St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-02-04
Railway Brorherhoods viii
Try to Down the Ameri-
can Railway Union.
VERY IMPORTANT ACTION.
Conductors Declare That Nc
Conductor Can Serve
Two Masters.
ALLEGIANCE TO THE A. R. U.
Will Hereafter Debar a Man
From the Brotherhood
of Conductors.

CHICAGO, Feb. 3,-The fight between
the American Railway Union and the
old railroad brothernoods, which ante"
dated the big strike of last summer,
and became more bitter at that time be-
cause the old brotherhood men refused
to join in the strike, has not been soft
ened by the hand of time. Instead. the
feeling between the rival bodies mas
apparently become more intense. To-
day the subject was discussed at length
by 200 or more leaders of the Order OF
Railway Conductors. and an almost
unanimous expression was found in the
adoption Of resol olation recon-
mending to the coming bieE~
niaI convention of the grand di-
vision that the line be drawn
in the order to exclude all members
who refuse to renOunce allegiance to
the American Railway union. There
are many members of the order OF con-
ductors who are also members OF the
A merican Railway union. The leaders
in today's meeting insisted that no man
could serve two masters, that no coH-j
ductor could hold membership in two
organizations whose interests were
identical, and bet ween which there was
a constant warfare. They said the
avowed object of the American Railway
union was to absorb all the railway EN-
ployes of the country and the disband-
ment of the old organizations. Th e
meeting today was called by the
Three C Chicago Divisions
of the order. Nos. 1, ii and 293. 1t was
a union meeting, and circulars have
been sent to every division III the couIl-
try, and they were urged to send thelt
delegates to the grand division, with
their officers. The response was larger
than expected. Members were present
today from nearly every division north
of the Ohio river and between Kansas
City on the west and Pittsburg on the
east, with few scattered members
from New York and Pennsylvania
and Omaha and San Francisco. The
purpose of the meeting. or rather
caucus, for such it was, was an
nounced in the circular, to discuss
matters OF Importance which would
come up before the next biennial con-
yention at Atlanta May next. Grand
Chief E. E. Clark, Grant Vice Chief
Wilkins and Grand Secretary W. 2.
Dauiel were present, and addressed the
meeting. For some time charges OF
mism anagement have been talked OF
in the order against the officials OF the
Home for Disabled Railway Men, To-
Gated in Chicago, and committee from
outside divisions spent all Of last week
IN investigating the home. 1t reported
to the meeting today that the charges
were without foundation and the home
could not be better conducted. Kaw
Valley division has issued a circular to
the members of the order asking CO.
operation at the coming convention of
the grand divisions to strike out the
Permanent Membership Feature
of the laws of the grand division. Un-
der the law all members OF the order
who have served four consecutive terms
as delegates to the grand body become
life members, and the circular alleged
that the number Of such permanent
members had grown to be menace to
the order, and that the men represent
controlling the grand division. The
caucus was evenly divided on the ques-
tion, and DO agreement of action was
reached, Another circular discussed
was one from the Lackawanna division
insisting upon the extension of the life
insurance benefits to such members in
whose family certain diseases. such as
paralysis and apopleXy, were heredi-
tary. The meeting was practically
unanimous in condemning the adop-
ton of such an amendment. The
friends OF E. A. Soper. Of Wasatch
division, sought to obtain the
recommendation Of the caucus for the
setting aside of the decision of the in
surance committee and the board of
directors, ia refusing MN total DIS
ability benefits. The laws of the order
REQUIRE the loss of a hand at the wrist TO
be eligible for the total disability bent-
fits. Mr.. Soper lost all of the fingers Of
one hand, and four of another by an
accident on the Union Pacific, and has
nothing left but the stumps of the
palm. He was said to be totally dis
abIed, as if he had lost his hands at the
wrist. The caucus was disposed TO
take up Mr.. Soper's claim, and at the
grand division an effort will be made TO
amend the laws as to include such
cases as lis. Another question of laws
of minor Importance was taken up and
discussed. and then the action on the
dual membership i'll the order and the
American Railway union was had.