The Springfield herald., 1904-09-02
ATTACKS RAILWAY UNIONS.

recently been issued showing the at
titude of the Western Federation of
Miners toward the railway labor or
and opposed to sympathetic strikes.
President Meyer whote the chiefs OF the
railway labor unions asking that they
refuse to handle cars loaded with ore
or freight destined to the Colorado
City mills, where the western fedora
tion was conducting a strike. The
chiefs of the three great railway Or
ganizations replied that they were op-
posed to the sympathetic strike upon
principle, that it was contrary to the
laws of their organizations and that
they could not comply with Mr.
Moyer's request.
Mr.. Meyers reply in which he BIT
terly attacks the railway labor lead
ers, questioning their honesty, was
published in the official journal of the
Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen.
and also in the official journal Of the
Order of Railway Conductors and
reads as follows:
Denver, Colorado. April 6, 1908.
p. NJ. Arthur, G. C. f.. brotherhood OF
Locomotive Engineers:
My Dear Brother-I received your in
spring letter of March 2Sth, and I
must say that its contents revealed to
me a conservatism in the organization
of which you are the grand chief that
should meet with the laudatory enco-
MUM of every railroad maSnate and
corporation in the United States The
isolation of your organization from ev-
cry other department of labor will
commend Itself to Gould, Hill. Harri-
man. Vanderbilt. and even ]. Pierpont
Morgan could raise no serious objec-
tions to labor organization that
stands alone and refuses to cooperate
with the vassals of oppression who re-
bel against industrial serfdom. You
can present the constitution and by
laws of your organization to the Econ
omic League and Civic Federation. and
the capitalistic members of both organ
izations. with all their mental power
of penetration. Will scarcely detect a
contemplated invasi on upon the divine
right of employers to revel in the un-
bridled license of treating their slaves
in a manner that is most conducive to
profit.
have frequently heard. in the years
gone by. that the railroad corporations
were delighted to furnish you trans
portation without money and without
price" and that even the Pullman Car
Company, that secured federal artil-
lery to slaughter strikers in 1894, felt
honored when you accepted a compli-
mentary to travel in their moving pal
aces.
l have heard that your position as
grand chief engineer of the Brother
hood of Locomotive Engineers has en-
abled you to shine in the real estate
world in the city of Cleveland. Ohio.
and that your rent roll is worth 100000
per annum.
You tell me in your letter that pol
icy of the Brotherhood of Locomotive
Engineers has been when other organ
izations have been engaged in n con-
hict. to remain neutral" Further on in
your letter you say: The members of
the Il. of l.. f. know full well what
they can and can not do and receive
the sanction of the grand chief. or, in
other words. the grand officer of the
Brotherhood" According to that state
ment, your position is 'autocratic as
the crowned head of Russia, whose alb
solute despotism populated Siberia
with men and women who failed to
merit his royal sanction" For years
you have been the commanding figure
in your organization. You have been Il
powerful factor in moulding the legis-
lation that governs your organization.
Have you and the coterie in whose
hands the destiny of the organization
has been placed been responsible for
Drafting constitution and statutory
enactments that lock in prison the
Individuality of the rank and file o1uth
organiza ton? Did you submit fofthe
consideration of your members a con-
stitution that makes you the infalli
Bile paragon whose edict must COM
mand obedience? If the Brotherhood
of Locomotive Engineers transferred
into your hands their collective power
then l must exclaim. in the language
of the Christ: God forgive them. for
they know not what they do
You remain neutral while humanity
is battling for better conditions to
live. as long as the weight of the cor
porate hand is not felt by the members
of your organization. When you and
your organization are involved in n
life-and-death struggle. when the sky
will be black and not star can be
seen by the brotherhood of Locomotive
Engineers, 1 will expect to hear your
resonant voice reverberatins in clarion
tones above the storm and clash of
war. commanding the toiling millions
of America: Hands of, remain neu-
trail"
have received from E. T. Clark
grand conductor of the Order of Rail-
way Conductors of America. an answer
to my letter that is almost a fac -simile
in substance to your epistle. but as
Mr.. Clark has been lately associating
with men of celebrity in Washington as
member of the strike commission, and
the politicians in the Republican
party behold in this model young man
representative of labor worthy of be-
ing rewarded with a federal plum
could not expect to receive much con-
sideration at his hands for the cause of
the Western Federation of Miners.
1 desire to inform you that p. H. Nor
rissey, grand master of the Brother
hood of Railway Trainmen. gave me the
consoling assurance of his sympathy
and 1t was unexpected when / took into
consideration the fact that this gentle
man played n star engagement in tire
scab drama of a late railroad strike in
Colorado