The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-09-30
ULTIMATUM OF
The CAR men
ASK THAT CONDUCTORS BE RE.
INsTATED.
If They Are Not the Men Say They
Will Strike Tuesday Morning.
Question Of the Guilt Of the Men
Is to Be Determined by a Commit
tee of Three, but in the Meantime
the Men Want the Discharged
Employees Put Back to Work.

Unless General Manager Silliman, of
the Scranton Railway company today
meets certain demands made upon him
by the street railway employees union.
a general strike will go into effect to-
morrow that will tie up the street
railway service not only Of this city
but of Carbondale also.
The decision to strike was made at
a meeting of the union which began at
o'clock yesterday morning and which
| lasted until nearly 6 o'clock. The vote
declaring a strike for tomorrow morn
Ing, unless certain demands are grant
ed today, was unanimous.
The following statement given out
yesterday from the Office of the COM
pany explains in detail the negotia-
| tions which were carried on between
the executive committee and General
Manager Silliman prior to yesterday
mornings meeting:
CoMPANY's STATEMENT.
| con Monday, September 90, two con-
ductors on the Carbondale division
were discharged. one for failing to
collect and register the fares on his
car and the other for issuing a great
| tl VI II dIiSlfIS lldh tit
| Der of passengers on his car.
"On Wednesday, the executive COM
mttee of the organization of conduc-
| tors and motormen called on Mr.. SILL
man and demanded that proof of the
charges against the men be furnished
to the committee Mr.. Siliman de-
clined TO do this on the ground that it
would not only he unfair to his sources
| Of in forlOat luf that would
this source of information valueless in
the future but he offered to show
| proof of the charges against the men
to a third disinterested party to be
agreed upon and to abide by the de-
cision of that party as to whether the
facts as alleged by him We're sustained
! by reasonable proof.
This the committee declined to do
but agreed to a similar proceeding
| in which there should be three parties,
| one to be named by the committee, one
| to he named by Mr.. Silliman, and a
third to be named by the two so chos-
| en-, and their decision to he binding.
| In case the decision was favorab BILE to
| the case of the men, the Railway COM
pany was to pay the men the amount
| OF money that they would have made
while on their runs from the date of
their discharge. The committee there
upon named their man, but stated that
| he was out of the city at that time and
| the matter would not be attended TO
until after his return on Saturday
night.
"On Friday morning the committee
came to Mr.. Sillimans Office and re-
| pudiated the agreement which they
| had made and notified him that the or
| ganization instructed them to tell that
! the men must be reinstated by Satur-
day night or else satisfactory proof
of the guilt of the discharged men mus.
be shown to the committee. Mr.. Silli-
man Informed the committee that he
! would not agree to either of these
things"
DECIDED TO STRIKE.
The men decided yesterday morning
that they would strike tomorrow
morning unless General Manager Sill
liman agrees to re-instate the dis
| charged conductors at once and sub
NIT the charges preferred against them
to a board of arbitrators, one to be
CHOSEN by the union, one by the COM
pany and the third to be selected by
| these two the conductors to be kent
in their position until the board finally
decides. The men further demand that
at the hearings before the board, both
sides be represented.
One OF the members of the executive
committe was shown the statement
given out by the company last night
and admitted that it was substantially
correct, except so far as the ALLEGED
charges against the men are pointed
| OIlt. He Nnlnptaprai Sto
lining the position of the men in the
| premises.
| THE statement" said he, sis sub
stantially correct, and gives a fair idea
OF the negotiations carried on between
Manager Silliman and the committee.
We submitted the plan Of arbitration
which was finally agreed upon and
we still stand by that plan.
| During the last conference that We
had with Mr. Sillman prior to the
meeting held on Friday morning last
he told us that the man whom the
| company wanted to act as arbitrator
would not be in the city until this COM
ing Wednesday. He would not agree
TO re-instate the discharged men in the
meantime, but insisted that they be
Kept out of work until the arbitration
board arrived at final decision.
INSTRUCTIONS GIVEN.
| When we reported this to the men
| at Friday mornings meeting, they de-
| cided to instruct us to ask Mr.. Silli-
man to either re-instate the men or
submit his proofs of their guilt to us
before Saturday night. lie told us on
! Friday that he would give us an an
swer on Saturday but we couldn't find
him on Saturday at all and were told