Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-12-10
A COMPLETE SPLIT.
Deserters from the Older of
Railway Conductors.
A NEW ORGANIZATION FORMED.
The Deserters Become q "BrOther-
hOOd'-WOrkers to Leave for
the East To-day.

About six weeks ago the HERALD pub.
lished the news that split was about t.
take place in the Order of Railway Con.
ductors, one OF the most powerful labor
organizations in the world. The item
was not generally believed at the time
to be more than little dissenrion in the
ranks of the railway men, but it has
taken another aspect since, and now
promises to be complete split up among
the conductors. 1t appears that Grand
Chief Conductor Wheadon, of the o. R.
c.. is not very popular among the West
ern trainmen. They say that he does
not look after their rights properly, and
any petition they may make is
shelved if it chances to meet
with his personal disapprobation.
1t would seem as if this evil
could be easily remedied by deposing
him, but the representatives of the lines
west of the Missouri River are in the min
ority on any proposition, and this is
doubtless the principal reason for the
split. The question was first markedly
brought to light by the Santa Fe men in
California. Some months ago the brake.
men and switchmen sent in an applica.
ton to headquarters for an increase OF
pay, as they received less wages than the
Southern Pacific men, and their petition
was granted, inasmuch as if it had been
refused there would have been q strike.
Now the conductors had precisely the
same complaint to make, and accordingly
sent in similar petition. That was the
last they ever saw of it though, for the
company gave them no answer at all. The
reason for this silence was easily
accounted for. Among the bylaws gov
erning the o. r. @. appears clause that
no strikes will be permitted under any
circumstances, so the Santa Fe knew that
it was safe as far as any tie-up of business
was concerned. This set the men to
thinking of some way of getting out of a
position where they were not able to act
for themselves. and they finally decided
that as they were powerless in the coun-
ellis of the o. R. G. they would form an
organization of their own. The few bold
spirits who conceived the scheme set
about bringing it to something more than
mere talk, and canvassers we're sent for
recruits among all the railroad men run
ming in and out of the city. A good many
favored the project and good many were
opposed to it, but the toilers kept on and
as a result soon had hundred members
who were willing to break away from
the old order. Then they set to work
to form themselves into business shape.
They elected General Chief Conductor
and the other necessary officers and
adopted the title of brotherhood of
Railway Conductors" A few more
have joined the band since then, and it
now numbers 108 members, who are
equally divided between the Southern
Pacific and Santa Fe railroads. To-day
the real operations are to commence, for
eight organizers will leave this city for
points This side of the Missouri River,
and will canvass for members for the
new Brotherhood. They go with guar
anteed salaries of $3.50 month each, so
there is evidently good deal of money
already put up to push the new organi-
zation through. The fact that one of
them is booked to Syracuse, N. Y, looks
as if it is intended to make the breaking
away general throughout the country,
and if the movement succeeds east as
we'll as it has done here the conductors
will soon find themselves divided into
two powerful factions. A good many
seem to think that this movement will
result all right, and that all will enter
into the fold of the o. R. G. again, which
will, however, have its laws amended so
that there will be better legislation for
the Western States. The members of
the new order state that they are not
proposing to make any fight against the
railroad companies but simply against
their own leaders, and the Santa Fe men
avow that they are not anticipating any
demands upon the road through the
medium of this new order, but
simply want to protect themselves in case
of trouble. When it is considered that
the o. R. G. numbers about 10000 men
and contains nearly every railroad con-
ductor OF standing in the United States,
it will be seen how important this blow
at its foundation is, and the fact that the
move has been made in this city, and
the new organization worked up and
officered from the trainmen running in
here, gives it local coloring that will
mark it with interest to all residents in
this section of the country.