The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1903-09-05

p. M. ARTHUR: -,
After, wears Of vituperative abuse
from that portion of the press that
always caters to the master class
abuse for being tabor agitator,"
"fomenter of strikes" what a pride
it must have been to Grand Chief Ar
thur; Of the Brotherhood of Locomo-
tive Engineers, to have lived: to see the
day when the same press gave him
the credit due. A quarter of century
ago, when Mr.. Arthur and his Broth
| erhood were struggling to obtain rec
ognitfon and justice for the locomotive
engineers of this country, there was
nothing too mean for the capitalistic
press to say of him and his organiza-
| ton. When the Brotherhood, under
his. leadership, gained the goal for
! which they struggled the same CAPT.
| talistic press are loud in their accla-
| nations Of praise. Nothing succeeds
like success!
What source of satisfaction must
it have been for Grand Chief Arthur
| to have lived to witness other organi-.
cations adopting, one by one,> the poll
| which they had condemned. It is not
| long since members of other labor I'M
| ions, that now forbid sympathetic
strikes, condemned and abused him
| for. opposing sympathetic strikes.
| Nothing succeeds like success!
The Brotherhood of Locomotive En-
gineers' official journal gives the fol-
lowing interesting sketch Of Chief Ar
thurs life:
! brother Arthur was born in Pals
ley, Scotland in 1881, and came to this
country when but eleven years old,
and was soon thrown upon his own
| resources. He had had the advantage
Of common school education, but his
needs required that he should become
a wage Garner, and he hired out to a
| farmer when still a young boy, at Sc
a month. but after a time he secured
employment as wiper for the New
York Central road, and having energy
and ambition the officials recognized
that he was worthy of something bet
ter, and he was promoted to fire
man and. his, superior ability and
i strict attention to: every duty soon
drought: -promott ion to, that zof :engi-
| neer, In which capacity he served that
company until he was chosen Grand
Chief.
He became a charter member of
Div. 46, Brotherhood of the footboard.
l.. E. held in Rochester, N. T., June
IL, 1886 took an active part in the de-
i alterations and was named as a men,
Der of the most important committee.
At the regular session held In Boston,
| 1o 4
delegate, taking a leading part in the
deliberations and served on the COM
mittee to consider the advisability Of
establishing journal the first issue
of which appeared in January, 1867.
He attended the Cincinnati conyen-
ton in 1867. In 1868 he was Chief En-
gineer of his division and delegate to
I the. Chicago convention. At this sit
ting he offered the following resolu-
ton, which was in exact line with his
\ continuous effort at character build
ing: 'Resolved, That any brother
guilty of contracting debts Of any ma
ture and then refusing to pay them,
shall be expelled from the Brother
hood"
At the Baltimore convention in 1859
the ballot for First. Grand Engineer
| ~
thur, 49, At this sitting he was elected
Second Grand Assistant Engineer by a
good majority.
At the Nashville session in 1870, his
strong position with the delegates was
shown in: the vote for Grand Chief, he
receiving 40 votes to Chas. Wilson's
so, and for reelection as S. G. A.. E..
he receiving the vote of all but five
| delegates.
He was reelected at Toronto, Can
ada, in 1871, at the st. Louis sitting
| in 1872, and at the following conven-
| ton, Philadelphia, Pa, 1875 by. accla.
nation. Then came what was known
| as the Pan Handle trouble over the re-
duction Of wages, which resulted in {
strike. When the Grand Chief, Chas
Wilson denounced the member:
i through the press for their action
1 which resulted in a called session ii
\ Cleveland, the permanent headquarter'
/ on February Is, 1874, at which SEES
l sion P. M. Arthur was chosen Crane
n Chief Engineer, and he immediatel!
began a vigorous campaign by speech
n personal contact and Christian exam
L. pie to regain the confidence of boil
N the members and the public, AM
Il eventually SuCCeeueu Ill uOiA16 poIA
and held the position continuously u.
NJ to the time Of his death, with grea
honor to himself and profit to the or
, ganization, which has grown into !
= great establishment under his wis
leadership. The nobleness Of his ow
). character is seen. in the law for tn
:, government Of the Brotherhood, as
e is In the character of those who com
n pose it. He never lost an opportunit
d to exert his moral influences constant
k " admonishing the members to liv
a sober, upright lives. 49,:
=, I In 1868, twelve men met at Detroi
N and established the Brotherhood tina
t now reaches from ocean to ocean, an
9. from the lakes to the gulf, standing o
! the found alton of: that good old :rul,
i do unto others as you: would hay