The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-04-05
DISCHARGED FOR CAUSE.
New York Gripmen Accused of Enter
ing Saloons During Working Hours.

Ing saloons During WORKING hours.
NEW YORK. April 4.-President Vree-
land, OF the Metropolitan Street-railway
Company. tonight issued the following
statement:
1.-The reports in the morning papers of
the trouble between the Metropolitan street
railway and its employees have the following
foundation only: The company employs on
its entire system about 5000 men. Six
hundred of them gripmen, on whose
sobriety cool judgment and nerve the safe
ty of $4,000 passengers in the cable cars
daily depend. 1t is necessary that there
should be rules to regulate the conduct Of
these employees, that the rules should be
enforced, and the only way of enforcing
them effectively is by dfscharging every
employee who disregards them. Discharges
for violations of the rules have averaged.
about $50 per month"; on the entire system.
1896. were 1872.
Yesterday a committee of employees
called on the president and demanded the
reinstatement or nine out OF the 192 who
were discharged In March, all Of whom
We're Lexington,avenue gripmen, and of one
Broadway conductor, who was discharged
on the I'd Of April All Of these ten men
were informed when notified Of their dis
charge that the cause would be stated to
to apply for II. None of them ever applied.
The demand for their reinstatement was
absolutely peremptory, and irrespective of
the cause Of discharge. The ten men who
were thus selected to be forced back into
the company's employ were, in fact. all
dicharged for the violation of the rule
which provides that the men shall not enter
any drinking saloon during their hours of
duty. Each one Of them had copy of
this rule in his possession, and his atten-
ton was personally called to it when he
n
on evidence satisfactory to the superin-
tendent. to have violated It.
Il consider that it would be criminal not
to take precautions to see that no man un-
der the influence OF liquor shall have charge
or a cable car on Broadway. We cannot deal
with degrees Of drinking, Absolute sobriety
must necessarily be insisted on, and the
only way to secure 1t is by insisting that the
men shall keep out of saloons while ON duty.
There Is no question between the COM
wages or labor organizations or about any,
thing except the one question, whether the
company Is entitled to keep its gripmen out
of drinking saloons during the hours of
duty. We have no doubt of our duty on
that point. The demand of the committee
was, therefore, refused
Patrick Mulligan, James Goghan, Joseph
Greer, James j. O'Meara and Michael Hunt,
who comprise the committee which will in
future. represent the Amalgamated Asocia-
ton of Street-railwayss<Empl in any
conference with the railroad officials, held
a meeting tonight: a telegram was re-
celVeu from w. IL. mdnOn, president or the
Amalgamated Association of Street-rail-
way Employees, stating he will reach this
city Sunday and attend a meeting of the
committee, to be held tomorrow afternoon.
Mr.. Mulligan said, after the meeting had
concluded, that the first thing to be done
would be to prepare statement for publ
cation denying the truth of that made by
President Vreeand that the nine gripmen
recently discharged from the Metropolitan
Company's employ were discharged for
drunkenness. I'VE can PROVE" Mr. Mulligan
Qai
Superintendent Brown acknowledged that
these men were exceptionally good men,
sober and honest, and that they were not
discharged for drunkenness or incom-
potency, but because they took part in or
ganizing the men here. We shall do nothing
until Mahon arrives. Then we shall, prob
ably, In addition to publishing our denial of
Presidents Vreeland's statement, come to
conclusion to ask him to leave the matter
to arbitration. Should he refuse il is ex-
tremely probable that general strike will
be ordered"