The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-06-01
AMONG RAILROAD men.
Chief Arthur of the B. of L. E.
in Denver.
Given a Reception By Wives of
Engineers.
Chief Arthur Gives the Order Some
Advice on Sticking Together
His Temperance Viewa

Denver, June Grand Chief Arthur
of the Brotherhood of Locomotive En-
gineers was rendered a reception at
Myrtle hall, Thirty-eig avenue and
Franklin street, yesterday afternoon
by the local engineers and their fami-
lies. 1t was chiefly a social function,
given for the purpose of permitting the
wives of the engineers to meet the
chief
Mrs. Pollard who was invited to
speak, said that she was proud that
her son was a brotherhood man, al
though there was a time when she did
not think so highly of the vocation of
railrOading. I remember some years
ago." she said, when living near
railroad, if there was any unusual
noise, the neighbOrs would say: o, it's
just some of those drunken railroad
men, Thank God, you hear such re-
marks no longer. Now the railroad
men are noted for their sobriety. This
is largely due to the efforts of your
chief, one of the founders of this bro
therhood, who has grown gray in your
service. He was instrumental in lay
ing the foundation stones of the order,
the basic principles of which, L see by
your charter, are sObriety, truth and
morality and the greatest of these is
sObriety, for without sObriety how
could there either be truth or morality?
It is one thing to use the words, but
he has lived them, and we mothers and
wives of railroad men owe him a great
debt of gratitude
Toward the close Of the meeting Chief
Arthur arose and said: 4 had not in
tended this afternoon to scold you be-
fore your wives, because there is to be
a meeting tonight when 1 am to have
my say, and I shall have plenty to say
to YOU but since some of the brothers
have touched on this matter of attend
ance I wish to emphasize their words
You will find some engineers who think
that the brotherhood is a useless eX-
Dense. Let me tell you that when this
orga nizatio was started the regulation
wages of engineers were $50 a month,
hremen $50, brakemen $25 and passen-
ger conductors $50.
Just before its organization a few OF
US on the railroad where I was employ
ed drew UP a petition to the officials,
cOuched in respectful language, ASKING
for higher wages. What do you sup
pose it amounted to? The petition was
torn uD ard thrown in the waste bask-
ct and all the men who signed it were
discharged.
when we organized we did not
bother with a petition. We sent
committee, composed of live men, to
see the general manager, asking an in
crease of 50 cents a day for engineers
and a prOpOrtiOnate increase for hre-
men. From 1863 to 1869 we secured an
increase of 80 per day and a proper
tiOnate increase for fremen. We have
never ignored our fremen, but when
ever we asked anything IOr ourselves
we asked it for them, too. Now we
have contracts with so per cent of the
railroads of the United States, and our
order has Won the respect of the rail-
road officials, for we have rendered
them a. service, while looking after our
own interests, by furnishing better
class Of men.
L have been charged with trying to
hold up an aristocracy of labor. Well.
I have,if giving advice to men to avoid
drinking saloons and gambling houses
and by trying to elevate the moral
character of the order is building up an
aristocracy of labor This order has
been the means of saving many
brother, who, but for it, would have
gone to a, drunkards grave. We have
tried to set a. good example for those
who come after, and with all our faults
we are proud of our record. We have
people; the others we care nothing for