St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-05-02

no complaint had been made by the
/ men; that the company had taken no
steps to change, Or discharge, or replace
us employees. or any of them. anu offer
| ing to hear, through any channel se-
lected by the men, any COM
plant ha upon which .Ia they desired
the announcement in Butte. Mont.
that 1t was ready, and expected, to
! pay the same rates of wages tor car re-
(. pa:rers, inspectors, trackmen and others
| as were currently paid by other COM
! panles in Montana. and this was made
known to Hogan before the committee
was organized in Montana to come to st,
Paul Tho proposition was refused. On
the 25th MIR. Debs came to our Office
| with q committee. which he claimed
represented the employees ON the entire
system. On this committee there was
not single representative Of any
class from the main line between the
htd river and the Pacific ocean. The
committee consisted of forty-six men.
thirty-tOur of whom gave their resi-
dences as St.Paul or Minneapolis. Some
| VI them were not in the company's en-
pioy; some of them had been in the
companY'S employ; others left the
room. and stated. while DUNG SO, that
they were not members of the A. X. u,
and that they had nothing 10 do
WITH Mr.. Debs. During the time
MI. DebS and his commit
tee were In the company's Office
Inc representatives of the engineers,
hremen, conductors and trainmen came
10 the once to notify the company that
the men in the differeut classes would
only be represented and bound by the
regular officers of the different organI-
zaLlons. This confirmed the statements
made previously by Messrs. Arthur,
Sargent, Clark and Morissey, the grand
0f1cers OF the orders OF engine and
trainmen, who came TO the company's
once together, and declared their posi-
ton.
In view of the strife between rival
LABOR organizations clailning to repre-
sent the men, and in order to secure a
+ prompt and peaceful settlement OF all
Questions or complaints. the company
made an offer in writing that it would
leave all matters upon which it could
not agree with the men to the arbitra-
ton OF dlsinterested board of arbi-
traitors, whose award should be binding
upon all concerned. on condition
that no further attempt was made
TO interrupt the company'S buSi-
ness. and that the men on
the different lines should resume work.
1t was also stated that the company's
custom was 10 advance the winter rates
OF pay 10 trackmen when their work
begins III the spring. and that this would
Do continued. This offer to arbitrate
| was taken by Mr.. Debs and his COM
| mittee for consideration. and to be an
| sWered the following day at II o'clock.
/ At their request the time was extended
until O'Clock, when they sent a
| communication refusing any arbi.
tratlon, aud demanding the un-
conditional restoration of wages
OF all classes in effect in August,
! 1888. The company endeavored to learn
| whether the objection was to arbitration
| 0r to the method proposed for selecting
! the board Of arbitrator, and also offered
| to compare the schedules and rates of
pay In effect on the company's lines. for
the purpose of showing the committee
that their claim OF reductions was not
IN accordance with the facts, at the
same time asking them if they had a
better plan to propose for forming a
! competent and diSintereSted board of
arbitrators. This communication was
answered by ordering a strike in ST.
Paul ana Minneapolis.
| A large proportion of the members of
the different classes of skilled mechan-
| les on the ,company's rolls have for
years been members of the different
! orders or brotEerhoods. Each of such
classes. through its brotherhood, has
i been i'll regular relations with the COM
| pany by its duly constituted committee,
! VINO have agreed upon schedules and
! rates of pay governing each class. These
contracts have. up to this time, been
uniformly respected by both parties.
Contracts of this character, at the be-
| ginning Of the strike, were in unques-
toned force between the company and
the men. and have been confirmed by
1: the general officers of the respective
| orders since the strike. MIR, Debs has
never given any satisfactory proof that