The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1888-03-08

workmen dependent upon their whims,
1t is virtually assuming the management
of the road, and it is very easy to see
what the next step might be if this de-
mand were granted.
Another demand is equally COOL 1t is
this:
That engineers and firemen and their
families snail be given transportation
when applied for, and that some ar
rangement shall be made to pass Broth
erhood men over the road,
The provisions of the interstate law
would probably prevent this demand
from being granted. Why should a
railroad give free passage to members of
an order any more than the -four mer
chant, who has knights of Labor in his
employ, give flour to all their associates!
The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy has
always been more than liberal IN prOvid-
ing for the transportation of the families
of their employees, and this new idea is
suggestive of the spirit that dictates
il.
The Transcript in recent editorial,
says:
In the first place, the Chicago, Burl-
ington and Quincy has told the strikers
this, and they have reason in their past
experience to know that the company S
engagements would be kept:
we expect to pay as much as our
neighbors for similar services, and we
are ready to take up the wage question
at any time, and to adjust any Unequal
tiles that may be shown to exist in our
schedule
The point is, however. so far as the
demand of the engineers relates to the
wages question-and it will presently be
shown That there is good deal in it be
sides that-that the engineers and fire
men demand basis which says that
one one-hundred mile run shall be paid
the same as another one hundred mile
run, regardless of the effort and ability
required and the difficulties to be over
come by each. The adoption of the new
trip schepule proposed by the engineers
and firemen would involve in certain
runs, specified by the company in its
statement to the Brotherhood, pay
ment of Sl71 a month where 1923 is
now earned, $lS9 per month where $l44
| is now earned. Sl09 per month where
Sl43 is now earned, and so on. No 9th
er Western railroad certainly pays rates
as high as those here demanded. The
present rates of pay-that is, the Sl23,
the Sl44 and the $l43-are paid now to
first and second year men. There are
now first class engineers on the Chicago,
Burlington and Quincy Line who are
earning $3.50 to $3.50 "a month This
graded System, which gives the man old
in service and experience. and compe-
tent TO run the lightning express on a
risky run, more pay than the newly en-
gagged engineer on the gravel dump, AS
he ought to have, the engineers are seek
ing to overthrow. And to this demand
the company protests.
TO mass all engineers into one COM
mon body aud to pay all alike, taking
no account of superior ability or intelli-
gence, seems to us unjust and unfair
and in direct opposition to the spirit oil
the times we hive in, which tends to as
sure each man whatever rewards are
due to his own abilities and skill, and
not to produce castles, all members OF
which are on the same level.
The Mail and Express speaks of the
| SUNDAY meeting of the Brotherhood IN
New York aud the progress Of the
strike, as follow:
An extension of the Chicago and Bur
| lington strike is threatened: first to all
! lines connecting with the Chicago, Bur
| lingtOn and Quincy. or doing business
with it. and next tn all lines in the Uni
ted States. Canada and Mexico, so that
traffic may be paralyzea over the largest
| field of railroad operations in the world
| because somebody ont in Chicago could
not agree upon the wages to be paid to
engineers. Perhaps as this goes on some
opinions will be changed throughout
the country upon the wisdom and dis
erection with which this great organiza
ton of engineers conducts it differences.
The engineers IN this neighbOrhoOd have
adopted a resolution recommending
that If the aforesaid difficulty is not
settled within a reasonable time, upon a
| fair and reasonable basis, all the Broth
erhood men upon the connecting lines
of the Chicago. Burlington and Quincy
system will resign their positions upon
a given GATE This in its present form
appears to be only recommendation OF
| the Eastern to the Western Brothers,
and may not 90 beyond that. But it is
proposition to add the boycott to the
strike; it is a proposition to depart from
that ground of fair play in strikes which
it was thought this organization favor
ed, Every strike is an action agreed
upon between a number of men to re-
| inuush an occupation with which they
are dissatisfied. and not to return unless
satisfaction is given upon the points in
/ dispute: and it assumes equally the free
dom of men to quit an occupation they
are not pleased with, and the freedom
of their employers to get on without
them. There is manhood and fair play
| in that 1t assumes the right of rail-
road company to hire engineers for low
er wages than other engineers demand
and the right Of engineers to demand
what they are worth, and 1t leaves the
case to the Judgment aud discretion OF
either side and to business principles
the company to be cOerced only by the
sense of its own interest, But the pro-
posed boycott takes the quarrel outside
of these fair limits. 1t is Il wantOn prop
o5itiOn to injure the business of another
company upon the theory that the 9th
er company may thus be utilized as
force TO COprCe the company against
which the strike was made into accept.
| ing the terms of the strikers. The above
step is proposed by the brotherhood OF
| Engineers of this neighbOrhOod as one to
be taken about the 18th of this month OF
March. But for the 3Oth of March they
propose a measure yet more radical,
| They resolve that If this action, as a
means of last resort, is not sufficient to
gain the Just and reasonable demands of
the engineers and fremen upon the
aforesaid railway, we, as an entire or
ganizatlon throughout the United States
Canada and Mexico, join issue with
them in universal demand for their
acknowledged RICH s-Of being paid the
established rates for work actually per
formed This use Of the legal jargon
leaves the intention little uncertain.
but the gist of the case. apparently, is a
threat to combine the Brotherhood en-
| gneers for general strike all over the
country unless the Chicago and Burllng
ton yields within a reasonable time.
| This action would be repetition of all
the great faults hitherto committed only
by the Knights of Labor. 1t would be
war between the Brotherhood of Engi-
ncers and the United States, and we sus
! pect the United States would win.
Va