St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-10-18
ARTHUR,s ANSWER.
The Chief ofthe Engineers Broth
hood Reviews the Strike on the

Ine Cn1eT or the Engineers Brotn-
hood Reviews the Strike on the
So"
RICHMOND, Va, Oct. 1.-THE twenty
fifth annual international convention of
the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engi-
neers was called to order this morning
at 9 o'clock, in Belyidere hall, by P. M.
Arthur, grand chief engineer. Various
committees were appointed for the pur-
pose OF etfecting preliminary
organization, after which recess
was taken until 2:30 O'Clock.
After recOnvening addresses of well
come were made, and Grand Chief
Arthur then delivered his annual adj
dress. He said thirty-two new divisions
had been established in the past year.
There were now 1874 divisions located
from Manitoba to Mexico and from Nova
Scotia to California, giving total of
$4,000 members. Regarding the
brOtherhood's recent strike, Mr.. Arthur
said: upon the threshold of new
year as an organization, we have wit
messed the severest conflict in the his
tory of the brotherhood, namely, the
strike on the Chicago, Burlington &
Quincy system. Never, even in our
earliest days, when the powers then in
existence
STROvE To CRUSH US
have we met with such stubborn resist
ance against simple right and justice.
Every known expedient was tried to
bring about settlement between the
company and the men, only to meet
with the utmost indifference, and we
were forced to yield to the inevita-
bic and sanction a strike. Had
either the president or general mana
ger shown the slightest disposition to
treat the men fairly as the managers of
other roads have done, there would have
been no strike. Surely there was no
good cause why they ought not to pay
their engineers and firemen as uuch as
their competitors. They both admitted
that they had as good class of
men as there were On any
road in the country, yet rather than
grant the requests of their old tried and
trusted men, some Of whom had grown
gray in the service, they allowed them
to quit and employed others, regardless
OF their ability and qualifications as
men or locomotive engineers, pay
ing them higher rate of wages
than we were asking, besides board
ing and guarding them with Pinkerton
detectives, virtually squandering over
S5,OO0,OO0 in their mad attempt to Co
cree the old men into submission. We
know, as rule, there is nothing to be
gained by reSorting 10 strikes. They are
the bane of every organization that en-
cages in them. They create distrust and
suspicion, engender ill-feeling and en-
tail misery and suffering upon innocent
women and children. 1t is, and has
ever been, the policy of both brother
hoods to avoid them as much as pos
sible. Mr.. Perkins and Mr.. Stone are
the first railway officials we have been
unable to settle with during the past
eleven years. We fail to under
stand what they expected to gain by
the course they pursue. A large per-
centage of the men they employed were
UNRELIABLE AND INCOMPETENT,
Sucn men as they would not employ
prior to the strike. If we had made I'M
reasonable demands or attempted in
any way to dictate to them how they
should operate their road, they would
have been perfectly justified in resist
ing. But when we expressed willing
ness to submit our claims to any three
general managers in Chicago and
abide by their decision, and
they were unwilling to do likewise, it
showed that they knew they were III
the wrong. Be it said to the credit of
our men that they acted in unison, and
exhibited throughout patience, pru-
dence and forbearance, and were at all
times ready to make some sacrifice
rather than to prOlong a struggle that
could scarcely end fairly where tyranny,
by selfishness, was the enemy.
Mr.. Arthur said he should never regard
the Chicago, Burlington q Quincy strike
as failure except on part of the road.
1t would serve to purge the brotherhood
ola dangerous element and to add largely
to its members. 1t was extremely
he said, to think that any
of the organization should so
far forget themselves as to become in
vOlved in any scheme or plot to destroy
life and property. The brotherhood
condemns all acts of laWleSSneSS, and
will punish the guilty,