The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-10-05
How the Intention Of the
Southern Pacific Is Made
Public.
PETITIONS TO MR.. FITZGERALD.
Employees Fear the Possible Conse-
quences Of the Grain-Rate
Reduction.

Commissioner Fitzgerald. 1t is petition
without signatures, but it is accompanied
by petition to the Railroad Commission
from supposed employees of the Southern
Pacific protesting against the recent grain
rate reduction.
Mr.. Fitzgerald said yesterday afternoon,
after looking over the two petitions, that
there was only one course for him to take.
He presumed that the petition to him was
in sense Endorsed by the signers of the
petition to the Railroad Commission, since
both were in the same roll, and that he
would be under some sort of obligation to
act in accordance with it. But the course
of action he proposed to take was to first
ascertain just what wages the Southern
Pacific did pay to its employees. what it has
paid in the past, is paying now and contem-
plates paying in the future.
Then said he, 81 will be in
a position to act intelIigently.
don't know any of these people; that is,
they do not represent themselves to be
members of labor organizations, and all
have for 1t is several hundred names of
individuals. If am expected to present
their side of the question to the Railroad
Commissioners / must first be informed
fully on the wages paid and to be paid by
the Southern Pacific"
The claims made in the petition to Mr..
Fitzgerald are:
First, the Southern Pacific is the greatest
employer in the State, and has paid the highest
rate of wages; that in 1894 it paid $50, 500 900
out as wages; second, the grain-rate reduction
might lessen the railroads income and cause
reduction of wages in consequence; that 80 per
cent of the income of the railroad goes for
labor including the salaries of Mr.. Hunting
ton and the other officers, 20 per cent for fuel
and fha {nir fnr into oYod
profits; third, that the "great land barons" of
the State are actuated "only by selfish mo-
tives," and "have no use for any class of labor
which seeks wages or a social condition above
that of a slave; fourth, that it would be I'M
wise 10 attempt TO revolutioniZe the conditions
of workingmen during the present financial,
commercial and industrial crisis, and fifth, the
petitioners hope that the wage-earning class
may not be made to suffer because of any re,
duction OF rates for the benefit OF the grain
producers.
This was typewriter and dated Los An
geles, September "a, 1895, but its accom-
paniments, the several copies of the Pc
tition to the Railroad Commission, were
printed in small plea type, not dated at
all and only stamped "Los Angeles"
The petition starts out with the follow
ing paragraph, which tells its own story:
The undersigned employees of the Southern
labor generally, represent to your honorable
board that they have not been prompted in
this petition by any officer, member, agent or
employe of the Southern Pacific Company, di-
rectly or indirectly, by suggestion or in any
other manner, but that they thus act OF their
own motion and without the knowledge of said
company or any member or agent OF it.
1t had evidently been drafted and printed
some time ago, because the name of Chair
man La Rue was used as the proposer of
the horizontal cut, and the name of DR..
Stanton had been subsequently inserted
by pen and ink. 1t amounted to about
the same reasoning as the petition to Mr..
Fitzgerald, to wit: That a reduction of
wages would follow reduction of grain
rates.
These petitions have been circulated for
signatures, it is said, by one George Wash
ington Ticks, a man who gives out that he
is greatly interested in the welfare of
labor and who has within a few days es-
tablished his headquarters at Sacramento,
according to information received by the
State Labor Bureau.
Late in the afternoon the implied threat
OF the Southern Pacific to make a general
cut in wages was brought to the attention
of several members of the A. R. Q. Presi-
dent Marlatt said he was not surprised in
the least as he had expected that would
be the company's play" He observed:
The company will use this threat to cut
wages to force, If possible, the Railroad Com
mission to recede from its position; at least
that was its intention when the petition was
first drafted and circulated for signatures. In
my opinion the railroad is simply preparing to
shift the burden of its loss on to the backs of
| its employees, and these petitions have been
gotten up with that object in view. l doubt
| very much II the names attached to them are
| those of bona fide employes-there may be
some, of course, to serve as stool-pigeons, but
| the majority of the names are either fictitious
| or those of irresponsible men, not identified
| with labor in any legitimate sense.
| 1t amounts to this: The Southern Pacific in
| tends to make. general cut in wages aud this
c IN for Ell nv y nf a
Mr.. Fitzgerald will Immediately ask for
| facts and figures from the Southern Pacific
on the wages it pays, and if these are not
furnished he will ignore the petition to him
until he is enabled to proceed intelIigently.