Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1904-05-09
ACHIk|STS1
POSITION
They Only Want Such
Contracts as t b Or
ders Have-The Com
y, pany's Side.

said:
sof course, it Is understood that the
longer the strike drags along the hard
q ii will be to make q settlement
vith the company. The longer the
settlement Is put OF the wider will
the gulf be between the men and the
oficials, and It Is consequently TO our.
interest that a settlement is brought
about as 10 as possible.
II do not think that the general ID
Outstanding regarding the cause Of the
present strike has yet been made clear
to the public. The company has en-.
deavored to create the impression
that we have no grievances further
than our demands for q closed shop.
They say that We want to take the
road out Of the hands Of the officials
and run It ourselves. II that is the
general impression It is not correct.
IN fact, We do not want q closed shop.
In fact, we do not care what the com.
pany does as regards that matter.
Our grievance Is simply this: We do
not see why the company is willing
to make d contract with the conduc-
tors brakemen, engineers Ifremen,
car workers and all the other trades
and at the same time discriminate
against the machinists union. which is
onesof the most important on the sys-
TEN.
"AIlsof these unions | have just men
toned han ptract with the com.
pany IA WI His stated just what
the men shsIl do and just what they
shall be paid. Heretofore. the machin-
lists, having no such contract, have
had d very vague idea as to the wages
they are being paid and the work that
il required Of them. There has been
no definite understanding between the
men and the company as to what GER
tain classes of mechanics should be
paid. In fact, all machinists have
been governed by the same rules, their
relative abilities not being taken into
consideration. This Is inst what we
are fighting against. We want a con.
tact. 1t Is to our interest thar we
be on good terms with the company
the same as all the other men, but
thar is an impossibility unless the
company will concede to us the same
privileges that have been given TO
the other trades"
The comp1ny'e eide.
Both President Ripley. sepaking for
tie whole system and General Man
ayer Nudge, speaking for The Santa
Fe proper, have stated their reasons
for not being willing to make a con.
tract with the machinists. They In
stance the readiness Of the company
to treat with union men by pointing
70 the contracts with the engineers,
larernen, brakemen and conductors,
but point to q number OF cases OF
trouble with the machinists to justify
their assertion that the officials Of the
machinists union cannot control their
men. The local machinists, they say,
have occasionally INDUCED in strikes
On their own account without any ref
efence to their international union;
they have through their journals
shown hostility to the Santa Fe com
pany, have many times shown q dis.
position to injury company property
and have in other ways shown such
spirit as to determine the company
not to sign any contract. Further
more, the company says. the demands
q the union amount practically to the
closed shop and that the company will
never grant. When the company Is
satisAsd that the m~achinists in spirit
and IN le<xer will live up to q n
tract II W1ll be agreed to.
j. p Martin, stenographer at the
Santa Fe agents ONCE In albuquerque
left Saturday for a visit at Cleveland
Ohio. He will return in about thirty
days.
John Dillon and wife left Albuquer.
que Saturday night for Los Angeles
Were they will in the future reside.
Mr. Dillon was employed in the local
freight department.
Since the Santa Fe has opened its
branch line from Williams, Ariz., to
the edge of Grand Canyon, August,
1902. the travel has increased rapid.
" q that wonderful chasm. The
number Of travellers TO that point since
August, 1900, are listed as follows BY
the Santa Fe: 1900, 9f3. 1901, 2,ssS;
1902, e6os; 1903. 12,7o4.
lie missouri Pacific fast mail haul I