The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1898-03-19

Marion taiu. was reputiated 10 hinlsSli ana
the executive committee OF the Houston
ILnon last September, Nhen he alleges, the
management ~ the street car company re-
ftrred 10 1t as an Instrument 10 adjust the
strike OF last sumiucr. After some dis
custom the speaker declared, eve az
ceptud the arrangements construction Of
the agreement, and now we want them to
! live uy u the letter 81 it."
Mr.. Mahon then referred to the affidavit
| OF Mr. Barnett He said he had been a
member OF the carpenters union, but sub
sequently withdrew, and, the speaker had
been Informed, In employing carpenters,
painters and mechanics the author OF the
affidavit never exhibited preference 10
union labor.
The principle clause OF the agreement
continued the speaker, rs that union labor
should be employed, and that clause has
been violated times without number by
the management of this company.
our demands are said to be unreason-
able. The republicans told you that this
year prosperity would be in every vale and
hamlet In the land. Its about time some
of that prosperity had come our way. The
men average about s54 per month under
the system the company wants TO continue.
Street labor demands S1.75 a day IN
Houston and the workers don't have TO
wear standing collars uniforms or keep UP
an appearance. The men are also required
now have that deposit from every man
they employed, and upon which we ask
that they pay us interest. Two weeks
salary In the hands Of the men who oper-
ate the rcad! Do you know of business
in Houston that such Is required of its
employees? Why should the men ask 20
cents an hour? They want 10 spend 1t
here in Houston among the business men
while on the other hand the company
wants to send 1t TO ethical Bosting'
The president of this company was In
Houston recently, had made his arrange
ments to remain here a week, but when
he learned that | was here, he transacted
for Boston.
The management tells us that it is
impossible to accede to our demands.
Taking their own figures, during the panic
last summer-or when the yellow fever
scare was ON here-each car the company
run averaged $is.17 earnings day. Take
the 20 cents we ask, and It costs Sc 40
for its operation, leaving sli II ! don't
know what the officials receive in the
shape Of salary, and don't care to estimate
1t. The estimate of $50 per day for the
trainmen's salaries, is liberal enough The
improvements aud extensions they tell You
about are betterments OF the property,
gives them additional revenue. and en-
Dances the value of their lines. Again,
taking the estimate of $50 for trainmen
and $50 per day for other labor leaves the
company, according TO their own figures,
SSi, SOL 20 to pay their interest and sala-
ries Of officials. This Is taking into con-
sideration that the men secure the price
of 20 cents an hour that they are asking
for.
Another phase of the difficulty is that
the company desires to compare the wages
in Houston with that of other cities We
object seriously TO having our wages rated
by the unorsani2ed city labor of this ooun- |
try. The labor here is the same as in the |
North; the men here are Just as good as |
they are elsewhere, and yet on reasonable |
lines, we are willing to 90 10 the company |
and settle the present controversy.
rs nine hours for a days work too |
much7 The great labor organizations OF |
the country shy that eight hours is days !
work and the government OF the United |
States says that eight hours Is enough for |
It's employees 10 labor. Allow a man to
run street car for thirteen or fourteen
hours and he is unfit to do the work-he
is unsafe in a crowded city In deci-
sion in Saginaw, Mich, recently Judges
Snow and Bryan said that a man who ran
car Tor twelve hours was unsafe and that
it was too long for any man to work fol-
lowing this business. A great labor leader
before the New Jersey legislature told the
lawmakers that while he was running
street car and met a boy in the street
playing ball he had TO play ball with him.
a boy rolling "A hoop. he had to roll a hoop
with him, and rate his speed so as to
avoid meeting the youth who sought rec
reation in the highway.
You have no idea what the strain
amounts 10. You must try 1t once to real
lie what motorman has to have on his
mind and contend with. | have been in
formed. and by persons whom ] believe to
be reliable, that If man has an acct
dent in Houston he is laid off at his own
expense until he can secure witnesses TO
vindicate himself as well as the company
This question is of union labor Shall
the union men OF this city be organized?
II we lose this strike we go n notch lower
In the scale, and allowed to continue so,
would SOON find ourselves on the level
With the peon labor OF the Southern re-
public that touches the border of your own
State"
A rousing cheer was sent up by the as
semhy when Mr.. Mahon concluded his
speech, and as the band played the men
marched back 10 the city, in crowd. and