Rocky Ford enterprise., 1904-09-02
ATTACKS RAILWAY UNIONS.

Miners toward the railway labor or
ganizations. which are conservative.
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 1t was contrary to the
laws Of their organizations and that
they could not comply with Mr..
Meyers request.
Mr.. Meyers reply in which he bit
terly attacks the railway labor lead
ers. questioning their honesty. was
published In the ofiicial 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. n. Arthur, q. c. E. brotherhood OF
Locomotive Engineers:
My Dear Brother-I received your in
spring letter OF March :sth. and
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 laudntory enco-
MUM or every railroad masnate and
To-. 81. tFaN The
isolation OF your organization from ev-
cry other department OF labor will
commend itself to Gould. I'm. Harri-
man. Vanderbilt. and even ]. Piorpont
Morgan could raise no serious obsre-
tionS to labor organization that
stands aion. and refuses to cooperate
with the vassais OF oppression who re-
bel against Industrial sarfdom. You
can present tho constitution and by
laws OF your organization TO the Econ
omic League and Civic Federation. and
the cApitaiIstie members OF both organ
iEatlonn. with all their mental power
Of penetration. Will scarcely detect a
Invasion upon tho divin.
right OF employers To rcvci In the un-
bridied license OF treating their slaves
In a manner that il most conducive to
pront.
have frequently heard. In the years
gone by. that tn, railroad corporations
were delighted TO furnish you trans
por;a;ioa without money and withou,
price" and that even tho Pullman Car
Company. that secured federal artii-
iery to slaughter strikers In 1894. felt
honored when you accepted eompii-
montary to travel In their moving pal
aces.
have heard that your position as
grand chief engineer OF tho Brother
hood of Locomotive Engineers has en-
abied you to shine In the real esta,.
world In tho city OF Cleveland. Ohio.
and that your rent roll IL worth 100000
per annum.
You tell mo In your letter that '.poi-
Icy OF tho brotherhood OF Locomotive
has been when other organ
nict. to remain neutral" Further on In
your letter you say: The members OF
the II. OF l. T. know full well wha,
they can and can not do and receive
tho sanction OF the grand chief. or. In
other words. tho grand of'lcur OF the
According TO that state
ment. your position Is as autoeratic as
tho crowned head OF Russia. whose alb
soiutc dcspotism populated Siberia
with men and women who failed to
merit his royal "sanctIou.- For years
you have been tho commanding fiEurc
In your organization. You have been
powerful factor In moulding tho icKis-
intion that governs your organization.
Have you and tho cotcrIc In whose
hands the destiny OF the organization
has been placed been responsible for
drafting a constitution and statutory
enactments that lock in n prison the
OF tho rank and iic OF the
orEanisationT Did you submit for the
OF your members con-
stitution that makes you the infaiii-
bio paragon whose cdict must COM
mand obsdienec7 II the brotherhood
OF Locomotive Engineers Transferred
into your hands their collective power.
then / must cSclaiin. 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
poratc hand IL not felt by tho members
OF your organization. When you and
your organization are involved in a
struggle. when tho Hky
will be black and not star can be
1 will expect to hear your
resonant voice rovorberatins In clarion
tones above the storm and clash OF
war. commanding the toiiinE millions
of America: Hands OFT remain ncu-
tralr'
have received from f. +. 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
Ar. Clark has been lately associRting
with men OF celebrity in Washington as
n member OF tho strike commission. and
as the politicians in the Republican
party behold in this model young man
a representative OF labor worthy OF bo-
Ing rewarded with federal plum. I
could not expect to receive much con-
sideration at his hands for the cause OF
tn. Western Federation OF Miners.
desire to Inform YOU that L. II. Nor
rissey, grand master OF the Brother