Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1902-09-20
HUNDRED THOUSAND
men INVOLVED
Confirmation From Chicago Of
Trainmen's Plan to Secure
Higher Wages.
WAGES MOST Q
While Dividends Have Increased Enor-
mousIy, There Has Been No Gen.
eraI Revision of Wages on
Western Roads.

Chicago Sept. 15.-Chicago-Missour
railroad lines are expected to be the
first ones against which pressure will
be brought by their employees for in
creased schedules Of wages. There is
no longer doubt hat employees are
moving to perfect the greatest organ
ization ever made in this or any other
country, and hat it's object is to bring
about cooperation of all the railroad
employees unions, in forcing the COM
pany to grant increased wages.
Utmost care has been taken to pre-
vent exposure of the plans. Such pub
licity as has been given has been main
~ inaccurate and misleading. 1t has
been given out hat the trainmen were
the chief movers, and the engine men
have not been associated with the move
ment. ON high authority II is said
that not only the trainmen but also en-
Sineers. tiremen, switcnmen and shop
men are interested in the contemplated
demand for larger wages, with the
possible alternative of the most gigan-
tic strike ever known in this country.
Immense Number Involved.
A movement backed unitedly by the
employees of the Chicago Missouri
river and Chicago-Twin City lines,
would involve directly, it is estimated,
about 100, 900 men. But in addition there
would be at least as many more thrown
out Of work by the suspension of bust
ness, If that should result. What 1t
would involve indirectly, in suspension
of business, losses to manufacturing,
Jobbing and retail concerns, etc, cannot
even be estimated. Should it reach a
point of a tie-up of the roads in this
territory, 1t would make a greater ca
lamity than the coal strike, and the
greatest In the country's history. The
representatives Of the employees say
further that it would be the most com
plete n effective, for it would not be
undertaken unless they were certain
they could enforce the utmost meas
ures.
But they do not expect to see a strike
or n tie-up. They expect the railroad
companies will grant, If not all de-
mands, at least enough to give a fair
basis for getting together. A strike, 1t
Is said, will result only in case the rail-
road companies refuse TO make any
concessions which the men can con-
slider reasonable. AS the roads all rec
ognize he organizations, and regular
ly negotiate accommodations of differ
ences with them, it is considered en-
tirely improbable that in the present
case there will be departure from the
rule Of many years.
"Hdt the wen want.
The employees urge that their case is
so strong that they will have the pub
lie OF their side from the start. Moth
ing like a complete setting forth OF
their claims has been made thus far. In
substance they say that labor Is now
getting a far less share Of the proceeds
of railroad operation than eVer before
Capital is getting a much larger share.
In a decade there has been no general
revision of ~SChedules Of wages on west
ern roads. In that period the returns
to shareholders have immensely in
creased, while in the same time the
wages of the men have stood still, and
the cost Of living has greatly increased.
This is not all. The men say the CON
ditions OF ~railroading in the west have
greatly changed in this period. Not so
many years ago railroads west Of Chi
cago were very different from lines east.
The western roads had poorer track,
poorer equipment, lighter engines and
cars, hauled smaller loads, made slower
speed, and in general were not to be
compared with eastern lines. Under
those conditions eastern men were paid
much higher wages than western, and
there was no protest.
Nowadays the traveller from the
west notes no change on passing through
Chicago. Western roads are as we'll
equipped, as fast, and as profitable as
those of the east. Their tracks are
doubled, their trains are vestibuled
throughout and Of the finest construc-
ton.
Inequality Is Urged.
Yet the eastern employees, it is
charged, receive much higher wages
than western employees of the same
class and responsibility. The time has
come, employees believe, to equalize
these things. They believe the western
companies will admit the reasonable
ness Of their claims and freely concede
enough to make a settlement posi-
BILE.
Aside from the inequality alleged be-
tween eastern n western wages, it is
claimed that men on western roads
work under such widely different con-
ditions from those of a few years ago,
that they earn more money. On freight
trains for example, the engineer is now
responsible for everything that relates
to the train running. Practically all
cars are equipped with air brakes. At
least enough are to make it possible to
handle trains under air. This means
that the full responsibility Of making
starts n stops is upon the engineer.
Under the old hand brake regime, on
approaching"a town the engineer shut
off steam and whistled for brakes. The
brakemen and conductor, on the rear
end, were responsible, after that, for
stopping the rain. Now, the engineer
stops the train with his air. The fast
schedules and differing conditions pro-
vide other duties for the trainmen.
while the engineer is responsible for
starting, stopping and making time.
Schedules are faster and harder to
make. Engines are heavier and fremen
must shovel more coal than formerly.
In every way the work is more exact
ing, heavier and deserving of better
compensation.
Great Organization Needed.
The railroad men realize that they
"a eel what they believe Is fair
only through high organization. A
strike of all the employees on a single
system would be of little avail. Finan-
cially and otherwise, the systems are
so closely related that other lines would
help the weak road, instead of going
after its business, as they used to do
under such conditions, they would
make cause with 1t against the strikers.
The result would be certain failure.
To oppose the community of interest
system in the finances and manage
lment, it is necessary to organize a great
community Of interest among the work
ers. This, it is said, has been accom-
plished. Instead of fighting a single
road at g. time, a group Of railroads
will be taken at once. A great section
of country will be tied up. Competing
Iipac will he ma hla tp helm the Suffar-