The Saint Paul globe., 1903-05-23
RAIL WAY CLERKS OF
The TWIN CITIES
DISAGREE
Attempt to Form an Organ
ization That Will Affiliate
With the International
Association Of Railway
Clerks, Is Thus Far a
Failure.

The attempted organization of the
railway clerks of the two cities, en-
ployes of the general offices in Mime
apolis and st. Paul, into a branch of
the International Association of Rail-
way Clerks, is being beset with diff
culties that threaten to wreck the
movement.
At a mass meeting of clerks, held in
Federation hall last night, Organizer
d. w. Richmond, of Chicago and T.
j. Brady, the local president, ANNOUNCE
ed roster Of sixty y-fve names, all Sc
cured since Sunday.
At Bowlby hall, where the Railway
Clerks association, a local organiza-
ton, was in session, the leaders ridi-
culed the movement, and expressed the
opinion that if any overtures for con-
solidatfOn were made they would be
promptly rejected by the association.
To add to the feeling, one of the Of
hcerS Of the association confidently
conveyed the information that the rail-
roads were opposed to the new move
ment, and were attempting to discour-
age 1t by letting out those who showed
any activity. Two, he said, were in
formed by local road last Monday
that they were not wanted. This was
Following the mass meeting Sunday
afternoon at Federation hall, when the
preliminaries for the new organiza-
ton were effected.
''These people have made no ad-
vances to u.s. said A. B. Miller, q
member of the executive committee of
the Railway Clerks association, at
Bowlby hall last night Speaking for
myself, think the new movement will
come to naught. What do we want
with the Federation of Labor? They
want to put US on par with the hod
carriers, 1 guess. This new organiza.
tion is purely a Chicago affair, and is
not recognized as international. 1t
would be of no value whatever to u.s."
The meeting at federation hall was
attended by about seventy-five en-
ployes of the local railway general
offices. and, despite the discouragmg
attitude of the Railway Clerks asso-
citation, considerable enthusiasm was
shown. Membership blanks were dis
tributed and at close President Brady
announced sixty-five signers. AT
meeting to be held Sunday afternoon
the organization will be completed.
According to Organizer D. w. Rich
mond, the new organization, which is
affiliated with and recognized by the
American Federation of Labor, was
created in Chicago about a year ago,
and is now recognized by certain rail-
roads, which have agreed to its scale
of wages and working hours. These
are the Milwaukee, Great Western,
Rock Island, Illinois Central and the
Michigan Central. The claim is made
that an advance of Is per cent in
wages and a nine-hour working day
was secured.
The Railway Clerks association,
which is evidently holding aloof from
the new movement, has been in exist
ence about two years, and has about
400 members. The officers claim the
organization is national in it's scope,
but is not affiliated with the Federation
of Labor or any other national organ
iZation. This association takes in all
branches of the business, but the one
now in course of formation confines
itself solely to the clerks. AS the or
ganizer expressed it last night, I'VE
bar the clerk that has the privilege of
hiring and firing"