The evening times., 1895-10-03

attempt to carry into execution its present
plan of making cut In the wages OF its en-
ployes. 1t il officially understood that the
company willmake the cut, and in the event
Of this the Railway Protective Union will
probably order a tieup of the line.
The question Of policy will be carefully
considered at meeting Of the union to be
held at Bunch's Hall tonight Although the
cut has not been made, and a plan OF action
has not been determined on by the union,
yet from conversations which The Times
had this morning with several of the Officers
and number Of the other members Of the
organization 1t is believed to be certainty
that the attempted aggressions of the Ana
costa Company win be resisted by all the
force and means at the disposal OF the union.
Some of the railway men with whom The
Times talked said that the road is believed
to be SO involved that a slight adverse
pressure would force 1t to the walla com-
pei the appointment Of receiver. The
main line OF the road, The Times was told,
pays well enough, but it Is paying interest
on Indebtedness incurred in building double
tracking along NJ street, south from Eleventh
street southeast to Seventh street south
west; from Eleventh street southeast to
Congressional Cemetery. and along Second
street south from II to Canal street.
CARRYING DEAD LINES.
These are dead branches and re said to
eat up the profits of the central line from
Anacostia to the city.
The union does not believe that the en-
plOyes should be made TO suffer because of
this.
Communication between Anacostia and
Washington must be had, and If the Ana
-Ostia 4 Potomac Railway is not capable
of rendering it and paying its employees
enough wages to enable them to live, then
such a line should cease to exist.
There are about forty employees of the
company and all hold membership in the
union. Their wages now are S1-50 per
day of twelve hours, and should cut be
ordered the only plan of action open to the
union is TO oppose 1t. Last July the men
went out and the union operated busses be-
tween the village and its parentcity. There
was nothing in the charter of the railroad
requiring it to irun cars, and the president
Of The company not only stored the cars
in the shed. but made preparations to send
the horses into the country and let the road
go to the bow-wows until such time as 1t
was his pleasure to resume.
The citizens of the village were as unit
on the side of the employees and the road
was bitterly denounced at public meetings
and on street corners.
LETTER OF CITIZENS.
Then a letter signed by 100 of the citi-
zens was sent to President Girls void, urg
ing that the locked-out men be re-em
ployed at the advance demanded by them,
and concluding thus:
If later reasonab bic trial to n period
not later than October 1, it shall appear to
George F. PyleH and Julius W. Tolson. that
our Judgment is incorrect, we agree to give
the
moral and financial support, in any scale
of wages or policy Of management adopted"
The president acceded to this, not over
cbeerfully..
About two months ago he issued n cir
cular letter TO the men asking them various
questions, of which the following are sam
pies:
''If you were managing a road would you
employ large number OF men at low pay,
fair number of men at fair pay, or small
number of men at big pay?"
Would you, il a reduction OF force were
necessary, retain the men who had served
you with the greatest fidelity
long list of these questions were asked
and the men were directed TO write their
answers and file them at the office of the
company before given date. This cir
cular was mystery and has continued
such. None of the men understood what it
iltuHI oE Wudl oUFtt lnC DIrsIItni udu Ill
issuing it, only they surmised that it fore
shadowed either a reduction of force or
reduction of pay. None OF them answered
the circular. Yesterday President Girls
void issued the following letter to those
persons who had signed the proposal which
closed the July strike:
MR.. GRISwoLD'S POSITION
Ny Dear Sir: During the July tie-up Of
the Anacostia line, the writer had the honor
to receive from 100 citizens OF our town
letter, stating their views as TO the result
of deferring to the wishes Of our employees as
to the scale OF wages, and requesting that 1t
be tried to period not later tha n October l.
In every particular, and not violate legal
requirements, the company has lived up TO
your request. The result has not been what
we all hoped for and believed would be. and
IL will be necessary in the near future to
adopt some changes in the management.
While the writer does not at this writing
recall all the names of the 100. he believes
every citizen of Anacostia at heart wishes
the success of its car line. Upon it in a
measure depends the desirabiiity of every
home and inucn of the future prosperity of
our village. The better our facilities for
reaching the city, the more worth our
houses, and the more easy to get the money
to pay for them.
We also need facilities to reach the Gov
ernment Departments, etc. 1t may not
have occurred To all that To pay an extra
fare would amount to tax of about
S34, 900 year on our real estate: to
reduction of about 81 per month on the
rent OF each house. IL only one member of
the family rode per day. No one is more
desirous than the company itself ~ do all
it can for Observation-Disclosures calls
for that
In the near future the owners of the
road expect to adopt a system of rapid
transit. In the meantime it will do its
best to deserve your support. trusting
you will give it, SO that there may be no
back-set. but AAacostia be ready upon the
return of prosperous times to take the
place that belongs to her-the most pros
porous suburb of Washington.