The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-10-17
LABOR'S own ARBITRATOR.
UNIONS REJOICE TH4T T.. T.
UARk Is 1 row MISSIONER.
He Is the Organizer Who Has Tried TO Form
Q Railroad Labor Trust Ia the West
Has In View u General boosting OF
Wages There Under Threat OF \ strike.

Labor agitators and their friends look
upon he selection of Edgar Eek Clark. Grand
Chief OF the Order of Railway Conductors.
IA IA member of the Presidents anthracite
coal commission a. a great victory, for
they regard him a. fully he equal of John
Mitchell himself in organizing labor and
furthering the ends of trades -unonism.
One of the latest exploits OF MIR. Clark
and his organization was an effort To com.
bine the railway men- organizations, COW
ering the roads in large part of the country.
into an organization which should he able
To demand and procure large increase
III the wages ot the conductors.
Ii will be remembered by railway officials
that meeting of representatives of the
Order Of Railway Conductors and Brother
hood Of Railway 1rainmen was held re-
Gently. al which was formed the General
Chairnen's Association, made up OF the
union represents tiV.s Of competing lines
The conductors organizations of thirty
four roads We're represented and the train
mems brotherhood- OF thirty-one roads
According To a letter sent our by Clark
describing ia" meeting and its results
the association was designed to cover
the Illinois Central system ai sys,.Ins
living principally west of it, sout hern lines
and all systems lying principally west OF
Chicago and Duluth. According 10 Clark :
descripl ion, the association did not seek
To usurp the place of the brutherhoods
hut the members of the brot herhoods appar-
emily thought thai was lt- object, for clark
found II Necessary To deny this.
A. matter of faCt, he belief was genera
among members of The OrganiIati ions which
Clark sought Ia unite that II was his inten-
ton 10 lnCrgr all of the OrgauZat ions Of
| train hands, no matter what their makeup
was, into Oh. vast labor union, 81 when
| ne was to be- the head, and which would
| have controlled absolutely the labor ON
the railroads in the territory indicated
| Clark, according to the men who have
| watched his course, hat in view the gradual
| development of The ASSOCIATION until II
| should he in position TO dictate absolutely
| tOthe subordinate orEaniz atoms what course
| they should pursue When ne had IL en-
| tiraly organized according to these men.
| II was his plan Ia demand what he though,
good from the railways, and in case they
| refused his demand, TO paralvze them by
| calling general strike.
| In order 10 bring his about II was neces-
| Sarv 10 have some grievance" in the
| beginning These were found in the fact
| that some of the conductors wanted more
| pay
Changed conditions Of work and employ
| -
| all hands To Join his new organization
| which have come within the last few wears
have led our membership generally TO the
! conviction that higher rates or standards
of pay Tor conductors and trainmen are
| fully justified
| Clark said that when demands were made
| on he railway officials they were met with
| the statement that each road was pawn x
a. much a. its neighbors and competitors.
That is. what Clark sought was TO form an
| organization which should be able to demau d
| and enforce a general raise in wages for
| all train hands throughout the West.
Many of the members of the brot herhood>
| looked with suspicion on Clark They
| knew that he was an organizer who had
| been successful but they feared him, be-
Iieving that he would ruin their organiza-
| ton for the sake of upbuldjng his own
They we're asked to vote by Oct. / on prop
osition to join the association. Whether
| they did or not has not been announced
yet II they did, il is Clarks intention &c
| demand a 20 per cent. increase in the wage
of the conductors and the train hands
| In voting to Join the association and sup.
port Clark in this demand the trainmer
make this pledge
| We do hereby pledge ourselves 10 a Iowa
and earnest support OF them n that enort
TO make in connection herewith
| So Mr.. Clark, arranging for demand
for 20 per cent. increase in the train hands
paw all along the line. on the one hand and
on the other arbitrating the coal strike, i.
likely TO be pretty busy.
CEDAR RAPIDS, la. Oct 10 When Edgar
+. Clark was elected grand c'lief of the order
| of Railway Conductors the order was but
a few years old and weak numerically and
financially II now has on its rolls large
| ma ioritv of the railway conductors of the
| United States. Mexico and Canada, and is
| on secure basis financially.
The most remarkable fact in connection
| with his administration il that in all these
wears not strike of anv character or mag
nitude has occurred in which the CON
ductors were involved directly or indirectly
This fact is attributed 10 The connsels OF
Chief Clark.
He is a Mason Of high degree and an Elk
He has abjured politics. but is Republican
in principles. He has long enjoyed an
| a cnilaintance with Presideni Roosevelt