The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-04-11
CHIEF FIREMAN HERE
Head Of Great Railroad Brother
hood to Settle Local Dispute.
WAGES ON MARROW GAUGE LINE.
Visit - Seattle - Chief oesgsnt-Nev
Northern PassAs Passenger fine
Gard Improving Service.

=. 7. Sargent, grand master Of the
Brotherhood Of Locomotive Firemen,
came to this city yesterday and registered
st the Occidental hotel. The purpose of
his visit IL to arrange . difficulty
between the Columbia 4 Puget
Sound railroad on the one hand
and it, engineers and fremen on the other.
Engineers on the road are now paid $3.50
per day and firemen $2.25. and they asked
that on February these sums be raised
to q and $3.50, respectively, for ten
hours work. The men say that
the company on the ground that times and
the earnings Of the road would not war
rant any such advance in wages. This
morning at o'clock Chief Sargent will
meet the men ct the Occidental and will
zee what he can then decide upon shall be
done in the premises. He said last night:
70 common Misrepresentation to suppose
that the chief OF the Brotherhood Of Locomotive
Ensinssr'. NJ. I. n Arthur. and myself order
strikeA We do not Under the rules
Of the two unions W represent . strike
BY these orders can only result
after vote OF two-thirds Of the men themselves.
Our function then 10 to approve OF disspprove
the strike Our approval carries with 1t the
omcial sanction Of the order and entities the
strikers to its I'D. Our laws are not exactly
uniform, yet Mr.. Arthur acts frequently for
both engineers and nremen in dealing with en-
ployers. and a. in the present instance, act for
both when he can't come to the scene.
Speaking of the late decisions and the
Ann Arbor troubles, Mr.. Sargent ex-
pressed some positive views. He said:
The Toledo. Ann Arbor 4 Southern Michigan
road and {fa an OH and had =
terence In July, 1891, and the road agreed
to raise wages 1t never did so Other confer
ences were held and nothing came of them On
March y. 1880, the strike came, have said. the
result of . two-thirds vote of the men them
selves. Chief Arthur in his orders to men on
other roads, called on them to "comply with
the rules OF the organisation" without specify.
Ing any one In particular. Now, rule II of the
laws of the engineers forbids it, members to han.
die freight received from roads on which there
10 an engineer strike, even though the men
Affected may b ct peace with al the roads but
the one In question. This Is the famous "boy.
cott'' law of the engineers, which 10 not part
Of the law of the dremsn. We are, however,
drawn into the strikes Of the engineers from
force OF circumstance, for the hremen could
not take sides against their own engineers and
use their organisation TO defeat the other. Well,
immediately after Arthur's order came Judge
Kicks injunction forcing the Ann Arbor to run
cars. Then followed Judge Taft's order against
Arthur and myself compelling W to remove the
boycott 20 called. This was argued and
dismissed - to myself. owing 70 lack
OF Jurisdiction. but made permanent ~ to
Mr.. Arthur. The engineers have retained the
most eminent counsel In Ohio among them BE-
ing ex-Congressman Frank Hurd. I under
stand the case has bseu taken to the su.
prone court Of the United States
and that . motion will be made
to that body to advance the case.
This cannot state positively. however. wish
to say, however. in tho most express terms,
openly and publicly, that ! am opposed to the
boycott, that think Il wrong. un-Amsrican and
more mischsvtous TO friends than to
enemies. can say for Chief
Arthur, OF the engineers, that he 10 Of the same
opinion - myself Judging BY the newspapers,
should say that the majority Of public senti-
ment 10 on the side of the decision Of
the court in Ohio on the boycott
business A damage suit for coo has been
entered against Chief Arthur, and . similar
one against myself for damages growing out OF
the strike on the Ann Arbor road. and I
think the principle involved here IL OF more i'm.
portancs than the boycott case. II organise
lions are to b assessed in heavy damages for
the consequences of strikes IL will b hard ior
them, to say the least oft