The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1903-04-30
>lTP ia XIV Az

anchor atiny The condiLiun of it, nr m
bers, and assuring steady emp oymenI
at fair wages the HERALD is in per-
feet sympathy. It's right to make and
lawfully enforce demands to that enc;
is universally recuguiZc.G, as it ought
yond that legitimate limit, ~ d in :
poses restrictions upon employers
which are unreasonable, deman, S
which amount to dictation of general
policies to be pursued in the conduct
of the business of such employers, it
forfeits public apl roval, and strik'
severe blow at its own welfare.
Such seems to be at present the inn
pending cnnditit MS relative to the CON
ducto,s and trainmen of the Great
Northern road in the demands made
upon that company by comm 'lte' s
representing these two Organizhti on.
The original demand made upon the
company was for an increase of twenty
per cent. in the sche duic Of wH9hs #.
fective in 1902. and double pay for
double header trains of thirty cars uI
more-trans drawn by two engines.
This demand for increase for rdnary
train service was subseq uent'y re-
duced to fifteen per cent 70" freight
men and twelve per cent for passenger
men. F.. E. Ward, General Manager
of the road, promptly granted the
wage request as modified, but declined
to cOnside the matter of doubling the
pay of men employed ca donblehead-
ers, setting forth his reasons therefor
very clearly and, to the public, very
cCnviocingly.
1t should be stated, incidentally,
that early in 1892 the Great Northern
road voluntarily increased the wage
scale of it's employees, without solcila-
ton of any kind, to p point higher
than was then paid by any other
trans-continen entail road, aud to this
higher scale the present advance is
conceded by the company.
The only point at issue at present be-
tween the men and the company is the
clause relative to doubled Lenders.
which the company declines to Weld
as it. involves a matter of principe
pertaining to the management of it's
business. AS a matter of fact the
Great Northern road is the only one
of the great coast lines which does not
use double-headers in its ordinary
business, but has expended millions of
dollars in reducing gradients.
strengthening curves and providir g
heavy motor power to the end of ecc-
nom,c transportation. Only in tie
mountain districts - two engines
nsed over short stretches Of steep
oradients-so practically the empo-os
would gain nothing by the concessi /
while the compA"y would surrend, r |
the right to conduct its business as it |
deems fox the best Interests of Itself |
and its patrons. For, if employees may
demand double pay for dOu tie-heaG-
ers, involving no more labor Or their
part than operating train with one
engine. as logical sequence they
may demand double pay for work
with a train hauling more than a Civ
en- number of tons arbitrarily fixed Ivy
themselves.
In short, during the conference, Mr..
G arretson, the chairman of one of the
frankly Stated to Nj.
Ward that the real reason for the d.
nani is to create condition which
will make necessary the employment
of more men to transact given
amount of business. In other words
;he employees demand that the road
shall gain nothing for itself Or it's pat
IONS by its enormous expenditures
n improving the physical condition
Of its property which make it possible
10 maui heavier trains, and consequent
y to transport freight at less cos,
out that this advantage shall accrue
10 the employees without their giving
my extra service therefor--or, that
more rlen than is necessary to do th e
work shall be employed.
1t is the same old contention which
became acute when the steam engine
was first put into service in England,
and which led to labor riots, the mon
that the machine displaced
manual labor. 1t again cropped out
when the Arkwright spinning nit
chimes were introduced, disturbances
and destruction of property followed.
In more recent times when the tyre
machine became operative.
one machine taking the place of
half dozen printers, the same objec-
ton to it was made, although no acts
of lawlessness ensued. And what
were the results in the cases cited?
The steam engine greatly decreased
the cost of manufactured goods to the
consumers, and so stimulated prUduc-
ton that more labor than ever was
required to meet the demand; the
spinning machines created like de-
mand by decreasing cost, and stimu-