The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-11-15
PROTEST OF THE
LAB0RING MEN
New Factor in the Fight for Rail.
way Rate Regulation.
FEAR REDUCTION OF WAGES
NOTABLE SPEECH BY SENATOR
LONG OF KANSAS.

tAIASHlNGION, Nov. 14.-An earnest
w protest was made to the president
today agaist proposed railroad
freight rate legislation. The protest
was filed by representatives Of the five
great labor organic atoms connected
with railroading-the engineers. fire.
men, conductors. switchmen and train
men. The members of the delegation
which called on the president repre-
scented the several organizations. They
pointed out 10 him that railroad legisld-
tion logically meant the lowering or
rates. This they cOntended will be fol-
lowed by a lesSening of the earning
power OF railroads and consequently by
reduction eventually in the wages or
railroad employees.
The delegation which called on the
president came from twelve different
states and represented all Of the larger
systems of railroads.
Employees Statement.
The statement presented by Mr..
Huntley was as follows:
The railroad employees and those de-
pendent upon them represent upward
of 100000 Of people in this country
and whose earnings approximately
licVe there is no other class of Ameri-
can workmen who present higher
general standard of citizenship than
the railroad employees. and we also
claim that we are entitled 10 fair and
impartial consideration in the framing
or adoption of any national legislation
that threatens our general prosperity.
We take keen and active interest in all
matters that seem 10 cOnduce TO
higher and broader standard of condi-
lions for the workingmen of this cOun-
try and, therefore, IL is not strange
that since the inception OF this move
ment for national legislation upon rail-
road rates all railroad employees have,
from time to time, and in various ways
expressed their convictions. For eX-
ample, the Brotherhood Of Railroad
Trainmen, with a membership OF $4,000
members, at their last annual meeting
in Buffalo last spring, adopted resoiu-
tions of the most emphatic nature
against any reduction in railroad rates
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engi-
neers and the Brotherhood Of LOcOmo-
tive Firemen have expressed similar
views by official utterances. and the
same can be said of the Switchmen's
National association. The order of
Railroad Conductors at their biennial
convention at Portland. Ore, last May,
endorsed resolutions of the same ma
ture.
Million Of Votes.
'The membership Of these organiza-
tions is now a little more than 25O co.,
and there are still behind us another
full 600. 600 of laborers in the railroad
world who would be similarly affected
by any reductions in the earning ca
pacity Of the railroad lines Of this
country, and what impresses US with
more force than any side of the issue is
har no. f1t &c
in particular been selected for this at
tack? Why is the interstate commerce
commission or some similar commits
sion not 10 be clothed with the same
absolute authority to fix the maximum
prices on beef. pork, oil. clothing. but
ter and eggs, etc.-in fact everything
which one has 10 buy every day? II
seems to us that such a step would be
infinitely more reasonable than this
proposed move on railroad rates, be-
cause all of these and other cOmmOdi-
ties have advanced by leaps and
bounds, and by methods which we all
agree would bear investigation, while
the general average of railroad freight
rates has steadily decreased from ,
cents per ton per mile in 1870 down to
three-fourths of ! cent per ton per mile
today. and during the past ten years
the railroad companies have granted
substantial wage concessions to their
employees ana also dlneIlOfdteu ldOOF
conditions.
Limit Reached.
THAT the railroads of the country
have been enabled TO reduce rates and
at the same time advance wages and
spend large sums in the physical inn
pFOYement Of their properties, is due 10
the reduction or elimination of grades.
curves. etc. double capacities of cars,
immensely increased hauling power of
locomotives and superior character OF
general service rendered, showing in
instances an increase of 200 per cent in
train tonnage. We believe that in this
Increase in earning power and econOm-
ical management the limit has been
reached. Therefore we believe that we
take u fair and Just view OF the stu-
alton when We claim that no national
legislation should be adopted which
shall tend in any degree TO interfere
with or interrupt the present or future
prosperity Of the railroad employees il.
this country"
Concluding Remarks.
In presenting To the president the
foregoing statement. Mr.. Huntley, who
is a conductor on the Lake Shore &