The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-11-07
WHAT THE MEN SAY.
American Railway Union in This
state Will Take No Action Unless
1t Cannot Be Avoided


There is no likelihood of any sympa-
thetlc strike by the American Railway
Union in California, unless it cannot be
avoided, according to what the members
| OF The San Francisco union say. Both
President L. E. Stinson and Vice-Presi-
dent F. S. Oakes the new officers recently
elected, were seen yesterday, and also ex-
President Ed Marlatt. Messrs. Stinson
and Cakes have been up north for several
months and returned only about a month
ago. Mr.. Cakes was formerly president
and Mr.. Stlnson secretary of the local
union.
81 do not think there will be any strike
here" said President Stinson, ''but of
course | do not know what the members
OF the union may ultimately decide to do.
One thing you can be assured of, there will
be no strike for a while anyway, because it
takes some time to bring about strike,
and it has not been seriously talked of yet
II suppose you know that tie president
OF union has no power to call any strike,
though the impression seems to have been
received by the public and acted upon by
the courts that the Pullman strike was Or
dered by Eugene Y. Debs, president of the
National union. This impression is en-
t1rely wrong"
Vice-President Cakes then explained the
modus operandi Of calling strike as fol-
lows:
A president has less power in the American
RAILWAY Union than any such officer in any
other organization. A strike can only be or
dered by two-thirds vote of the DIVISION and
strike of an entire system can only be brought
ABOUT by tWo-thlrdS OF the divisions voting
for it.
Take this division here. This is known as
the coast division, and extends from San
Francisco TO San Luis Obspo. If we should
conclude to go On a strike the matter would
nave to come up on a motion by one OF the
members, and, as 1 have said, such motion
could only carry by two-thirds vote
NOW, the Pacific system extends all the way
from Portland, Or, to Ell Paso. Tex.
At Oakland is a union covering the division
from there to Fresno; at Bakersfield another
union covers the division from Fresno to
MoJaVe; at sacramento is another whose juris-
diction extends. to Red Bluff and at Dunsm mir
one extending to Ashland, Or. and so on all
through the entire system. Thus you see
strike OF the entire system would take some
have two-thirds OF these divisions in its favor
OF course admit that if the emergency existed
we could all act pretty promptly, but there is
no particular reason for US going out as yet
knew last June that the Great Northern
men would strike. The men have been talking
about it all summer. They have plenty OF
grievances and good reason for striking.
President Stinson told of some of these
grievances. He said:
When President "Jim" Hill of the Great
Northern said he was paying Engineer Best
$206 per month he forgot to add that the
brakemen right behind him got only $45 per
month. Here is The scale of wages which the
Great Northern has been paying: Engineers
"a 10 per 100 miles, firemeu 50 40 per 100
miles. conductors cents per mile and brake
men cents per mile. On its face this may
not look bad, but you must consider that while
1t was all right for the men the prairie
runs the men on the mountain runs did very
fhn1r owl H.
and, OF necessity, slower The mountain runs
are no more than ITO miles long at the most
and many of them are less. One is only so
miles, but it is so hard that 100 miles is allowed
for it. The prairie runs are all the way from
$50 to 200 miles long. Naturally the noun
tain men work at great disadvantage by COM
parlsQn OF compensation.
Mr. Hill is simply using the wages he paid
to engineer Best as a play to the gallery.
William Best was the man who did splendid
work in rushing his train through the Hinek-
ley (Mlnn.) fire, saving great many lives. The
only reason he discharged Best was that the
latter was one OF the conference committee of
Inc American Railway Union that called upon
him.
The opinion of Vice President Cakes was
that the Great Northern strike might ex-
tend to its Eastern connections, namely,
the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy and
the Wabash, but unless the strike became
general all aover the country it would
hardly affect California. At any rate all
not yet gone out. The principal ones SO
lar out are those at the Hillyard shops and
Spokane, Wash; Kalispell, Mont; Devils
Lake, n. D.; and st. Cloud, MINI. The
majority of the Great Northern men, it
was said, are members of the American
Railway Union.
The local union met last night and
voiced expressions of sympathy with the
strikers. No action other than this was
taken however. The principal business
with which it is now engaged is the new
ritual the order has adopted and to install
the new officers. The new local secretary
is G: j. de Leda and the treasurer D.
Shaffer: The delegates to the Labor
Council are yet to be chosen.
Eugene v Debs is to be out of prison on
the 18th inst. No visit to this City is ex-
pected. 1t is said he will go at once to
Ierre Haute, Ind, which is the present
headquarters of the American Railway
Union. Organizer James A. Hogan, who
is in Utah at present. may come here soon.