Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-05-16
ASSOCIATION VIEW OF THE TROUBLE
GRAND Master sween ey Makes Some
Comments on the Lockout

Grand Master Sween ey Makes Some
Comments on the Lockout.
Grand Master Sweeney and other off.
Gals of the Switchmen's association were
at the switchmen's headquarters yester-
day. Mr.. Sweeny said; 1T must not be
Imagined that because we are 50 quiet
we are already beaten in this fight. The
switchmen are never altogether beaten.
though they may seem temporarily to
have got the worst of it. Switchmen NAV
be discharged from one company, but
they will eventually turn up in another.
and even those who take their places
soon move in the same groove and have
the same ideas The real trouble with
the Northwestern is that the compary
has nearly always been unfortunate in
their selection of yardmasters. A good
yardmaster can in almost every instance
prevent any trouble among the switch
men. He will himself disci pline men and
adjust all little difficulties without going
to the officials and making mountain
out of a mole hill.
The Difficulty With McNerney.
"The fault with McNerney was that he
tried to lord it over the men too much
and gave himself airs. The men were
willing to put up with little of it, but
when they found he was trying for a
higher position they thought he would be
unbearable and considered it time to stop
him. Superintendent Miller has been
opposed to men who are members of the
association for some time, and he loses
no opportunity TO get rid of them" Mr..
Sweeney also spoke Of the case of Brooks,
yardmast at Western avenue, who
he said, was very abusive, and also
n drinking man, but the company stood
by him, Notwithstanding these facts.
Wages of the Switchmen.
He continued: "The officers OF the road
claim that a switchman can make from
$75 to $50 per month, and that there are
only few men earning as low as s75.
This is not correct. The highest wages
a switchman can earn is 90 cents an hour.
and at this rate, working twenty.six
days in the month, he would get S75 The
most man can earn, and that by put
ting in thirty-six days in the month, or
ten days overtime, is about S104, aud then
he has nearly to kill himself to do II
Then he can only work overtime VIXEN it
suits the company, and not when il suits
himself
Depends on the supreme Council.
Everything now depends on the action
of the supreme council of the United Or
der of Railway Employees which meets to-
day. The four organizations in that body
are the Brotherhood Of Locomotive Fire
men, the Brotherhood of Railway Con-
6uctors, the Brotherhood of Trainmen
and the Switchmen's Mutual Aid asso-
citation. The fremen, conductors and
switchmen's organizations confine their
mem bership to their own proper class,
but the trainmen take in brakemen, con-
ductors, switchmen, yardmasters and
baggagemasters.
Trainmen Acting without Orders
w. A. Sheehan, secretary of the Broth
erhood OF Trainmen. was seen at Gales
burg last night and said: IF the MEM
bers of the Brotherhood of Trainmen are
manning switches and filling the places
of the discharged switchmen, they are do
ing so on their own responsibility and
not under the orders of the brotherhood
of Trainmen. What the trainmen's
brotherhood will do depends on the deci-
sion Of the supreme council which meets
in Chicago tomorrow" 1t will be seen
by the above that the fight may only have
begun. Ii the supreme council does not