The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-10-18
LOCOMOTIVE ENGINEERS.

LOCOMOTIVE ENGINEERS.
CHAUNcEY M. DEPEw made splendid |
talk before the convention OF the Inter
national Brotherhood of Locomotive |
Engineers at Pittsburg on Thursday. Mr..
DEPEw knows how to talk and the occasion /
for talking was present. He could comph- |
ment and praise the men he was address |
ing, for he had long had intimate dealings |
with them and had found them to be true
men whose motives were honorable, whose |
aims were right and who were guided in
their acts by reason instead of passion.
1t is pity that more of the labor organi
cations will not pattern after the Brother
hood of Locomotive Engineers, which is
not only one of the firmest and strongest
unions in the world but the one which has
the least trouble with employers We
doubt that there is another labor associa
ton which possesses greater power for good
or evil than the Locomotive Engineers. 1t
lies with them at any time to practically
shut down the traffic of this country, clos
ing every railroad in the land and bringing
commerce to standstill. They can
stop the movement of freight and
say to people that they shll not travel.
They could bring half the railroads in the
country to the verge Of bankruptcy, and
before their places could be filed, they
could infllct injury so great that ten years
would not work recovery from the
effects. Notwithstanding the unexampled
power which the engineers can WELD, it
is seldom indeed that one hears of trouble
between the engineers and their employ
ers. Other labor organizations are in
difficulty frequently. There is lack of
confidence between them and their en-
ployers although the laater have no dis
putes or disagreements with their engin
GERS. One does not have to search far for
al explanation of this satisfactory condi-
ton of things. The engineers, as rule,
are intelligent men, capable of reasoning.
Being such they know that there is such
thing as right which should he taken into
account by men dealing with each other.
They do not regard it as sin for man to
own property, nor do they consider that
an employer must necessarily be a grasp
ing, soulless creature, devoting his life and
using his money to Cypress the poor man
who tolls for living The Brotherhood is
conducted on the theory that capital, as
well as labor, has rights, and that there
should be mutual confidence, respect and
consideration between the wage worker
and the wage-payer.
Another splendid characteristic of the
Brotherhood is it's conservatism. 1t is OPP
posed to strikes. 1t is slow to bring things
to such pass that a strike is necessary.
The strike is its last resort Reason, right,
justice, all must fail before extreme meas
ures are adopted. The aim is, first, to
know thatits own cause is just; second, to
know that it is within the ability of the
employer to comply: and, third, to satisfy
itself that vindictiveness does not control
or figure in the controversy. Having salts
fed itself of the correctness of its position,
and having done all that reasonable,
self-respecting men can do to bring about
an adjustment, the engineers will some
times quit work, but never in the BULLDOG
ing and vicious manner which characterizes
the strikes of so many of the labor associa-
tions.
Mr.. DEPEw says that the engineers have
many times gone to him with grievances
and in every instance they have retired
satisfied with the explanation or adjust
ment, the consequence being the trustful-
ness and confidence existing between his
great company and the Brotherhood, the
feeling of mutual dependence and helpful
ness being harbored by employer and EN-
ployee
1 a ho,-n ,1rr ,t1;r 1l ~ L.
labor unions were largely responsible fol
the troubles in which they are SO fire.
quently involved. They attempt to enforce
compliance with their demands without
considering whether or not their re-
quests are right and fair; they star
J wrong, and rather than comics.
their error they continue on the wront
track and come to grief. Some employer
: are hard hearted and oppressive, taking ad
J vantage of the power which wealth hold
over poverty to grind the poor and be I'm
just to the helpless toiler; but there ar
other employers, and we think they ar
J largely in the majority. whose sense o
J right and justice can be aroused by the ap
peal of reason. We believe that in the grea
majority of cases causes of complaint woul
be remedied if employers were fully ad
vised of the facts and the request upo
them was properly made. We are conf
dent that il all the labor unions were con
3 Quoted along the lines followed by tn
Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers
there would not be one strike where Their
are now ten, and employees and employer
would alike be gamers. Intelligence an
: conservatism should be in control ever.