The morning times., 1896-01-27

Members of the Street Protective Rail
way Union are looking with great suspicion
| and disfavor on the scheme inaugura ted
by President Phillips of the Metropolitan
liue 10 establish beneficial association,
the Officers of which are TO be members OF
the railway line.
1t is Known TO President Phillips that
the Street Railway Union has n depart
| ment, which at a very moderate cost,
| takes care of the sick of the uGiun, and the
| men have now come TO see that the scheme
| OF Mr.. Phillips is nothing more or less than
| an effort TO disrupt that organiZati ton.
President Phillips more than a year ago
attempted To cut down the wages of the
Metropolitan line II 1-2 per cent, but
| this design was effectually checked by
| the strike which the men carried through
successfully. They are. therefore, some
| what doubtful of the real motive behind
ihe present movement OF the company for
| the good OF tie bodies and souls of the
| workiBgmeD.
| PROMOTING THE SCHEME.
| A good deal of promotion of this scheme
has been going on. and last Saturday
| was quite a busy one with the missionaries
| ron the F street and Ninth street lines.
| Some of these promoters are credited with
being soreheads, who have been disap-
| pointed in their ambitions in the union
and some are those who have for personal
reasons Withdrawn from active partici-
| patinn with the union.
On the Ninth street line it is believed
| that quite a number have sigpificd their
| intention TO Join, but there has been but
little su ccess on the F street road. 1t Is
claimed by the company that a large num-
Der of The men have asked for this new
| organization.
Most of these questions were discussed
on Saturday at the hail OF the union, on
Eighth street. There 1t was regarded as
an underhand stab at the nnion. The
hostility of Mr.. Phillips to the union, they
say, has been demonstrated to the men.
Notwithstanding his many assurances to
the contrary.
NEW MEN MUST NOT JOIN.
They say now that new men must be
certified 10 by two responsible business
men of the city with a pledge that they
viii not join The union. How far this
scheme is successful may be known from
the fact that a good deal of the talk is
being done by men who have Joined the
union, Notwithstanding this attempt of
President Phillips and the business men"
indorsers to keep them out. There is also
feeling among the men that Supt.
Coleman is urging Mr.. Phillips 10 this
and is responsible for other movements in
imical To the interests of the drivers and
conductors. Some of the men who have
signed the new scheme are secret members
of the Railway Union.
The new company proposes to have the
men pay twenty-five cents week toward
the accumulation of a fund for sick beDe-
fits, deathk benefits to be special assess
ments. A member of the union department
OF relief said that in the union the men are
only expected to pay half of that amount
and that the same result is secured.
The union has other functions besides the
mere assessment OF sick and death bene-
fits. The organization is one OF educa-
ton and mutual Improvement and IL is
the exception where one OF The members
will not admit that the union has done a
very great deal for the men in these re-
spects.
BIG JOB BEFORE HIM.
There are five hundred men in the union,
including the secret members, so that it
will he a hard and difficult undertaking to
break it up. The real suggestion of the
beneficial scheme is the one In operation
on the Washington and Georgetown Rail-
road Company.
II is surrosrd that the reason the WASH
ington and Georgetown men do not largely
belong to the union is by reason of their
beneficial association. This association
il should be remarked was in operation be-
fore the establishment of the union.
The loyalty of the men to each ether on
the Metropolitan line is cxenIplified in the
case OF the swing men on the Connecticut
avenue road. They were formerly only
able to make S1.co a day, but tie regular
drivers made an arrangement by giving
them an additional trip, by which they |
now make 81 40 a day.
The disposition OF the members of the
union generally is to stick together so
that it Will he a long time before the new
banking scheme OF Mr.. Phillips is realized.
He is hard at work, however, but his diff |
ficulties will be enhanced according as |
the men find out the real intention of the |