Waterbury Democrat., 1903-01-24

' The executive committee or the strikers issued the following statement to-day:
 To-day is the fourteenth day of our strike, and at this mornings usual roll call at 10 o'clock every man reported at his gun. We have had considerable business on our hands since yesterdays statement, but the situation at this | writing has changed but little since | then. -.' Our committee attended confer ence yesterday afternoon at which there were present Mayor Kilduffs City Clerk Ryan, John Dillon of New Ha- ven, and Messrs Horgan, Dennis and Collins, the committee. We under stood the meeting was inspired by MT Dillon, who called upon the mayor to assist him in securing interviews with both parties to the present ditriculty. Mayor Kilduff had no dllnculty in ar ranging meeting with us and later they conferred with Colonel Burpee, representing the trolley company. The result of the conference with us seemed
 
 l that the matter at issue could be fixed up immediately. Mir Dillon generously offered us $500 if we would call the strike off and go back to work at once, | leaving all of the disputed points, in- cluding the discharge of Barrett and Kelly, to arbitration. Our committee thanked AIr Dillon sincerely for nls offer, but stated that we were not look | iY1c for t1an m ox- in hat hot WE would go back to work immediately if he could get all our grievances, includ- 1 ing the discharge of Barrett and Kelly, to public arbitration. Mayor Kilduff and Mir Dillon then called upon Colonel Burpee, and wefare expecting some sort of a proposition from the company in response.
 People are continually telling Us we fail to make strong enough the point 1 that the discharged men were not let go on account of drinking or drunken ness. All we can do is to refer them | to Manager Sewell's public statement | that they were discharged for failure in reporting for duty. We contend that failure to report for duty has not been considered cause for discharge in the past. Here is the company's rule in regard to the matter:
 Article 32. Missing.-If from any cause conductor or motorman shall fail to take his car out Ion time," and has not-previously notified the foreman of the station of his inability to do so, he shall be charged with one miss and shall be suspended for one day; for the second miss, two, days, and so on.'
 People are telling us that we accuse Manager dSewell wrongfully when we state that he has intimated that MT Barrett or the other discharged men were drunk. To that we simply will reproduce the following quotation from his interview to the Republican on Jan- uary 9: If they e(thel mem feel they must have drink or more. why don't they take a day off, spend 30 cents, and go down to Ansonia-get out of the city and away from the public eye. and have their drunk if they have got to?' Wonder if anybody who read that thought otherwise than that the i'm pression was meant to be conveyed that the men were on several days drunk when absent from work. 'We are pleased to note that the Business Mems association will meet next Monday night. We are deeply in- terested in what report their commit tee will submit at that time and what action the body of the association will take on same, s.5.@s..~
 Through an oversight. we failed to send Manager Sewell the proposition to the company as printed in yesterday afternoon's papers. We have sent it to him, care of Colonel Burpee, to-day, however.
 The members of the union will meet at o'clock, as usual.''