St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-03-03
CHIEF ARTHUR.
He Makes a Statement OF the
Brotherhood's Position.

f6rOIncFIlOOI
Chicago. March 2.-Chief Engineer
?. NJ. Arthur tonight gave to the press
the following concerning the position
of the Brotherhood of Engineers and
Firemen as to their present attitude
toward the Chicago, Burlington q
Quincy railroad:
ut will not do to assume that the en-
ployes OF the railway company are re-
Sponsible to the public for the present
condition of affairs of the Chicago, Bur
lington IL Quincy railway. They, the
employees, have a legal and moral right
10 place a value on their labor. and ii
the company cannot or Will not pay 1t,
The employees are perfectly justified in
refusing to work. No one with the
this proposition. There is no pretense
that the strikers have used any means
except moral suasion to prevent those
who desire to work for the burlington
from following their inclination. The
striking employees are extremely anxious
that in this controversy they NAV be
sustained by the influence of public
opinion. They have carefully refrained
from doing anything that would justify
public censure, and are determined That
while they will resort to every honor
able method to compel the railway
company to pay them a just remunera-
ton for their services, that they will do
.nothing that may bring reproach upon
fthem or the organization they repre-
sent. The men are striking not to
compel the railway company to pay
them for services they do not perform,
nor is it to compel the COM
pany to accept blind men to run
tile engines. Neither do the
men demand that the company shall
furnish free passes for their wives, their
cousins and their aunts. The main issue
is the question of wages. Shall the CHI
cago, Burlington u Quincy railroad pay
the same wages for the same work that
is paid by the Chicago IL Alton, the Chi
cago IL Northwestern, the Milwaukee
d St. Paul. and 80 per cent in mileage
of all the railways in the United States.
This is the main question, and in fact
almost the only question at issue be-
tween the parties to the controversy.
For instance. the Burlington people pay
for pulling a train from Chicago to
Streator and return-a distance of 120
miles-for engineers of the third grade,
$3.50; second grade, $50; first grade,
S.. IS. The Chicago ~ Alton and other
roads pay for the same service all engin-
GERS alike, 20, or 80 per cent more
than the Burlington. a fireman on the
Chicago d Alton and other roads gets
about the same pay as engineer OF the
third grade OH the Chicago, Burlington
Il Quincy. Is their anything fair in
this? Have not the men right to re-
fuse to work OH such terms? The rate
of wages quoted is not an isolated case,
but is taken from the first page oil the
schedule of wages In the pamphlet
recently sent out by the Chicago,
Burlington IL Quincy people as an evil
tlence of their fair treatment OF their
employees. The principle of grading
the men according to years of service as
engineers adopted by the Chicago, Bur
lington d Quincy, and for which they
argue with such vehemence, is illogical
and unjust. and, if it were possible to
get it there, would be so pronounced by
court of equity. Under that system a
man serves from three to five years as a
fireman, when he Is
SUPPOSED TO BE AN APPRENTICE
learning the rudiments OF engineering.
He then takes his place as hostler,
and runs the engine from the round
house, in which capacity he may serve
for wear or more before he gets a
switching engine for another year OF
two. when he may get on the road. BY
this time he has served an apprentice
ship Of from five to nine years, and still
is expected by the company to serve
three years longer before he gets full
pay. There is no other trade in eX-
fstence that is asked, or would submit
to the injustice of being candidate for
The Superannuated list before becoming
q full-fedged master OF his trade. Ihere
is practically no difference i'll the service
rendered or the results to the railway
between an engineer of the first grade
and one of the third. Each has his Oil,
waste. fuel ard everything he uses, on
ills engine measured out TO him, and ne
is compelled to run his engine with
that. There is no trade or calling in
which the years of service will determine
* mans ability. An engineer Of one
years service is often better
qualified to run an engine than
one with twenty years. experience
Af you undertake to gauge the ability by
the years of service i'll any calling. you