Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-03-20

Lu0oo companies, 1uu t00A ouHO 'ns''
Il each man will Independently thir
and act for himself, there will "a no
general abandonment of the .erv;ca of
these companies by th' .,r Engineers
and firemen. The "omnanv desire to
retain you in y t.,e;r service. and are
reluctant - undertake the task of
seekir e for and employing other COM
.ctent men to take your places. l
have therefore thought best, before
undertaking to reorganize our forces
by employing new men, to call your
attention to the following facts:
First = You have no grievances
against these companies. We have
heard all your complaints. We have
met your committee in spirit which
you admit to have been fair and just,
and have agreed with you upon all
matters relating to your duties and
compensation. Our agreement cover
ing all these points is in writing, and
is entirely satisfactory to you. We
have even, up to date, abstained from
making any of you do anything that
was unreasonable or that would in
any way initiate against the interests
of the Brotherhood. We have main
tanned absolute neutrality as to the
controversy between the Chicago,
Burlington and Quincy rail
road company and its engin-
GERS. All statements to the con-
trary are abs ylutely false. We have
treated you in all respects, as you will
admit, with perfect fairness and alb
solute justice and we have faithfully
kept all our promises to you. True,
we have not been able to promise you
that we can or will disobey the laws
OF the United States or the State of
California. We have thought best to
be frank with you and to assure you
that in the end we shall all be obliged
to obey these laws as they shall be
construed by the courts. Your COM
mittee have assured us that they did
not ask us to violate the law, and you
must know we'll that we could not, if
we would comply with such request
| if made.
Secondly the terms of the writ
ten contract between the companies
and the Brotherhood, by which, ac.
cording to the rules of your society,
you are each individually bound, it is
provided, "That no one Of you shall
be discharged without cause, and
that when charges are preferred, you
shall in all cases be entitled to hear
ing before an impartial board" And
in consideration of this and other val
liable privileges secured to you by
such contract, you therein agree not
to quit the service without giving us
thirty days. notice.
Notwithstanding these facts,
the chairman Of your committee, Mr..
Conroe, notified an officer Of one OF
the divisions OF the Santa Fe system
by telegraph, on the 18th inst, which
was received at 3 80 p. NJ, advising
that all engineers and firemen ON the
Santa Fe system would quit work at 4
O'Clock P. NJ of that day; so that, in
stead of thirty days notice, as re-
quired by agreement, your committee
saw fit to give only ten minutes no
tice. We have been assured by your
committee that none OF you would be
ordered to quit the service, and that
each man would be left free to act ac-
cording to his own judgment, l do
not believe that you ought to regard
as binding upon you any order from
any committee or any organization
requiring you to violate your solemn
contract with these companies or
with the Santa Fe system, of which
these roads are a pat, and
to commit a great wrong, strik-
ing an employer whom you know has
not wronged you in the slightest
manner. If, therefore, such an order
has been issued should not, trust.
appeal to you in vain to resist such
tyranny; but l am glad to be informed
that your leaders disclalm any purpose
to deprive you of the freedom which of
right belongs to every person. If, as
body, you quit our service you will
do the company, the public, your
selves and many of your co-employes
a great harm. 1t will take time to fill
your places with competent men, and
we shall operate the road with none
other. The operation Of our lines
may be in measure stopped for a
time, the company will suffer heavy
pecuniary loss, the public will suffer
also and will, in my judgment, insist
upon your giving satisfactory
reason for having caused so
much wrong and injury. If the trains
stop, we shall have, for the time be-
ing, no need of the services of the
large number OF employees who are en-
gagged in connection with the operat-
ing and mechanical departments.
They will have to be dropped until
the business can be restored, but the
greatest evil will fall upon yourselves.
If you force us to fill your places with
other competent men, it will be i'm
possible for us hereafter to remove
these men without cause in order to
take you back. We shall treat them
as we have treated you, and remove
no man without cause, 30 that you
will permanently lose your places.
These are serious evils. I beg you to
remember that it is no small
matter to stand before the COM
munity as responsible for them without
being able to show that an overwhelm-
ing necessity prompted your action.
Your only pretext will be that you
did it to help your comrades in their
contest with the Chicago, Burlington
and Quincy. But that will not be
sufficient. 1t is no excuse. 1t is
worse than none, for the plain reason
that your action will help that COM
pany. That company and the Santa
Fe system are business rivals. We
operate competing lines connecting at
many points. Ii you cripple and make
it impossible for us to handle freight,
you will increase the business of the
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy by
throwing into its hands freight that
would otherwise come to us. How
you were ever persuaded to be-
lieve that you could hurt the Chicago,
Burlington and Quincy by striking
passes my understanding. Moreover,
even if your action should injure the
GhicaoQ Rurlinutnn and OI1inou L.