St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-08-13
WEBB IS HAPPY NOW |
Continued From First Page.

Continued From FIRST Page.
demand, entered into an agreement to
pay the men for all overtime in excess
of twelve hours at slight reduction in
the rate of wages paid by the day. which
agreement was signed by the president
of the road-Chauncey M. Depew-and
was lived up to for two months, and
then broken by the company. When
committee of the employees waited on
the officers of the corporation at that
time to inquire as to why the agreement
was not lived up to, they were cOOlly in
formed that the agreement was obnox-
ious to the company. inasmuch as they
(the officers) did not realize at the time
of making it the large amount Of money
it was going to cost. Another agree
ment made by the corporation with its
employees was also broken. The CON-
pany, through its officers, agreed to give
preference in the line of work or pro-
motion to employees on the principle of
seniority. when the senior in the service
was competent to perform the duties
required. Not satisfied with breaking
these two agreements, the company has
gone further, and has now dismissed
from its service many of its oldest and
most experienced men. The real reason
for their discharge seems to lie in the
fact that the men are union men. The
article concludes with charges Of col
Webb to clear out Knights of Labor,
the charge being based upon the fact
that Mr.. Depew went abroad this sum-
mer.o
Hot Shot for webb.
The following editorial will appear in
this weeks Journal of the Knights of
Labor: "The strike on the Vanderbilt
system came upon the public like light
ming from a clear sky. 1t was gener-
ally believed that if there was any rail
way upon which good understanding
existed between the company and its
employees it was the New York Cen
trail and the other roads under the man.
agement of the company of which
Chauncey M. Depew is president. Nor
was this belief alone the foundation;
but unfortunately the action OF the
the hands of Mr.. Webb, the vice presi-
dent. man the very opposite of Mr..
DepeW in his ideas of the relationship
which should exist between employers
and employed. From the moment the
management went into his hands he be-
gan to break up and destroy organiZa-
ton among the company's employees.
The first organization against which he
directed his efforts was the Knights af
Labor, though doubtless he has his
plans laid for an attack upon the engin-
GERS and firemen when. in his opinion,
the opportunity shall have arrived.
Mr.. Webb plainly aspires to the
same dad eminence" from which
the Infamous Austin Corbin proclaimed
that no member of any labor organiza-
{h0 lf hn raI1 xr,ax
he controlled. The Immediate cause Of
IDENTIFY carefully planned discharge of
several Knights of Labor. Although
to the general public the strike was
surprise, the causes which led to it have
existed for some time, and among those
cOnYerSant with the situation it has for
some time been feared that strike
could not be avoided. however much
the necessity for it might be deplored.
1t would serve no good purpose for us
to conceal the truth that the men have
very serious struggle before them.
1t is true that skilled men to fill their
places will be difficult, perhaps impoS
Sible. to find. If skilled men cannot be
got, we do not hesitate to say that we
believe that no care for the lives and
limbs of the travelling public and no
thought Of danger to the property OF
the company, whose interests he is sup
posed to conserve, will prevent Mr..
Webb from employing the most incom-
petent hands, if only the doing so will
help him win. What hope can be
placed upon the engineers and firemen
we cannot tell, but the history of the
past does not afford promise that they
will have the wisdom to see that the de-
feat of the Knights will only be the sig
nal for the commencement of an attack
uOon thenr9D ss