The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-04-12

skilled labor. and they are the best paid
employees in the railway service
/ IN the matter Of contracts, great greed
! mas been shown by the brotherhood, as
/ tnese contracts have been largely matters
OF growth When a demand TO insert a
i new clause in their contract was made
/ Il was speedily followed by another de
/ mand, always with an actual or implied
! threat OF a strike. unless their demands
\ were granted. This had gone on until
/ in some instances the official before he
| employed a new engineer would feel COM
/ PEELED TO consult the brotherhood before
giving a new man an engine.
| One clause in the contract which was
/ annulled, required that for every three
| engineers promoted, the company should
J appoint two brotherhood men. The pre-
/ else language of this article, which is
/ article Is, is as follows:
The company hereby agrees to hire two
| engineers for every three promoted"
| This clause means that whenever the
| company should promote three fremen TO
| the position of engineers, two engineers
and necessarily brotherhood men, should
/ be hired. This rule was imperative,
whether the company needed two engi-
neers or not, but it was necessary as a
| means of maintaining the strength of the
| brotherhood on the road.
Another article in this contract was as
| follows:
| Engineers shall not be required to do
| any work on engines at the shops, terminal
/ or relay points. All engineers will be re-
quired to take reasonable care of their
/ engines while on the line of road
| The following is another article of this
annulled contract. to which Mr.. Durham
! objected
Amy engineer who drinks intoxicants,
| on duty, or allows it to be drank or car
/ RED on their engines knowingly, or be
/ ing drunk on or OF duty will be dismissed
| from the service of the company.
Ihis is article Is, and Immediately fol-
| lowing 1t comes a construction of the
/ article, which is as follows:
/ The company will accept as good evil
/ dence OF tncompetency the proceedings
before the division of the brotherhood
/ wherein the engineer has been suspended
/ or expelled for intoxication."
! It is unnecessary to quote further from
| this contract, because 1he public has by
| this time become aware of the fact that
/ the brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers
/ had just about taken possession of the
road, and that so far as the management
OF trains was concerned the officials had
/ little else to do than to receive orders from
/ the brotherhood.
To show how imperious and dictatorial
| the brotherhood had become, a promi-
nent official of the brotherhood in Decem-
/ Der last sent the following telegram to a
prominent official of the Plant system:
| Your telegram received. The engineers
| are unwilling to remain at work unless
you viii state definitely when you will
meet them and give them an agreement.
We are willing to make all reasonable
| concessions to maintain friendly relations
/ with the company, but must know to-day
when you will grant us the conference"
There was no tone of uncertainty in
| this telegram. 1t came from one who
| spoke as if it was his right and privi-
| lege to command.
There would be no need for a present
alton of these facts, except for the rea-
| son that labor agitators are continuing
| to mislead and deceive the public by con-
| slant reference to the so-called trouble
| between the Plant system and its engi-
/ neers The Plant system has had no trou-
| BILE with its engineers. 1t has simply al
/ lowed number of disturbers of the peace
| to do precisely what they were threaten
ing to do, that is to get down from their
| engines
NJ
| with success where there is constant mu-
| tiny in the camp and constant conspiracy
and INSTRUMENTATION. Capacity and 10y
atty should be the two aims which should
be most conspicuous in the life of any
employee in any position, and no Just
| or reasonable man is going to back up a
! grievance than the simple refusal Of his
employer to turn over his business to such
employee.
To show what a small affair this So
| called trouble between the Plant system
and it's engineers was, twenty-four engi-
neers on the Alabama. Midland railway
| who were earnest in their hope to obtain
! a contract but who had no thought of
striking, after they did not get a con-
tract. early in January addressed the
| following communication to their mem
| Der of the general adjustment committee:
THE undersigned engineers on the Ala
! bama Midland railway and the Savannah,
! Florida and Western railway, west of
! Thomasvlle, hereby instruct you to in
| form Mr.. p. NJ. Arthur, grand chief en-
gineer. that we are in every way opposed
to a strike on the Plant system on ac-
count of contract. We have no griev-
| ance. and do not consider the lack of
contract as sufficient grounds for a
| striker
| This communication was signed and sent
| just as soon as it developed that some
| of the members of the brotherhood were
| bent upon having contract or a strike.
| Similar communications were sent from
every division on the Plant system, and
| there never was day or an hour when
it would have been possible to have OBJ
| tanned tWo-thirdS or even a majority vote
| in favor of striking. In view of the fact
| that the laws of the brotherhood only
provide for taking care of its idle mem
bers, if the two-thirds vote has been OBJ
| tanned and after the engineers have stop
| ped work, it looks little singular that
the whole brotherhood is now pouring
| 5000 into the hands of a few idle men,
all of whom have been discharged for
good cause. Possibly these members of
the brotherhood who are furnishing this
money would be a good deal interested
| in finding out the causes for the discharge
| of these men, the length of time thew
have been idle, and the amount of money
paid to each.
No man in the world can make war
upon brotherhood or any other organi-
cation, whose objects are lust humane
benef1cent, but reasonable men will refuse
to stand by any organization which is ar
rogant and unreasonable in it's conduct
The public is impatient of that element
of labor which insists that the obligations
which grow out of the relations of the
employer and the employee shall all rest
on the side of the employer An engi-
neer can quit work whenever he pleases
without notice, or without assigning anY
cause, but if the employer wishes to dis
continue the services of an engineer. a
great hue and cry is raised, and most
son.
The true interest of labor lies in Coop
Grafton with capital, and not in conflict
An intelligent survey of the field viii
convince the, American laborer that he
is oetter PAID in the United States than
IN any other country in the world When
labor organizations realize this important
TACT and see the direction in which their
true interests lie, much better conditiop
OF affairs will exist. There are millions
OF capital invested in this country. which
gives employment to hundreds and tbons-
ands of laborers. which brings no profit
TO the owners of the capital but it af-
fords livelihood to labor '
When all the forces, communistic. an
archistic and demagogical, which are ar
rayed against capital work out their er-
rands. the final effect must fall upon
American labor. To protect capital againet
these npEtFnafiyn L. 4