The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1901-08-22
The Southern Strike.

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PRESIDENT SPENCER SETS FORTH POSI-
TON OF SOUTHERN RAILWAY
In Dealing With Striking Machinists
VIII Stand by New Men While Ex-
pressing Sympathy for Former EN-
ployees Who Allowed Themselves to
be Led Into Trouble From Which
the Company Tried to Save Them.
President Spencer. Of the Southern
Railway, makes the snbjoinsd reply
to letter from the Presidents OF the
Young Mems Business League, Cham
ber of Commerce and Merchants Ex-
change, of Charleston, which explains
ITSELF
am today in receipt, through MIR.
Cannon, Of your joint communication
Of the 11th inst, requesting me to
meet committee OF mechanics from
Charleston, presumably to bs selected
from the late employees of this COM
pany at that point.
The question which you present OF
an appointment with a new commit
tee OF the machinists formerly in the
employ Of this company has already
been presented by another friend,
actuated by the same laudable mo-
tives as yourselves, and, in respond
ing to your kind suggestion, cannot
do better than to practically repro
duce what was said to him.
In order to deal with the subject
properly, brief review Of the situa-
tion is necessary.
On May 9th last, a committee OF
machinists, then in the employ of the
company at the several shops, met
Mr.. Cannon, the General Manager,
at bis office in Washington. by sp-
pointment, and presented type
written petition, which had been pre-
viously presented to the master me-
chanics and the uperintendents, ask
ing that the working hours in the
shops be made nine hours per day
with ten hours pay; that certain rules
in respect to overtime be adopted; !;
that prescribed limit be placed upon
the number of apprentices employed,
and that other specified rules and
regulations with regard to the opera
tion of the shops be put in force by
the Company.
After a general discussion of moro
than two hours, the delegation in
formed MIR. Cannon that it had no
authority" to accept anything ex-
cept the provisions Of the petition as
presented. Many of these provisions
were such that they could not reason
ably be acceded to, and the reasons
were stated. Tho petition had not
been drawn by the employees of the
Company, and the questions involved
had never been previously discussed
on their merits between the officers
of the Company and those employees.
1t was drawn by outside parties and
submitted to an ultimatum, the en-
ployees avowing in presenting it that
they had no ''authority" to act out
side of it's terms.
The issue was thus clearly drawn:
should the rates of pay and hours Of
work, the relative number of en-
ployees of special class to be en-
ployed, and other rules and regula-
tions for the Company's shops, be
dictated by an outside authority, or
should the Company control its busi-
ness in these respects? 10 this. Of
course, there could be but one an
swer.
| All subjects of mutual interests arc
| proper ones for discussion and reason
| able ad iustment between the Company
and its employees, but the Company
cannot accept, for the conduct Of its
business in any department, rules and
regulations laid down arbitrarily by
any one.
1t has met its employees, of sii
classes, in fair discussion of any ques-
tion which might reasonably arise be-
tween them. and it was ready in this
case to take up such discussion.
Equitable and satisfactory adjust
ments have on many occasions been
made with the employees, including
the machinists. after such confer
ences.
After the close OF the conference,
and in order that the employees ct
all of the shops should be fully ac-
quainted with all that had transpired.
the proceedings of the meetings
which had been reported stenographi-
cally, were printed and distributed in
pamphlet form as promptly as pos
sible. In the meantime, adrices
were sent to the several master me-
chanics and superintendent that
such report would be sent as soon as
it could be printed. aud shop men
were urged. by circular dated May
28th. to await its receipt and avoid
hasty action. and the assurance was
added that, If after reading the pro-
ceedings they considered another
meeting with the General Manager
desirable, one would be arranged for.
This advice was uhheeded. and.
apparently under instructions from
authority outside of the Company's
service, the men struck on or about
Nav 3Oth, without waiting to receive
the report of the proceedings, aud
| ignoring the invitation for a second
conference.
The Company, desiring still to be-
friend its employees, and portect
them against the unfortunate conse-
| ouences Of the bad advice which they
were following, promptly issued
notices. dated May 31st and June 1st,
which were posted at all OF the shops.
cautioning the men against the un-
| wisdom Of their course, and allowing
them to return to work without pre-
judice on Monday morning, June Srd.
but cautioned them that If they failed
so to do, they could no longer be re-
garded IS employees Of the Company,
and their places would be filled.
This advice and caution WAS also dis
regarded, and, am afraid, was mis-
understood and possibly misconstrued
nv manv