The Dalles times-mountaineer. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1882-1904, 1894-04-28
LABOR TROUBLE.

LABOR TROUBLE.
The strike ON the Great Northern
Railway, tying up one Of the great
railway systems of the country and
paralyzing business in several North
western states, is q new order of labor
trouble which we hope will not be-
come prevalent, says the Inter Ocean.
1t is not contest between capital and
labor, but a bitter rivalry between
labor organizations. The railroad is
simply the victim Of a warfare be-
tween the confeGerated brotherhoods
which have represented all the classes
of railway men in their dealings with
the Great Northern, and the Amerl-
can Railway Union, comparatively
new organization, which is ambitious
to become the controlling power in all
railway labor movements. The Great
Northern Railway Company proposed
certain schedules, which we're thor
oughly considered and approved and
adopted by the grand officers of the
brotherhoods of locomotive engineers
and by authorized committees repre-
senting the men themselves.
This agreement concerning sched-
ules and hours of-labor was reduced to
writing and vent into effect March /,
1894. Other proposed changes affect
ing the conductors and trainmen we're
formulated and considered by officers
of the company and the unions, but
were to be finally submitted to vote
by the men affected.
This was the situation up to last
Friday, when the general organizer of
the American Railway Union wired
the officers of the Great Northern
that unless the schedules in force be-
fore August 1898, were restored there
would be strike at noon that day.
Chief Arthur, of the Brotherhood of
Locomotive Engineers; Chief Sargent,
Of the Firemen's Brotherhood, and Mr..
Clark, grand chief of the Conductors
q
Brotherhood, all deny the right OF
members of their organizations to en-
gogs in this strike. They are with
the railway company in maintaining
that agreements are as binding upon
the men as upon the corporation. The
officers of the American Railway
Union are accused Of ordering this
strike simply to break down the in
Auence of the federated brotherhoods
Chief Arthur in an interview says:
"Our organization was the original
railway brotherhood and was founded
IN 1868, thirty-one years ago. We
have struggled through adversely and
philosophically met defeats. We have
learned much by experience. We
number $4,000 in the United States
and Canada. Do you suppose that we
would hold contracts with over 70 per
cent of the railway corporations on
this continent if we had left the mat
ter to the conraniesf Our records
show that We have paid out over
a, 900, 900 to widows and orphans and
that we have increased the wages of
engineers from 81 to 81 day. Should
men lightly put away these results of
q tried and faithful brotherhood, true
to their interests, for the A. r. o., q
new and untried one2 We cannot stop
our men from joining the new fedora
ton if they desire. If the golden ex-.
perience of thirty years with all the
results, is worth nothing, if the B. L.
E. has outlived its usefulness, then it
was time that it wac put away"
These are the words of the most
conservative and best leader any or
ganization of laboring men in this
country has ever had, and they show
his keen disappointment over the
action of many Of his men in breaking
faith and following after leader who
declares strike not so much to bring
the railroad to terms as to deliver
blow at The old brotherhoods by show
ing his superior influence and the supe-
rior advantages offered by the new
labor organization. 3 In all strikes the
men have had the sympathy
of the great majority of the people,
because the masses are always ready
to take the side of the men in con-
test with capital. But here is strike
of one labor union against another;
md the paralysis of great railway
'ystem, the inconvenience of travellers
md business men, the suffering of cities
q need of supplies, and the loss of
wages to thousands of railway to en-
'loyes are caused for no other purpose
han to demonstrate which of two la
or unions is the stronger. When the
trike has descended to such plane it
hould have no sympathy and no con-
Iteration whatever.
ITEMS IN BRIEF.
From Saturdays Daily.
We received pleasant call today from