The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-03-22
PEN GUARDS May
60 ON A STRIKE
Claim Warden Dow Is Breaking
the Eight hour Law.
THREATEN CHARGES AND SUIT
GOVERNOR GIVES MATTER A
DIFFERENT ASPECT.
THREATEN CHARGESAAD SUI

A"ete Us some dissatisfaction among
the guards 40 the penltentlary arising
from rules promulgated iu connection
with the enforcement of The new eight
hour law. The disseutiou. il is stated.
may possibly result in strike. the
preferring OF charges against Warden
Dow and "a suit in the courts to de-
termlne whether the warden has the
right under the Lass, 90 compel any
OF the guards not on duty Co remain
al the penltentiary over night
The grievances of the guards are
stated tO be ass follows.
Complaints Of the Guards.
Under the provisions of the new law
employees at penal institutions are now
supposed 90 work but eight hours ont
OF tWenty-four. and ass ] understand
DC, The person Iu authority has mo- right
90 further demand The time or gtteu-
ton Of The men under him. But War
den Dow has promulgated am old order
under the new state of affairs. where
by i've men. each day. are compelled
90 remain on the prison reservation
tWenty-four hours. The men consider
this am .niract.ou of the law. The
guards have been given TO understand
Of they do not like the order they can
resign.
THE warden also refuses Co furnish
the guards meals iu the future. as he
has done ip the past That conpels
the men 90 bring their meals with them
when they report for duty.
The dissatisfaction among the men
has reached the point where threats
have been made 90 go out ON "a strike,
and DO is further threatened that if
the men do quit work they viii not
only prefer charges against the war
den, but win bring "a test case I'm the
courts 90 determine whether he has
,he legal right Co compel them to Zee
main ON the reservation after they
have worked their eight hours"
Statement by Governor Wells.
Governor Wells placed Jhe matter On
an entirely different light when ne was
seen last evening.
THAT is the first i have heard about
the guards going out on "a strike" said
the governor 81 had been informed
that one or two OF the men did not
exactly like The new arrangements /
do not believe that the men VIII strike.
i think they are OF a different type
than that But if they want 90 quit.
they can do so. We can easily hn
!. their places in "a very short time
The facts are simply these, The
legislature only appropriated us $1,000
90 meet the extra cost for the two
years. and the prison board requires
$500 90 meet the payrollS for the ed
ditiOnal i've guards which have been
employed to enable us 10 conform with
the eight-hour law. For some time
many of the guards have objected Co
eating their meals az the peuiteu-ary.
he.
and not caring t0 reduce the salaries
of the men. the prison board decided
THAI the best thing 20 do was 90 Try
90 save that amount during the next
two years by not feeding the guards.
or course that cOmpeIs them 20 bring
their meals. III we did not make them
do that. as many prefer 90 do. we
would probably have been compelled
20 reduce wages tO make both ends
meet.
Eight-hour Law Not Broken.
There is no nfracuon of the law
in compelling five of the guards TO
sleep boz the penileuuary over night.
We DO not demand their time OF at
tenuOn twenty-tOuT hours; we ask
them 10 sleep there for twelve hours
after their eIght-hour shift We DO
that TO provide against an emergency.
IL NNAlL Ir lu-lE loI uH I'D nave Out
six guards ON duty at night. with all
those prisoners. What time We
would have summoning the remainder
of the guards iu case of an outbreak
or anything like that
Before 1 signed the bin 1 took pains
20 see that we could demand of the
men that some of them sleep AT the
penitenrary at night We cannot en-
ploy a man more than eight hours
day. except iu cases of emergency.
ass the law provides. 10 IS for
emergency sake that we exact Of
five men that they remain there over
night
The guards are perfectly free to