The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1892-12-09
GIRDING THEIR LOTNS
Rock island Operators Preparing
for an Assertion of Their
Rights.
Train Dispatchers Say the system is
Being Stocked With Cheap
Substitutes.
Both Sides Awake to the Movements
Other and About Ready to
Declare Their Demands.

Railway telegraph men state that there is
grave reason to fear trouble with the Chi
cago, Rock Island and Pacific railway which
will tie up every mile of the huge system
and lead to a battle royal extending from
Chicago to the Rocky mountains.
A committee of operators representing all
the divisions is in Chicago to confer with
President st. John and A. r. Firth, super
intendent Of telegraph of the road 1t has
been told that the officers will be ready to
talk in ten or fifteen days and the men claim
that this means simply that the Rock Island
is industrously hunting up operators to
take their places in case of a strike. The
operators on the Rock Island are mostly
members of the Order of Railway Tele
graphers and the committee is speaking for
the order.
The matter has been brought to crisis by
receipt of information that the railway has
sent men cut over all parts of its lines to see
the operators individually and compel them
to state point blank whether in case Of a
strike they will stand by the company or the
ORDER These messengers are also said to
be threatening to blacklist striking operators
with the guarantee company, and this has
made the operators red-hot, because they
say the office of the guarantee company is
simply to go security for their honesty.
They denounce it as an attempt to bulldoze
operators who are not well informed by
making them believe that the railway can
influence the guarantee company.
The men do justice to the railway by say
ing that all its employees except telegraphers
and trainmen are paid fair wages, but claim
that the telegraph operators receive salaries
so low they can scarcely live, particularly on
the western division, from Goodland to
O ,rado Springs. They say operators are
paid only $50 to $40 as rule, that the man
at division headquarters at Colorado Springs
gets only $50, and the operator at the Den
yer Office only $40 n month. The dispatchers
receive $50 to 800 while other roads pay % to
60 per cent more for that branch of work.
The statement is also made that the com
pany is securing operators in large eastern
cities, particularly Philadelphia, and is get
ting itself into shape to bring them west at
moments notice. Under the circumstances
the operators are inclined to think that Il
conflict is inevitable and that their best
course would be to act at once. On the
other hand they bow to public opinion and
do not want to place themselves in posi-.
ton where the company could say they did
not give it a chance to remedy their griey-
ances.
They are therefore likely to wait until the
comnitte at Chicago has its conference with
chiefs, but will probably insist upon def
mite advance i'll wages ut that time or go out
on strike. They feel that they will get the
backing Of the other orders of railway en-
poyes and believe that the road can be
brought to terms. Superintendent Firth is
largely blamed for to friction. He is
charged with being an inveterate enemy of
organized labor and to be directing his
efforts towards the disruption Of the order
and the expulsion of its members from the
service Of the company. The operators say
that he some time ago wrote to other rail
ways asking them to back him up with
view to a general reduction in the wages
paid operators. He does not to appear to
have met with much encouragement from
the other lines. The Rio Grande which paws
about the highest salaries in the country re-
piled that 1t paid its men well and they gave
It a correspondingly good service
News.