The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1893-05-02
FREYS ANSWER.
How the General Manager of
the Santa fe Answered
the State Officers.


wage workers were imported from
PENNSYLVANIA to Topeka to take the
place of the strikers. When they ar
rived at Topeka the strikers com
menced to call them "scabs" and
names of that ilk, which did not set
we'll. Eighteen of the new men were
induced not t. go to work for the
Santa Fe and waited on Mr.. Frey,
asking transportation to return to
PENNSYLVANIA. Mr.. Frey declined to
send them back. The eighteen then
appealed to the governor and state
officers of Kansas for redress. The
state officers then sent a long windy
letter to Frey, asking that the men
lie furnished the transportation as re-
quested.
General Manager Frey sent the fol-
lowing reply to the state officers and
they are now wondering "where they
were when the light went out"
''Hon. L. d. Lewelling and other state officers.
Topeka, Kansas:
"GENTLEMEN Il received your
letter of yesterday this morning at the
hands of your secretary, Mr.. Close.
While | do not doubt that your re-
quest, that l furnish transportation
for the men mentioned in your letter
to enable them to return to Chicago
or Philadelphia, was made in good
faith and from the best of motives, l
am quite certain that on more mature
consideration you will admit the i'm
propriety of my complying with the
request.
''The information upon which your
action was based was in many particu
lars erroneous, as pointed out to the
reporters. II the men are DESTROYS of
securing work, there is not the slight
est difficulty in the way of accomplish
ing that purpose. When they called
upon me urged them to accept en-
ployment with this company, which
they declined.
Il respectfully submit to your hon
orable body that there is no occasion
whatever, for them to call upon the
citizens Of Topeka for aid, as sugges-
ted in your letter. Strong, able
bodied men in vigorous health, with
work at good wages offered them, can
hardly be considered proper subjects
for charity in well-regulated COM
munitv.
1.-The statement made to YOU by
these men of bad treatment and mis-
representation cannot be maintained.
/ also have affidavits on this question
which put an entirely different light
upon it indeed, | do not understand
that the men charge this company
with any bad faith whatever, and they
50 expressed themselves during their
interview with me, and to Others at
forwards. They sought employment
with an employment agency IN Phila-
delphia, and If any misrepresentation
were made to them (Which is denied
by letters and affidavits in my posses
SION, that agency is alone responsible,
and the significant fact that the great
majority of the men who came have
promptly gone to work without COM
plant, should not be overlooked.
"lf before writing your letter in be-
half of these men you had give me an
opportunity to be heard, | am quite
sure you would not have made the re-
quest embodied in it.
Il beg to assure you that it is the
desire Of this company in the future
as in the past to deal tairl V and Justly
with all men. and faithfully perform
all Ill duties as a common carrier IN
der its charter and the laws OF the
state.
"Iours very truly,
Il i Erev General Mnnannr. !