The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-12-23
THE Rise OF Mr.. DOLPHIN.
kansas CITY Starl

tKansas City Starr
Michael Martin Dolphin, the man who
ordered the teIegranhers' strike on the
Santa Fe, is Kansas City lawyer He
and John c. YOcum are partners as Yo-
cum < Dolphin. although Dolphin does
not spend much of has time practicing In
the local courts.
Now that TIE Santa Fe system has de-
ciaFed war on the Order of Railway Tele-
Srdphers and announced that il will rot
ueai Win the organization under its pres
g f management. virtually meaning -
ioh6 as Dolphin is president hi position
mas become one of national interest Dol
1iiIh must tight not alone the Santa Fe
Dut the men within the order who believe
80 Ite ordered the strike without due
.oilSadeTa ton These men will blame him
]. f2e strike shall prove to be failure
Itch seems to be inevitable TIE Dresf-
cent or a labor organization who starts a
| losing strike, if he does it without an alb
/ solute order from the organization. us
uaily runs risk of being depoSed. and in
this case Dolphin seems to have acted
! Win more than usual haste.
MI Dolphin Is easily remembered by
Kansas City people VINO have seen him
because Of his personal appearance. He
IS a tall young man of serious mien and
iynphatlc temperament He is close
shaVen and but for his long black hair
which hangs to his shoulders and is
comDed back from his forehead without
parting, he might pass for a well grOCrned
priest He mas q dark complexion and
MS full, square face never lights with q
smile or darkens with d frown. IN talk
( ing Of the grievances Of the teIegraDheTs
I at topeka today he spoke absolutely
without feeling or passion. and not once
! opened his mouth wide enough TO reveal
neatness IN black brOadclOth Prince Al
/ bert coat, the laDels faced with silk
standing collar. black tie. diamonds in his
! white shirt front and gold sleeve but
/ tons. His address is pleasant, and he
/ talks without reserve.
Born at Scranton Pa. about thirty
u Ill
: His family lived at Emporia for several
| years and young Dolphin learned tele-
graphy and attended the EmT te
normal school.
/ NJ NJ Dolphin was night
/ operator at the Union depot tei.
| ago HIS duties kept him busy DUNG
/ there was nothing to do except keep
! awake and answer any emergency ais,
that might be received. He had about
eight hours of watching without active
work, and time hung heavily on his hands
until he began TO borrow books from
/ John g Yocum.s law office. Mr.. YO-
! cum says Dolphin would spend two or
/ three hours around the Office in the af-
I ternOOn getting ideas a about the practical
/ work OF a law Office, and would, ssudy
/ 70 the bar and became a partner of Mr..
! YOcum.
! But Dolphin kept in touch with the rail-
J way telegrapheTs. He was d ready speak
I er and made speeches from a labor
/ standpoint He managed to work into
/ the Office Of general counsel for the Or
I der OF Railway TeIegra pliers. Practical
/ ~ every station agent and every O-5era-
! tor who works in a railroad telegraph Of
/ fee in the United States and Canada be
/ longs to this order. Away down in Mex
! leo Americans are working a the key as
! telegraphers and belong to the o. r. T
/ Dolphin has for several years been tTaV-
! cling the length and breadth of the cOun-
try. looking after such legal work as the
! order has. The railroads encourage the
/ order, and it has been the practice of the
HrHa Tfesaa Z asaa-
him annual passes. He has a valise full
! Of them, American. Canadian and Mext
can, and be has made use of them indus
triOusly.
| Dolphin played an important part r
settling the Canadian Pacific telegraph
! ers' strike several years ago. or at Ieast
his friends gave him credit for IL. In thai
/ case the operators all over the system
/ were out and the company was una bic &C
/ run tr2-as. In this case the grieH ance
/ was a serious one, and the company mad.
| a compromise. The fact that the strik-
/ ers gained most of the points in cOntro
! VeTSy gave Dolphin a reputation in TIA,
organization. He made the most of q
. and when the president. W. b. Powell oil
/ Wichita, retired to St. Louis in October
of this year Dolphin was elected in his
A month ago he had his first strike
There was trouble on the California enc
OF the santa re system and Dolphin pre-
scented the grievances to Vice PreSiden
Barr. who SAID he would answer at 1
o'clock the next morning DOirhin sen
out On order that unless Barr made con
ceeS-oss by noon the next day the oper
c-tc-- were to leave their KEYS. Mr. Yo
cI.--- says at five minutes before u Mr.
Barr agreed 10 the terms propos ID and ;
took an hour to get the operators. wiz
/ left their keys promptly at noon, back q
work. The strike was a mistake and Dol
os--.: made eli the haste he could to ge
| the men back.
Dolphin ordered the strike on the Gulf
! Colorado x Santa Fe where a grievance
| over schedules Of pay and hours of worl
had been argued between the comUanl
and the operators for weeks. He was rea
| sonably successful in tying up the Texas
erd of the road at the start. but tn
company was rushing men in to take thu
/ places of the strikers when h9sty can
/ Vass OF the men on the Santa Fe Dropel
! was made on the subject of sympathy
! strike. = striker is authority for fhi
| statement that Il comparatively small pc
cent Of the men had expressed theil
( views when the order to strike went 0vel
/ the wire Saturday. Many obeyed. Some
! said because they had not been consulted
/ the order was not legal and did not binC
/ them. Others had been in the service ffv,
/ years ago when a disgruntled operator a
/ Dodge City picked up an order to strik,
| which had been written but not ordered
! sent. and put II on the wires west o.
Dodge City. A grievance committee wa.
| 9. work at the zine and there was nc
| authorized order. Some of these men sait