Waterbury evening Democrat., 1892-09-10
THE READING TROUBLE
A Final Conference to be Held
 Monday.
WHAT THE MEN ARE FIGHTING FOR.

chey Say it is Over Objectionable Clauses
 Compelled to Sign--statement of Presi-
 dent Mcleod.
 PHnADELPHlA, Sep. 10.-After the con- ference with President Mcleod the com mittee representing the employees of the Reading Railroad system held a meeting at the St. Charles Hotel. Engineer Clapp of the Jersey Central Road, who is chair man of the committee, presided. After the session ended Chairman Clapp an nounced that the conference with Presi- dent Mcleod was not altogether satisfac- probably final one on Monday.
 A member of the committee says it was mistake to believe that the present trouble with the Reading Road was over the discharge of any engineers. He de- clared that it is over clauses in the blanks issued to applicants for employment in the company which read thus:
 Are you & member of labor organiza- tion and if so what one2
 If member will you withdraw and re- fuse to support or belong to any labor or ganization if you take service with this company?
 Are you willing to become member of the Philadelphia & Reading Relief Asso- ciation4
 The men say they are fighting for their rights as American citizens, their right to belong to fraternal beneficial organiza- tions having for their purposes the pay ment of death and accident benefits, the establishment and support of 8 home for the care of disabled members of their craft and to save the brotherhoods of To- comotive engineers and fremen.
 The men say they do not underate the power of the Reading Company to cope with strike. They say there are thou sands of men in the employ of the com- pany wiping engines and running donkey pumps who are capable of running To- comotive, either freight or passenger, and it is these men that the company can call upon in the case of strike by the Broth erhood of Engineers.
 President Mcleod makes the following statement for publication in regard to the conferences:
 ''In the first place, these men had ab- solutely no grievance to submit. Their visit was prompted solely by desire to inform themselves as to.the attitude which the Reading Company intended to assume toward labor organizations, and they complained of no wrongs for which tc | seek redress. To two of our rules they object. One of these requires that every | employe of the Reading Company shal become member of the Reading Railroad Relief Association.
 The other rule is that relating to the | employment of new men. We require that every applicant for position, before becoming an employe of the company must pledge that he not only doe not belong to any labor association what ever, but that he will not do so while ir
 the employ of the company. may stat,
 that this rule only applies to new men. ''None of the men employed on any O | our lines who became members of labo organizations previous to the adoption O l of this rule are in any way interferet ! with. And the same may be said of tn l employees on lines which we have recent, 1 leased. Many of these were members o
 various federations at the tim
 of the roads passing into our hand
 and we have permitted them to remail l so"
 "Well, what was your reply to tn
 men, MT. McLeod" was asked.
 My reply" he answered, lis indicated
 by the rules I have quoted. They em
 body the position of the Fs,ading Com | pany toward organized labor. Let m
 repeat that these men had no complain
 to make, and only sought to know ou position in the matter. I told it to then | as have told it to YOU "