Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1904-05-03

Worlds Fair traffic and tie 1t up al Q
time when the road and It's patrons
would suffer most, Not only would
the road, from financial c~onsidera-
lions, find their demands more diff.
cult to refuse at that time, but the
strikers would more likely be sup
ported by public sentiment. For
public sentiment Is likely TO be gov
erned by selfish considerations, and
Il hundreds OF people In every city
along the line were seriously incon.
yenienced and unable to set OUT for
ST, Louis at their appointed time, they
would chafe under the hardship OF q
prolonged strike and sentiment would
demand that the road grant the de-
mands OF the strikers and let the
s~procession move on" In short, q
strike at such a time would be little
less than q public calamity all along
the Santa Fe route. So the OFF,
Gals did what any Damocles would
who knew that the sword vas hang.
ing over his head-they made every
possible preparation 50 that the
the sword would do them the mini
mum amount Of injury. and then.
when they were good and ready they
quietly compelled the machinlsts to
cut the thread. SO the strike Is on.
the men who had not resigned their
places In order to escape participa.
.tion III the strike, have walked out
and their places are being filled as
General Manager Nudge said about
a month ago that they would be,
by new men regardless Of whether
they are union men or not.
II one can judge Of results at this
early period, the final outcome will
be q complete defeat for the strik.
ers. The ground OF the strike IS
unique In that It is so free from com
plications. II Is admitted that the
men had no especial grievances 50
far as wages were concerned; the
proposition was simply the recogni'
tion Of the union and the adoption Of
d closed shop policy. This princi.
pal point Of contention was embellish-
cd with a long list OF rules and regn.
~latIons which the machinists wished
70 be adopted by the officials, but
the fact remains that the open or
closed shop was the point at issue,
III the Santa Fe had agreed to employ
none but union men on the eastern
half Of the system, there would have
been no strike. II was stated some
weeks ago by Mr.. Nudge that they
would not make any such agreement,
The strike was therefore inevitable
unless tho machinists hal seer ft
to concede the right Of the road 10
employ whom they chose.
II was d question whether the uniol
was 10 manage the shops of the sys'
TEN or whether the duly authorized
l~oificers of the road we're to manage
these shops, II vas a question. also
whether the Santa Fe railroad, one
Of the great systems OF the country
was to subscribe to the doctrine that
every man Is not entitled to life. lib
erty and the pursuit OF happiness
but that In the case Of the m~achinists
only those who belong to the nion
are entitled TO these rights. Fol
the right To engage In his chosen oc,
cupation is the only thing that In
sures to any man. life. liberty and
the pursuit of happiness. And this
right to work IN the Santa Fe shops
the macbinlsts union would deny tc
those who were not members Of theiI
body.
II Is unfortunate that the machin
lists could not have pursued. in theil
relation to the railroad, the eminent
Nv wise and commendable course
which has been characteristic Of th,
brotherhoods Of engineers, flremer
and trainmen. The spirit OF tn
nnionism In these bodies. under tn,
leadership OF such able and conserya
n ~rSS@A