The Dalles times-mountaineer. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1882-1904, 1893-02-04
THE RAILWAY LEGION.

IBE RAILWAl LEdIOH.
Says the Inter Ocean: The promo
ters of the scheme for federation of
all sorts and conditions of men draw
ing wages for work done on the rail-
ways of the United States make a
startling admission at the beginning of
their plea for organization. They say
that there are $50, 900 such wage
earners, of which but 125;000, less
than one-fourth of the whole, are
members of any league or union of
trades.
1t has been generally admitted by
the strongest advocates of trades
unionlsm that the number of unor-
ganized wage-earners exceeded that of
the organized, but it is somewhat in
the nature of surprise that such ad-
vocates confess that the unorganized
stand to the organized as three to one
In a class of labor that boasts of such
renowned orders as the Brotherhood
of Locomotive Engineers, the Brother
hood of Locomotive Firemen, the As
ISOLATION of Railway Conductors, the
Association of Switchmen and the As
sociation of Telegraphers. These or
ders have regulations among the best
of any trade associations; but that,
with all their merits, and in despite of
all the praise and advertising that the
press freely has given to them, they
have failed to impress more than one
fourth of all the railway employees
with sense of the need of organization
is astonishing. The unorganized three
fourths are not much heard of, but
surely they have some rights which in
times of strikes the organized one
fourth or less should be made to re-
spect.
But the promoters of the Railway
Legion project not only deplore the
comparative paucity of membership in
all the railway organizations, but aver
that by reason of their separate con-
stitutions they are impotent for con-
certed action. They say also that the
high charges for admission to members
ship and the onerous dues levied to
compensate for outlays on strikes and
adjustments of difficulties operate to
prevent many railway wage-earners
from enrolment This probably is
true, for it is estimated that the fam Gus
switchmens strike entailed cost of
100000 upon the members of that
which, necessarily, num-
bers but fraction of l25,000 mem
bers of all railway associations. An
other segment of this aggregate of
125, 900 men has had to bear the cost
of 100000 expended during the
celebrated O., B. and Q. strike. As
things go membership is costly.
The promoters believe if dues be
limited to 81 year the greater part
of $4,000 railway wage-earners will
become members of the projected Rail
way Legion. But if all of them be-
come members, what will $3.50, 900 do
in the matter of concerted stake of
all hands, when 5000, 900 and 81 ,0o0,-
900 are the measures of cost of the
strike of but a limited number2 1t is
doubtful whether trades unions can be
on q much more economic
on less fee and due
basis-than they now are.
Beside these considerations stand
he probable unwlllingness of such
organizations as the
of Locomotive Engineers
and the Order of Railway Conductors
20 put themselves under absolute con-
;rol of a iunta elected by the whole
body of railway operatives.
The history of the Knights Of Labor
IS not evidence favorable to the coz
;inued existence of a conglomeration
# diverse branches of labor. Though
managed by man so remarkable for
,oolness and conservatism as Mr..
the numbers of this famous
though still large, are
mall in comparison of what they were
. few years ago. The American tenn
yer is opposed to Capitalization of
,ower. Local self-government of vii
ages, towns, cities is development
hat is paralleled in the local self man.
cement of such great associations as
he Typographical Union, the Brother
lood of Engineers, and other long
organizations. Each branch
# trade has interests peculiar to it
elf, and necessarily conserves them,
md is likely to hesitate before placing
hem under the control of league or
egion the majority of whose members
re in close sympathy with them.
Legislature Notes.