The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-05-26

blamed for accepting sucn pOS1IlOnSE 1
IN places along the coast lines
where have talked with the older and
more level headed strikers I find the
against the strike, but in a vein which
leads me to believe that they have no
hope of victory. In Los Angeles seven
of the men have left the field of wait
ing to seek work elsewhere.
Santa Fe Stands Alone.
what is my opinion as to the re-
port that the santa F'e is being assist
ed in its present light by other rail-
roads? 1 think such story entirely
groundless- Railroads are no more in
the habit of standing each others
strike expenses than they are in shar-
ing the cost of wrecks. believe that
the Santa Fe is carrying on its strike
entirely alone and is footing every cent
of its deputy bills and other expendi-
lures out of its own funds.
Not Fighting Unionism.
Neither am I of the opinion that the
company is striking a would-be death
blow at unionism. If this were so it
would include the trainmen, the engi-
neerS, 6remen, and SWttch1nen- These
men are union men to the core and yet
the company has nothing against them
because they are as loyal set of men
as can be found in America When they
have a grievance they send their repre-
sentatives, all level-headed men, to the
company and the matter is adjusted. If
a member of their order errs in his
work the matter is looked into and II
he is at fault there is nothing to do but
for him to take his medicine. If an
investigation proves the company to be
in error it is perfectly willing to take
it's medicine, too
Thinks Strike Without Reason.
LAS for the so-caIled grievance upon
which the machinists struck, 1t was ut
terly without reason II one is TO pc
lieve the statements made in the
pamphlet issued by the Santa he some
time ago in answer to the contract ask
ed for by the machinists, the company
might just as well have decided the
entire system over to the men as grant
them the unreasonablefa vors - which
they demanded.
.'As I stepped off the train at the
Santa Fe depot this morning the Tow
er of Babel which the machintsts have
erected on the south side of Third
street was pointed out to me- Such
utter rot and fOolishness for men OF
good sense to perpetrate. And this
scaffOld is but a fac smile of the en-
tire strike situation. The walkout was
just as nl-advised and out of place as
the building of such a lookout. The
machinists would be scoring a great
deal in their own cause if they would
cover the thing with oil and burn 1t 10
the ground.
keep its shops filled with men capable
of turning out good work is a certain
ty. OF course it Will. take some ntlle
time to get things in running order
and to Segregate the good Workmen
from the punches that are shipped here
from the east. This is but natural, as
I can attest from experience Out OF .
men sent from the east there will be
perhaps five or six who are competent
and steady workmens These are re-
tanned and the rest paid off and dis
charged. This process will be kept up
until a full force is in operation
The Trick Explained.
When asked how it happened that
men wholly unacquainted with the
work required of them ever managed
to be shipped west, Mr. Lape explained:
You see this is brought about by
trick played upon the company S
agents by the men. Bill Brown, who IS
a good mechanic, goes before the agent
and successfully passes the examina-
ton given him. be signs contract
and is given a certificate Brown then
goes outside and gives the slip to Jim
Jones who may be a barber or street
car driver When the date set for de-
parture comes the certificates are gone
over hurriedly and in the shuttle the
inexperienced men slip through and
work the company for free transpOr-
tation to California.
Regarding Dead Engines.
LAS to the condition of the Santa
FEES motive power on the Coast lines,
it is not in sucn a bad shape as some
people would have you believe. The
statement goes forth, for instance,
that there are 35 dead engines at
Needles and 16 at Winslow, and this
is purported to be a clinching argu-
ment that a section of the system is
tied up. Now, although I do not know
positively, I am inclined to believe
that this report is correct. But, if true,
does such a state of affairs block up
great system like the Santa Fe? Ger
tainly not There is not a period of
the year on any railroad wnen there
are not a number Of engines Whlch
need constant attention to keep them
in running order and to prevent them
from dying on the road
Now if I were in charge of a di-
vision in time of strike 1 would allow
these engines to die, shove them onto
a siding and employ what men L mad
in keeping the better class of ma
chimes in repair. And this policy is
one which nearly every railroad would
/ adopt and one which have reason to
believe that the Santa Fe has accept
ed in the present issue. Thus it is
that a large number of dead engines
are reported, which leads the uninitia-
ted to suppose that the strike is work
ing havoc with the company
"And there is another thing that
wish to say" said Mr.. Lape in conclu-
sion, (which is, that San Bernardino
is being permanently and seriously in
iured abroad through its strikes. My
business has carried me about the
country a great deal and know that
the unsettled condition of labor affairs
here and the turmoils resulting from
such is keeping moneyed people from
coming to your city. Investors Will
not place money in a town where re-
turns are not promised, or where there
may be no chance of that money ever
coming back to them. And just so
long as strike troubles shake the cred
it of San Bernardino just so long viii
outside capital refuse to enter it. 1
deeply regret that such should be the
case for despite the fact that this is
no longer my home. / am as much in
terested in San Bernardino as I was
during the years I lived here. The city
mas made a long stride toward ad-
vancement during the past two years