The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-01-15
TO MEET Mr.. PLANT LATER ON.
CHIEF ARTHUR Returns TO HIS
HOME N ONO.

President Plant Wires That He Can
not Fix a Definite Date for n Con-
ference With the Engineers, hut
He VIII BE Here the Latter Part
of the Month-Chief Arthur VIII
Return on the 18th or 26th-The
situation Among the Engineers-A
Probable Adjustment Of Their DIFF
ferences with the Plant system.
Chief Arthur OF the Brotherhood Of To-
conceive Engineers left for Dis home in
Cleveland, O.. last night He did not sue
coed in securing the naming OF a definite
date by Mr. Plant for "a conference with
The engineers committee, which was the
object Of his visit 10 savannah
A reply was received yesterday 10 Chief
Arthurs telegram to Mr.. Plant. request
ing the naming Of a date Mr. Plant said
that he was unable To iX the date for the
conference just now. but that he would do
so shortly. and that the engineers would
be given sufficient notice Mr.. Arthur did
not express any dissatisfaction at the an
swer made by 9Ir. Plant when seen by
Morning News reporter.
Il shall leave for the north at once"
he said. 4 haye other matters 10 look
after and in fact. my time is pretty well
employed. I expect TO be in Augusta Jan.
p and from there I will come here. as 1
have no doubt the date Of the conference
VIII be named by Mr. Plant by that time"
Jan. q is the date on which General
Manager Scott has agreed 10 give reply
10 the employees committee of the Geor-
gia railroad. as 10 his acceptance or re-
lection OF their proposition TO arbitrate
the difference between the employees and
himself
Mr.. Plant. when in Savannah last week,
stated that he would name a date for the
conference with the engineers in SaNan-
nah about the latter part OF the month
The conference viii probably be held Sum
day. the 25th or Monday. the 9th.
This leaves the difference between the
engineers and the Plant system in statu
quo. There is. little expectation of trou-
bic, though the engineers seem TO be very
firm In the position they have taken. They
believe that in asking for d contract they
are asking nothing more nor less than
that to which they are entitled, and which
IS necessary to protect their interests.
They do not want to strike, though a
strike is among the possibilities. There
is good reason to believe that Mr. Plant
is prepared for trouble should trouble re-
suit, and that he knows where to place
his hands on a sufficient number of men
with which to operate the road should
there be a strike.
IL Is reported among the savannah i lot
ida and Western employees that fifteen
men, not now employed as engineers, have
been sent out over the system during the
last few days TO learn the route An eX-
engineer on the system informed a Morn
ing News reporter yesterday that he had
been offered a position on the road.
1t is bad time for a strike he
SAID. There are too many men idle who
would be ready to take the places of
the strikers Besides the nine engineers
on the system who are not members of the
brotherhood there would be others who
would stand by the company. l under
stand that paper has been circulated
and signed by twenty-five engineers, who
feel personally friendly to Superintendent
Durham, agreeing to stand by the road
an case OF strike A good many engi-
neers are sore on the brotherhood for one
cause and another. Another thing that
viii have to be counted on is that the
American Railway Union men are very
sore on the brotherhood and that Mr..
Plant could very easily import all the
engineers he wanted here from the west.
Mr.. Arthur Is held responsible by the
American Railway Union men for the
failure Of the big strike in Chicago in
1884 because he refused to let the broth
erhood men go into the strike They claim
that but for that they would have won
the victory. They have never had any
love for the brotherhood since"
Another point to be taken into consid-
Grafton in considering strike is that the
brotherhood engineers employed on lines
connected with that on which there is
strike can no longer refuse to handle
cars turned over to them by non-union
engineers. This rule of the brotherhood
has been decided by the supreme court
OF the United States to be unconstitutional
and has been repealed. Mr.. Arthur so
informed a Morning News reporter in a
conversation had with him Monday. The
erect of the rule was far-reaching, as 1t
made il possible for engineers on all con-
meeting lines to cooperate with the
strikers. While this rule was in force
Chief Arthur had the power to tie up
every line which handled freight from a
line on which a strike had been declared.
The effect of the decision of the supreme
court is to greatly weaken the power of
the brotherhood to carry it's point by
striking.