Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-03-06
GRAY HEADS IN COUNCIL.
LEADERS OF THE BROTHERHOOD
CONFER FOR TEN HOURS,

| Chicago March 6-rhe main interest in
the Burlington strike Monday centered
around the Grand Pacific, There, in one of
the spacious parlOrs on the first floor, the
chairmen of the grievance committees OF a
| dozen or more important railway systems,
the names of which have already been given
in these dispatches, were in close conference.
1t was a fine looking body Of men, grave,-dig-
| nified of deneanor and in large measure
| gray-headed The doors of the parlOr and Of
the room al Joining, the latter being occupied
| by Chiefs Arthur and Sargent, were locked
| from the inside and sentnels stood guard at
| the outer portals The conference began at
| 10 o'clock, with brief htcimisSlonS for dinner
Nnd supper Before the proceedings opened
| each delegate was pledged To absolute and uu-
| qualified secrecy, and during the recess they
were as dumb rs oysters From time 10 tne
| however, loud voices could be heard from
within the chamber, and it wa. evident that
the subject matter Of the conference was be
| ing discussed in style Of decided anima
| ton.
| II was ~ D. M. when the door Of the broth
| hoods pnIlur was opened and the announce
| ment was made that the conference had taken
| Il rest for the day, In response To inquiries
| Chief Arthur said The conference has adj
| iourned without taking any definite action
A committee of three has been appointed,
with myself rs chairman, for the purpose of
| taking such action as may be considered al
visable under existing conditions This com
mttce is empowered 10 act for the entire con
ference, and it will take such steps to-mor-
| row rs may seem necessary iii the present sit
uation, have nothing more to say
The conference committee, which was com
| posed of delegates from the bruthcrhoodS Of
| engineers and tiremen in equal numbers,
| adopted before al iourning resolutions setting
| forth that the resolutions of the eastern
| brethren carried at the meetingut Tammany
| hall rs communicated in the United Press
| dispatches, were great evidence of the
| loyalty of the members of that locality, and
| that the action taken at the meeting in ques
ton met with the hearty approval of the
western contingent
manifesto to the striking employees of the
| 80" and incidentally addressed to the mem
bers of the brotherhood throughout the
country, was also adopted at the conference
1t sets forth that while the engineers ON the
Rockford Ills run on the 90 road received
Slp per month, ttwenty-siX days time the
engineers on the Chicago a. Northwestern re
ceivc $40 per month, the difference in miles
on the round trip being only twenty two
miles per day. Several other like instances
are quoted. The manifesto contained no sug
gestiOns or recommendations
1t is understood that among the points con
sidercd by the grievance committees was
whether engineers and firemen of the Read
ing line should be expelled from the associa-
ton for disobeyng the chiefs orders to leave
the Jobs on that system which they took when
the knights of Labor We're on strike. Chief
Sargent said that Arthur and himself had no
authority to say that these men would he ex-
PEELED They could dono more than ask them
to leave the line but the men had Il right to
refuse if they chose There are but thirty
five engineers and firemen employed on the
Reading line who took strikers places any
how, and the thing is not worth all the fuss
raised about it, concluded Sargent.
Mr. O'Erien, of the press committee, when
asked if strike was contemplated on the
Northwestern road, where the classification is
still in force, said: 1T is the intention of the
engineers to contine the strike to the @
system, and not to have this strike business
become contagious. 1t would require very
little to spread this feeling of striking, and
we do not want that We consider that the
% has not been successful in their effort to
work. Their engineers the men they have
passed-have been successful only in burning
out engines, and the feeling that their men
are incompetent is 50 general that the people
of Iowa have called upon the board of rail
way commissioners to examine the men and
~, 81, ra,d 10 ,.i,rh+ -, ,,,tti,r, in,n,,,at,,nt
MOI, ~, thn,,. .r,ri,as .rj tbarehv rauin,.iug
the public liable to accident.
"Thc Iowa commissioners are in session at
Burlington, and they have been eXaming men
for three or four days We have received "A
copy of the report of the examination that
has taken place there. The report shows
that the men examined are very incompetent.
The ultimate victory will ass,iradIy he Ours.
aa the brntherhood can hold ont inst as long
as the connanyn
"Do Won know of any new men leaving the
Burlington roadp
"They are going back right nloulr all the
time as soon as they understand the situa-
tion
Tho sersa+io,, of tla dav- was tIa na,,s that
n resolution nod haon offerad in the hons, of
renrasamtstive. Mt WASHINGTON for the an
,,airtr,a,t ~ q s,,acial c,,rnittaa Ia in,resti
t,ot, the tronhI, and to att a. mediatnrs La-
t,roon tho cononanv and its ax.annIovns
When this was read 10 the meeting il was re |
coiyad With molongad claiming of hands and
STAMPING Of feet Then il formed tbe suh- |
loot ~ % nriyo+o confarenca hatvaon ,thu,
and SARGENT and LATER fine latter snoal,inp
for ho+h said. tYon can saw for ne that we
ora ,,orfactI,, satiefad and ,aodv tIat anv |
co,nrnittea co,nrosad of ,,racticai raiIrood |
man sbaII axamina and mass unon our de- |
n,ondS ot ony- tino W. have haan at nil |
ti,os ,.oo,Iv r., ,naot tho otficiols of tho com,
pany and settle our grievances in an AMIGA
BILE way. We are not asking for our men
any more than is paid by other lines run
ming into Chicago We are perfectly willing
to have house committee examine the mat
ter, and see if they can bring about an agree
ment. The strike was not of our seeking, but
we know that the demands of our men are
Just, and we can readily convince any intelli-
gent body of men of the fact. If the Bur-
lington officials would but accede to orr de-
mands, which are S16 cents per mile passen-