Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1888-03-21

oNA ANN IANN vi AAAN llNNl-oNtANN
commerce law, which imposes a heavy
penalty on any road refusing to handle
the freight of a competing line. Under
this law, and under a decision rendered
last week by Judge Gresham. of the
u. 5. Circuit court, at Chicago. the
Santa Fe company, as a common carrier.
could not safely refuse to handle 90"
cars or freight.
The brotherhood engineers thought
that by refusing to work for the Santa
Fe, they would be assisting the striking
brothers of the 20" system, and by So
doing it would shorten the path for the
adjustment of their differences.
On the 18th inst, General Manager
Goddard, of the Santa Fe, issued a cir
cular letter to the engineers and fire.
men of that system, in which he talked
like a Dutch uncle to them, and told
truths that must have been appreciated
by every level-headed man who read
the letter. After stating that the com
pany desired to retain in its employ its
trusted and tried men, and is reluctant
to undertake the task Of employing men
to take their places, he says:
You have no grievance against this
company. We have heard all your COM
plants. We nave met your committees
in a spirit which you all admit to have
been fair and just, and have agreed with
you upon all matters relating to your
duties and compensation. Our agree
ment covering all these points is in
writing and is entirely satisfactory to
you. We have even up to date abstain
ed from asking any OF you To handle
G. i. n q. freight, though in so doing
we have taken the risk of violating the
law, which commands us to afford equal
Facilities TO all connecting lines. We
have maintained absolute neutrality as
20 the controversy between the G.. Is. IL
q. II. II. Co. and its engineers. All
statements to the contrary are absolute
ly false. We have treated you in all re-
spectS, as you all admit, with perfect
! fairness and absolute 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 and of the
state of Kansas. We have thought best
To be frank with you and to assure YOU
that in the end we shall be obliged to
obey those laws as they shall be con-
stTued by the courts. Your committee
have assured us that they do not ask us
to violate the law, and you must know
well that we could not if we would COM
ply with such request if made"
by the terms of the written contract
between this company and your broth
erhOod, by which according to the rules
OF your society you are each lndlVIdu-
ally bound, i, is provided that no one of
you shall be discharged without cause
and that where charges are preferred
you shall in all cases be entitled to
hearing before an impartial board; and
i'm consideration of this and other valu-
able privileges secured to you by such
contract, you therein agree not TO quit
the service without giving us thirty days
notice"
- / do not believe you ought to
regard as binding upon you any order
from any committee or any OrganiZa-
ton requiring you to violate your solemn
contract with this company and to COM
init great wroLg by striking an en-
plOyer which you know has not wrong
ed you i'll the slightest measure. If,
therefore, such an order has been issued
| should not, trust, appeal to you in
vain To resist such tyranny; but | am
glad To be informed that your leaders
disclaim any purpose To deprive you of
the freedom which of right belongs to
every citizen. If as body you quit our
service you will do the company, the
public, yourselves and many of your CO.
employees great harm. IL will take time
To nll your places with competent men.
and we shall operate the road with none
| other. The operation of our lines may
be IN a measure stopped for time.
The company will suffer heavy pecuni-
airy losses. The public will suffer also.
and VIII, in my judgment. insist upon
| you givinga satisfactory reason for haV-
| ing caused so much wrong and injury.
! III the trains stop, we shall have for the
time being no need of the services of
large number of employees who are en-
gagged i'm connection with the operating
and mechanical departments. They
| viii have To be dropped until business
eau be- restored. But the greatest evil
will fall upon yourselves. If Won force
us to gu your places with other compe-
tent men it will he impossible for Us
| hereafter to remove those men without
cause IN order TO take YOU back. We shall
| treat them as we have treated you aid
/ remove no man without cause: so that
YOU may permanently lose your Places
| These are serious evils and beg Won To
remember that tits no small matter to
stand before the community as resp0n-
sible for them without beng able to
| show that an overwhelming necessity
/ prompted your action. Your only pre-
text VIII be that YOU did il to helD com
rades I'm their contest with the c. Il 80.
But that will not be sufficient. 1t is no
excuse; 1T is worse than none, for the
plain reason that your action will help
not hurt. the G. u. & q. That company
and this are business rivals. We OpeF-
ate competing lines, connecting at
many points. III YOU cripple us and
make il impossible for US to handle
freight you will increase the business of
the G.. b. 4 q. by throwing into its
hands the freight which would other
wise come to us. How YOU were ever
| persuaded to believe that you could hurt
the G. II. n q. by striking dowa one OF
its principal competitors passes my
understanding. Moreover. even ifyour
action would injure the G. b. & O.. il
would afford you no justification. be
cause il is never either lawful or right
to strike n friend aud benefa0tor in
order 10 injure an enemy, Our com
panv must place itself in position 10
perform its whole duty as a common
carrier as soon as possible"
lie then goes on to say that if some
cornp,,.,-aise is not effected by Thurs
day, 22d inst, ". I O'Clock, p. M, the