The Topeka state journal., 1904-05-23

/ SpGCA4eQ IN the contract VIII De IN
accordance with this plan, but the
rates must be placed within the limits
| named in contract, if the men are
competent to do the class of work
| they represent.
It is a well known fact that a great
many men who were in the employ
OF the company run machines that the
company class in second and third
class work. These men have homes
and families. and the rate of pay they
were getting was none too much for
| them to maintain respectable living,
and they realized if the company was
successful in adopting the proposed
new schedule they would be cut down
as Mandy men, and have their wages
| cut with it. Another trouble was
/ that their treatment in the shops was
not the best. An application for work
required a physical examination and
an examination of their personal rec
ord, which was nothing more or less
| than what we term black list" We
! believe If a man is steady, sober and
a good mechanic, it is sufficient for
him to be employed as machinist
has the right to go into a mans per
sonaI affairs, when he is only to do
the work of an ordinary machinist.
Unjust to Apprentices.
Another grievance we had was this:
| Apprentice boys were never paid over
S1-75 in their fourth year and had Is
cents per day of that kept back or
about $40 for their term of apprentice
ship ANY little grievance thai might
come up they could be discharged and
their back pay retained. No other road
does this In addition to this, they have
more apprentices in the shops than can
successfully learn the trade. We want
LED some kind of a contract that would
give US a little freedom, and equal
rights with other employees.
Before the strike was ever called the
company was sending agents all over
! the country with contracts to employ
men TO take our places. The second
section of this contract reads:
1t is understood that the applicant
IS to and shall remain at work at least
| so consecutive working days after ar
| rival at such point"
Another section reads:
1T is understood that the applicant
is to take the place of men on strike
on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe
/ railway system or railroads to which
send them
These contracts were sent all over the
! country before any strike was ever or
dered, and if there had been-ne strike
1t would have been a lockout for many
SHOPS on the system, for in many shops
on the system the company had men at
work of this class and type before the
general strike was called.
$S,OOO,OOO to Fight.
The company has tried to make the
public believe we had no grievance, but
We're asking for an increase in pay.
While we admit that we deserve more
money, still we were not asking for
any, but only wanted to retain what we
were getting. Over two thirds of the
men under the new contract would be
/ getting SecOnd-class pay; one-half of
the rest would be getting third-class.
/ From the standpoint of finance I want
/ to call the publics attention to the fact
/ that unless railway employees get some
1 thing for their work they will have
nothing to spend for the necessaries Of
/ Ire, consequently the public will suffer
| in the long run, and the railway sys-
| tenn will only be putting a few more
million dollars in its treasury to fight
men who are only asking for their
rights. They have stated they have
/ IS, 900 900 to carry on this fight against
| the machinists on this system, and to
disorganize or tear down any organi-
cation that might oppose them. This
money will not go into the hands of the
! merchant or business men, but is being
/ paid out to guards and thugs they get
| from different parts of the country to
have spent most of their lives working
| to build up this road and the commun-
ity in general. By their sweat and
| toll they have put this S. 600 900 in the
! hands of the Santa Fe company, only
| to be thrown out of work, and as they
| term it, finally driven off the system
and if necessary out of the country.
Ready to Arbitrate.
The trade union has come to stay and
II the santa Fe company has check on
the United States treasury they will find
/
change the minds of men with their
money influence. We tried every way we
could to get settlement. put two diff
| terent propositions up to the company and
there was nothing in either of the propO-
sltlons we submitted for a settlement that
| IS not at the present time conceded by
| roads that run parallel with the Santa Fe
| system They turned them down fat,
ana SAID they would do nothing but fight
! then went to Chicago and put before
| Mr. Kendricks proposition for arbitra-
J ton. He said he had nothing to arbitrate
| and would not consider it for a minute
This in itself shows his attitude toward
organized labor. 1t is a recognized fact
| we used this method of settling disputes
| between capital and labor throughout the
entire nation. About $50 men, who are
large employees of skilled labor and un-
skilled have petitiOned congress to pass
| tion embodied in it. The bill has been
| introduced in the house and is indorsed
| by a number of thinkers of the present
time who have studied the labor situa-
ton. Civic federation has done much
toward arbitration and advocates II for.
agree. Under the present conditions on
the Santa Fe there certainlv is some dif
ferences between the employer and en-
ploye, and the machinists stand ready to
arbitrate with the Santa Fe company
ROasts Strike Breakers.
In regard to the other employees of the
many have come out already with us
as they fully realize that they are next
to fall under the ban of the Santa Fc
management, that is, if the company is
successful in getting us out of the way
We have done everything we possibly
| could to settle this matter, but throw
up our organization, and that we will
not do. We believe we are right and
are trying to maintain good government
and trying to build up the community
| and get living wages for our work. and
We are not going to be SO easy to subdue
as the Santa Fe people think. If cutting
our salary from to u cents an hour
| is not worth fighting for. then we GER
tainly do not understand labor principles
Besides, we can not afford to work along
! side of a class of men who do nothing
but go around for some corporation rs
! strike breakers, thugs and cut-throats.
1 Some of the men have been put off the
| road before reaching their destination