The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1893-11-24

perhaps some readers Of the papers in this
region are not cognizant.
As generally published and accepted by
the readers of the newspapers the issue of
the strike is whether OF not the Lehigh Valley
Railroad Company should condescend to give
audience to committee appointed by the
Brotherhood of Trainmen.
This is practically the issue, but it is really
only the forerunner, in the eyes of the rail
way employees, of an enforcement of rights
which they claim to be due them.
When the HERALD reporter visited Delauo
last evening he found everything quiet. A
| stranger stepping from the train and walking
upon the platform, and not having previously
learned the true facts, would not have sus
pected that there was a strike on the system.
True, man who had stood upon the
platform at DelSno, jumped upon the engine
of the train on which the reporter had been
a passenger and used some unheard argument.
The reply was THAT is, all the reporter could
hear "Aint D out2 aint out? ?
aint out? And while they are out l
may just as well be out"
The man who had jumped upon the engine
jumped from it with disgusted expression.
1t was quite evident he had concluded that
the man he approached intended to remain
in the harness as long as he could back him
self with the excuse that somebody else was
at work.
A few minutes later Superintendent A, P
Blakslee walked along the depot platform
and when approached by the reporter greeted
him very pleasantly. When asked about the
situation Mr.. Blakslee said that the Mahanoy
division had been pretty well tied up, in fact
it was the only one Of the branches he had
under his charge which was tied up effec
tually. Still he said, the passenger traffic
had been kept in pretty good shape. He said
with some feeling that he had been sorely
disappointed by the men, as they had pro
missed him faithfully Wednesday night to be
on duty yesterday morning When asked
about the prospects for to day Mr.. BlaksleC
said he thought the company would have q
number of more men at work to day,
The reporter then put this question, "Whor
y0u say you expect to have more men al
work to morrow, do you mean that you
believe number of men who are now OF
strike will return to their positions, or tha
you expect to have number of new men Oh
handY
''Well, that depends upon the men them
selves" was Mr.. Blakslee's non .committa
answer.
Later in the evening tho reporter met
committee of the men who are on strike
Every one of the group seemed to be a tru,
type of the intelligent workingman. Wher
the reporter was introduced they received
him with the greatest courtesy and said the!
were willing to give the facts of their side 0
the trouble without reservation, providing
they we're assured that the facts would b.
published as given. This assurance wa
given and a spokesman for the party wa
selected. His statement is given in form
little short of verbatim.
A committee called upon Mr.. voorhees, las
June and they made a settlement which wa
at the time supposed to be satisfactory to MI
Voorhees, and the railroad men.
One of the grievances then set forth wa
that the railroad company had refused t
give free transportation to its employees.
Another, that the men, after going in iron
days work, had to remain on their engines
while on other roads "hostlers" wer
employed to pull the fires,
Another grievance was in regard to wages
t the company was paying some men S3.25 pc
day, while men entitled to equal pay wer
receiving only S315
The wage question was more specifcall
set forth as follows: That at that meeting il
June this scale of wages appeared satisfaC
tory to all parties; SO per day for yard en-
gineers; S325 per day for gravel train engi
neers; SO per day to mine engineers, an
1925 per day for road engineers But whe
the scale and the classes Of employees wa
summed up it was found that the compan
didn't have many mine engineers, but tn
road engineers predominated consequent
the prices we're regulated by agreement q
SO % for all except vard engineers, who weT
to receive SO per dav.
Another grievance was that the old men o
the road should have the pTeferance i
promoiiors
And still Hpother that the Iehigh ValIe