The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-03-10
ABOUT THE ENGINEERS.
What a Prominent Plant System Of
fetal Says AbOut Their Claims.


A gentleman prominently connected
with the Plant system. speaking to a re-
porter OF the Montgomery Advertiser.
about the recent discharge Of certain Of
its engineers. said.
There seems TO be considerable mis-
apprehension on the part of the public
touching this matter. Some years ago the
savannah, Florida and Western Railway
company entered into a written contract
with its engineers, by which they were
paid stipulated wages per month. and
that, too, virtually, whether they worked
or not. a year ago Col. Bradford Dun
ham was appointed general superintend-
ent Of the several lines of railway cOnsti-
tuting the Plant system, and he, an eX-
perlenced and progressive railroad man,
carrying out the instructions of President
Plant, put all the engineers on a mileage
basis, that IS TO say, each engineer was
paid so much per mile. dggregatng the
number of runs he made per month.
Thus every man stood upon his own
individual merit; and in this way il was
easy for a main line engineer to earn as
much as SIPS per month Some few engi-
neers wanted to return to the old regime
to the ancient order of things. Mr. Ar
thur was notified TO come to Savannah,
and committee composed of certain
members of the brotherhood of Locomo-
tive Engineers, met him there. President
Plant was in New York. Col. Durham
cally unable to undergo the fatigue of
conference with Mr.. Arthur or his COM
Alllltts ana, moreover, II IndnlleSlly would
not nave been a proper thing for him to
have taken that matter in hand in the
absence of the president, whose policy he
was carrying out. Thereupon Mr.. Arthur
wired President Plant TO the effect that
the committee was in Savannah; that they
demanded a renewal of contracts for all
engineers in the employ of the Plant sys-
TEN; and that If this demand was not
acceded to. he would order a strike, and
the engineers in obedience thereto would
have to leave their locomotives at once.
40 lrrnff c-fa Nv Ar-fl1 of1
ing and abetting him i'm his efforts to
force a contract. He tried to precipitate
a clash, and was signally beaten by rea-
son or the superior generalship or Col.
Durham, who comprehended the Situa-
ton al a glance and laid his plans at once
to checkmate him.
Although confined to hia bed by severe
sickness during the whole period covered
by this threatened strike, he never flick
cred, nor faltered, but conducted this
campaign in manner so effective as to
bind to him with hooks of steel the love,
confidence and devotion of the men who
served under him. as well as to win the
admiration and elicit the applause of the
unlocking railroad world. The result was
that the Plant system engineers as
body, declined to follow the advice of Mr..
Arthur and his committee. They were
doing well and knew il. They were sat
isfied and refused to sanction strike;
and thus happily ended what promised to
be a serious conflict between capital and
"The engineers who wanted, nolens vo-
lens, to force a strike, were permitted
to leave the service of the Plant system.
They not only desired, in the first in
stance, to quit themselves, but also to
force the other brotherhood engineers to
go with them. They have been taken at
their word and allowed to depart in peace;
but it is a mistake to suppose that ill
will prompted their discharge. Having
made their selection, it was but fair that
they should abide the consequences of
their own acts.
'In this connection, attention is here
called to the great labor strike in 1894,
ordered by Mr.. Debs and other So
called leaders, extending from Chicago
to Birmingham. During this stormy pc
riod of the country's history, 1t is deserv-
ing of all praise to relate that not a
single man, in any branch Of railroad ser
vice, under the employment of Bradford
Durham, participated in or sympathized
with these labor disturbances. This con-
duct on their part was attributable, in a
large measure, to his wise management
and kind treatment of them. They know
him personally, and are in elbow touch
with him. They are certain of his friend
ship, while his helping hand is always
outstretched in moments of peril or sur
fering to relieve them, and to keep them
in the SAFE sure paths of loyalty, duty,
and right. In this rare power to control
men lies one secret of his greatness as a
railroad magnate. He has a stern look
but an honest heart, as gentle as a wo-
MANS"