El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-09-30
LINK AND PIN.
WAR on RAILROADS

WAR on RAILROADS
Southern Pacific Engineers Strong
ly Resent the Attacks on Their
Road, as Being Personally Dam.
aging.
The following letter and circular re,
ceived from Secretary Carter of the
general committee of adjustment ex'
plain themselves:
AID. Ell Paso:-Whu you please give space In
your paper for the Enclosed resolutions and
solise yours truly c.prr.
Sec. 6. @. of A.
San Francisco. Calf.
Hail of the general committee Of ad-
justment OF the brotherhood OF locomo-
tive engineers. SAN FRANCISCO,
CAL. September q, lS99.-To mem
bers of the B. of L. E. viz.-Sub-
division I61, San Francisco, Cal; 53l,
Algiers, La;27 Portland, Oregon; 5,
Los Angeles, Cal; 1877, San Antonio,
Texas: So, Ogten, Utah; %, Tucson,
Arizona; 1872, Ell Paso, Texas; 158,
Wadsworth, Nevada: 476, Roseburg,
Oregon; AIS, Rocklin, Cal 366. Hous-
ton, Texas; 1925, Bakersfield, Cal; 425,
Dunsmuir, Cal; ITO, Sacramento, CAL;
and 2S3, Oakland, Cal.-Greesing:
From various points within the jur-
isdiction of this committee has come
to it complaints of the Injury to the
membership in general, caused by the
unfairness of q portion of b daily
press OF San Francisco, Cal, in report
ing anything in the nature of IN &C
cident on the lines of b Southern
Pacific railroad: and the subject hav-
ing been carefully discussed and con-
L. -~~@-4
committee OF ad justment to deserve
your serious consideration.
While as a body the locomotive en-
gineers employed on the Southern Pa
oific compare more than favOraoly with
those of aoy other system, wherever 1t
may be land the same we think 8 be
said, class for class, of our associates in
the service-the Eremen, the conduc-
tors, the brakemen, the switchmen,
the operators, dispa.chers, and track
men, and while the truth of any charge
that life or property is less safe in the
hands of the Southern Pacific employees
than in those of other systems q be
safely challenged, yet b happening of
any incident on Southern Pacific lines,
great or small, is made the occasion for
black head lines, and among other
prejudiclal statements the impression
is given, either by express assertion or
direct implication, that trains on S. P.
lines are habitually manned by in
competent employees, b recklessly
and brutality disregard the safety of
lives and property.
Your duties require at all times the
highest degree of vigilance and mental
effort, and few realize the countless
times in the life of a locomotive engin-
Ger when slightest lapse on his part
would result in wreck and disaster, and
to your credit as a body be It noted
that those lapses are very few. The
best will sometimes make mistakes.
and when q man has safely hauled bis
trains from year to years. lifetime al
most, perhaps, as many OF you have
without one single blot upon his record,
scarce one single error to min charged,
il he at last should one time fail, it is
unmeasured wrong to put the brand of
incompetency upon him, based upon
such one error, and clamOr for his dis
missal.
1t is said OF the captain VINO recently |
put the liner "Paris'' ashore pon the
English coast that he had made pre-
viously five hundred trips across the |
Atlantic without n single mishap:
and yet his error was at last from sim
ply reading 1870 o'clock as $50 in an
entry upon the chart. Why his mind
failed in it's usual vigilance on hat one
occasion when so many million times |
before it had been true, Is one of the |
that cannot be solved.
The unfairness named tends to cause
discharge of engineers for slight lap
or Tor single lapse or error after
long and capable service, by reason Of
the criticism which prompts it, incit-
leg n management to leave no pos
sible ground for such criticism. as has
been realized on more than n Occa-
siou within your knowledge by your
committees who ave interceded in be-
half of engineers thus discharged.
We do not care to inquire into the
political or o~therwise) which
prompt the present policy OF that por-
lion OF the press of which we speak,
embers, who have spent perhaps
years in their calling, and have there
handled millions of dollars worth of
property, and millions of lives almost,
mishap. are caused to be die
for some small error, when
punishment would be less
evere. self-protection requires that
use your Influence to lessen such
upon you; aud If they continue
here is no eason why you should not
Withdraw your patronage OF
very description from such portion of
he press, as we'll as explain to those
With whom you associate, n with
you have business dealings
nth your respective localities, the in !
ury which you as a class a class suffer I
vhen such publications are encourage l
ID, and we strongly recommend that {
-ou adopt sue course. q
Your fraternally, E
JOHN H. LANDON, Chairman, Z
s VI. CARTER, Secretary, G
G.. G. of A. B. L. E.. q
IN this connection the following G
rticle contributed to the HERALD by {