of the largest operators,
then testified. The witness came to Hazelton
in 1888 as engineer, to survey coal lands.
and has been a coal-operator forty three years.
He the first individual operator in the
Lehigh region. Then only 10000 tons Of coal
were mined year in this section. The witness
never owned any lands, but leased coal lands
from the Lehigh Valley Railroad Company: he