The daily morning journal and courier., 1905-02-14

eighteen months following that date.
 Both claims were denied by the gen.
 eral manager and ar. appeal was taken
 to the first vice-president.
 The firemen's general committee of
 adjustment appeared on June 2S, 1904, before the first vice. president and again
 presented the same claims, MT, Kelly also stating that he had letters from
 former President Hall which would cor lroborate the alleged agreement made by | him. .. The first vice-president before giving
 decision sent for the general commit- l tee of adjustment of the engineers and
 obtained from it the most positive as surances that it always had and would ! in the future take up as advocates the case of any engineer employed by the company who had been disciplined, pro- vided his case was, in it's judgment, a proper one to take up--that is, if it be- lieyed any injustice had been done the engineer, and the case was properly presented to it in writing.
 The engineers general committee of adjustment not only gave these assur-
 ances, but produced evidence to show that it had at that time pending before one of the officers of the company the
 cases of several engineers who did not
 belong to the engineers organization,
 but who were eligible for membership, that it had taken up prior to this ques- 1 ton being raised with the officials. The first president then cornmu- lnicated in. writing with former Presi- dent Hall, setting forth the claims made by the f1remen's committee as to the al- Ieged agreement with him. This letter,
 MT. Kelly said, stated their case exactly
 as claimed. Former President Hall replied, under date of July 2S, 1904, stating that he had in March, 1903, at the urgent request of the firemen, heard an individual case, l3that of Engineer Fox, but in the most emphatic language he denied having
 made any such agreement for the fu- ture or for any other case,
 MT. Kelly was called upon to produce the letters from former President Hall, which he claimed to have, but up to this date has failed to produce them..
 l MT. Parker, at present secretary of the company, who during Judge Halls
 administration was secretary to that officer, and MT Powell, assistant secre-
 tary, examined all of their notes of all conferences held by Judge Hall with the firemen's committee on any subject whatever, and also examined all of President Halls books covering the en- tire period of his administration, and found no such promise, agreement or letters, nor could the firemen's commit tee show any cases where the sfiremen's adjustment committee had been permit ted to take up with the officers of the operating department the case of any engineer, with the exception of one case
 where a subordinate officer, not now in the service of the company, did hear their argument in the case of an en-
 gineer, but was immediately informed by his superior officer that he was in er-
 TOT, and the firemen's committee so mo-
 tified.
 The first vice-president declined to
 make such an agreement with the fire-
 mems committee for the future because
 of the positive assurances given by the
 engineers general committee of adjust
 ment that it had and would take up the
 case of every engineer employed by this company, if it was a proper case, and because of the evidence produced by the. engineers committee that it had done so, and also because it would necessitate the company distinguishing, so far as it's engineers were concerned, between those who belonged to the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, those who be- longed to the Brotherhood of Locomo- tive Bremen and those who were nor-j union men, and would also as claimed by the engineers adjustment commit tee, result in violation, on the part of the company, of it's existing agreement
 with all of it's engineers. S.
 The firemen's adjustment committee
 appealed from the decision of the first president to the president, who, after earnest consideration, confirmed the decision of the general manager and of the first vice-president, pointing out, however, that should the Brother
 hood of Locomotive Firemen at any time have in it's organization a majority of the engineers employed by the conn.,
 pany, undoubtedly this, question would
 settle itself. f
 The firemen then called in MT. Han
 nahan, grand master of the Brother
 hood of Locomotive Bremen, who, with Chairman Kelly, had a conference with
 the president.
 The president, after this conference,
 again went over the subject with ex- ceeding care with the general commit tee of adjustment of the engineers,
 pointing out to that committee the earnestness with which the firemen were making. this request, and asking
 whether the engineers general commit tee of adjustment could possibly see it's
 way clear to assenting to the demands
 of the firemen, thus releasing the con- pany so far as it's agreement with the engineers was concerned, on that par l ticular phase of it,
 The engineers general committee of l adjustment could not see it's way clear
 to assent to, the demands made by the | firenens committee. and the president again, on January 10, 1905, .u advised
 Messrs. Hannahan and Kelly.
 I This was followed at the request of the firemen's committee, by another cons