Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1903-03-10
NOT QUESTION Of WAGES.
Wabash Railroad Men State Their
Grievance Is Violation of
Old Schedule.
HOW MEMS PAY is TRIMMED DOWN.
statement Issued by Chairman John
tee of Order of Railway Trninmen
appeal Against Injunction Not
Yet Ready-Work Being Hurried.

St. Louis. March 9.-Far into the
night the attorneys of the trainmen
and firemen were busy at work Friday
night in, the preparation of the petit
ton on which the motion for DISCO
luton of the injunction will be based.
AT nine o'clock Saturday morning,
with corps of stenographers, they
took up the work again, but with all
the energy they are putting forth they
said that they could not definitely
state just when the answer to the in
junction will be completed. The at
torneys have the entire field now and
nothing will be done until they are
ready to file the answer in the United
States district court.
| At the Wabash general offices Pres
ident Ramsey and the roads legal adj
visers are simply waiting for the coun-
The employees are working along as
usual throughout the system. Regard
ing rumor that the other roads will
| join in, should strike be declared,
Vice Grand Master Lee, of the Brother
hood of Trainmen, said: "Talk of 9TH
er roads joining us in strike is all
foolish"
Statement of Grievances.
John Hopkins, chairman general
committee, Order Railway Conductors,
has made statement detailing the
grievances existing on the Wabash
system, as follows:
"The real grievance is not a case Of
wages. A violation of the old schedule
Is one of the causes Of complaint. This
is done by the company putting on
preferred runs with regular crews that
get monthly salary. This cuts the
pay for brakemen from two cents a
mile to about one and one-quarter, con-
ductors from three cents to two cents,
while engineers and firemen receive
the same for working on these trains
as for any other freight train. But
this is not the worst feature of the
arrangement. After the company had
these runs we'll established the man
ayers commenced to pile on the abuses
so fast that one could hardly believe
the orders posted in the bulletin books.
The first of these was that crews on
Detroit and Chicago runs, after run
ming 270 miles, switch out the mer-
chandise and take 1t downtown with
out additional pay. The next was lOt
miles each way, added to the st. Louis
merchandise run, making it 2O2 miles
in the round trip additional with an in
crease of about So per month. This
additional mileage alone would make
a brakeman s6o.eo per month, as it is
a daily run, saying nothing of the
200 miles he had already made.
"The next was the Detroit and Chi
cago crews, after making 27o miles
would wait at pelray until cars are
received and take them downtown
before being relieved.
"But this is the straw that broke
the cameps back. Not satisfied with all
this for nothing. they put two engines
on and make them handle a dead
freight train outside of the high class,
and now they wonder what we are
kicking about. After we work like
slaves all winter in all kinds of wealth.
er, without rest, often for 60 hours
at stretch; we are told we have moth.
ing to complain of.
''In the spring, when navigation
opens up and business drops off, these
preferred crews, with the big engines
and double-headers, can handle about
half of the business, and the rest of us
can eat dried snowballs, or wait until
nice, cold, stormy winter comes around
again, with its sleet and ice on the rpp:
ning-boards on top the cars.
1.-THE Adams injunction even takes
away the right to quit the company's
service, and if made. permanent they
can hold men as bonded slaves. Now,
I, for one, an o. r. C. man, and one who
voted against strike, believe in up
holding the B. of R. 7. and B. Of L. f.
to the last ditch.
(signed) "John Hopkins, Chairman
General Committee, o. R. c."
Another Big Fire At Houshton, Mich.
| Houghton, Mich, March 9.-Anoth.
er disastrous fire, the second within