The morning times., 1895-07-17

alternative propositions he submitted to
the men that his conscience pricked him.
The men say under that form of duress
peculiar to railroad corporations they are
satisfied with the present arrangement of
hours. or course they are, when their
livelihood depends upon the expression of
their entire and complete pleasure Then,
too when the three other propositions are
more oppressive and harSher than the exist
ing schedule they cannot be blamed for
saying they are satisfied.
It's the old adage put into operation-half
a loaf is better than no bread.
LETTER FROM THE MEN
George l.. Tetlow, gripman, brought to
The Times office yesterday the following
statement, signed by two-score men:
Editor Times We, the undersigned,
conductors and gripmen, feel it our duty
to request the publication OF our dlsap
provai OF an article published in your
paper OF yesterday in which Supt. saier
Is unluStiy accused OF fnfstredClng Ills
men, and ON the other hand We desire to
say that we are OF the opinion that there
Is no dissatisfaction on the part OF the
employees with the management OF the
company.
We believe, furthermore, that Mr.. Sailer,
in the discharge OF ms duties as sgperin-
tendent, has at all times treated his men
with every discretion due them, and the
liberality and privileges allowed the en-
ployes are not equaled by any other street
railway III the country.
While we have no desire whatever to
criticIse the action of the \press, we feel
it is a sense of duty, owing TO the mis-
reprcse tations connected there with,
to say that we believe an injustice has been
done the employees, as well as the man
agement OF the company III the publ
cation of said article.
=.
fact that the men are not allowed time for
their meals and he admitted that it was.
He said Mr.. Sailer had told him that when
the Georgetown lue was extended to the
AqUeduCt Bridge it was hoped there would
be more time for the men to get their meals.
Some time ago there We're two more cars
on thaunow. bat the Georgetown merchants
got up a petition complaining against the
number or cars on the street, and the two
cars were AIKEN off, producing shriDkage
in the time.
INDEP EVIDENCE OF sAILER.
Great care has been taken to convey the
Impression that the men acted voluntarily
and even spontaneously in defense of MI
| SaiIer The fact, as reported last night,
| that Mr.. Sailer after reading what The
| Times had TO say about the few minutes
| for dinner policy OF his road went over TO
the Georgctown terminus and harangued
positions.
1t is reasonably certain that had Mr..
! Sailer endeavorcd to enforce any one OF
| his propositions the men would have
kicked vigorously.
| Mr Sailer said among other things that
/ the men could join the Protective Street
/ Railway Union il they desired but told them
| that they were better out of il; that II
| they were in it they would be dragged
! into the Fl rst general strike, and that they
/ could remember how the great Brooklyn
! strike ended
With this as a pleasant inuendo that
| obedience to his ORDERS would be a good
! thing he made the employees three PROPOSE
tions: First to work from a. m. TO 3
| p. m and from 3 p. m. TO about 2 m.
| for the night trip: second, for the day men
| to be relieved by the night men for one
| trip in order to get meals and the night
men to relieve the day men for the same
purpose; or, third, to give each maj
| four trips on ana four Off with an interval
| bet ween for eating time.
NO OTHER PLAN.
The men very sensibiy rejected all these
| propositions. and as no other plan had been
suggested, they had nothing TO say but
| that they were satisfied with the present
arrangement Everybody will agree that
| the men acted with great good sense.
!
| what they were intended 10 deny. All of
| them were evidently suggested with q
| view OF giving the men time for dinner.
| 1t is plain, as even the men say, that II
| there were time for dinner, what would
be the necessity for Mr.. Sailers PROPOSE
! tions?
And the gripmen themselves go far
toward proving that they have very httl
| time to eat
| 1t takes thirty-siX minutes to make the
run from Georgetown to the Navy Yard
! which is the best chance for the men to
eat. The leaving time is six minutes after.
| Within that six minutes the fender must
| be changed and the car shifted. What is
left of the six minutes margin is the din
ner hour" for which the men are so
grateful. ss.lSss<s
OF course a gripman can put his dinner
| beside him on q seat il there is nobody in it
| and the conductor can eat on the back
seat of the car. Beasts of burden, however,
are deferred to with much more respect
than that Sometimes they hang bag OF
oats under a horses nose and keep him
| working and eating simultaneously And
| that is the fact equivalent of the situation
on the cable cars.
WHAT THEY SAID.
An effort was made to interview many
of the gripmen and conductors last night
Nea ry all of them. however, had made III
their minds and could not contradict theil
written statements. But they gave 1t away
all the same in several instances.
One said. Why, of course, have plenty
of time TO eat When going into George
town one of the gripmen gets in atthe bridge
ana rams me in while eat. If don't fin
ish he comes back with me HGtle way
This man, of course, contradicted him
self, because if he had plenty of time TO
eat" il wouldn' I be necessary to get a friend
to work for him while he ate his dinner.
Then another said chat as soon as he got
to Georgetown there were always men
there 10 geton and hold down his place unit
he atehiS dinner.
Gripman on No. 232 said that he had been
eating on the ear for three years, and had
plenty OF time.
Gripmanon No. 233 said that he sometimes
had from six to nine minutes, but + he were
not on the road his dinner time would be
from half or thirty minutes to an hour
One grpman said that lie signed the
paper because it was the best could do un
der the circumstances.
Gripman No 22S declined to talk o
the subject at all.
Gripman No. 23S said that he had all the
time he wanted-eveufifteen minutes. TWO
OF his friends in the car at the time de
MED this.
No. 230 was satisfied with the present
arrangement No 231 said that he haC
plenty of time to eat, as some Que Teat
for him while he was eating aud vice versa
Another grjpman said Oh, you are toe
late in trying to prove this case. Lots o
US signed these papers complmeuting the
management without believing word il