Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1907-01-31
a LETTER WHICH
EXPLAINS ITSELF

Eiucncld W. Va, Jan. 81, 1907.
Editor Daily Leader
take the liberty TO address you
hy letter Regarding the article APP
near.rE i'm The Daily Telegraph cop
led from the Columbus. Ohio. State
Journal under the heading OF order
for strike was not Obcyed. for the
reason that the article is mislead-
ing from start to finish, for the fol-
lowing reasons.
First Grand Master did not order
"a strike ON the y. & w. effective
january 2N. 1907.
Second, The name Of the Organ
Harou is not brotherhood Of Loco
motive Fir"mcn and Engineers. but
brotherhood Of Locomotive Fircmcn
and ENGINEMEN. Notice the diff
ference
Third The -. of l.. + & r. do not
ask tro officials of the y. e w Rail
way o~ amy other railroad to rccog-
We their organization i'm preference
'o tro 70 of-.. e. but they do ask
.hc rieht 10 place mcmber's case
pr grievance before the proper Of
G.fa's of the railroads. be he an
engineer or fireman, for the re; IN
.haf the B OF l.. T. & T.. have a very
large number Of members who have
been promoted to engineers and II
is mo- more than fair and just that
these engineers should retain their
membership i'm the b. of l.. T.. & T..
usomuch as this organization took
'ara OF them while they were firing.
before their promotion. when the b
Of J.. r. would not admit them to
membership in their organization.
Therefore any man who withdraws
rom the 3. of L. f. & E.. an organ
zatiou that gave them and their
antilles the protection OF from
$500 TO $4,000 for several years.
md Joins a supposed Labor Organi-
aiou that openly boasts that their
d"mbers filled the places of the
uiNing Fircmcn on the Southern
ac.hc. is not i'm my opinion a Union
)rsauisution, but on the contrary.
strike breaking organization-and
oorling 10 the views of your hum
De- writer, instead of this strike of
1n same being a death blow to the
% of J.. =. q e. It will be the
.ath blow TO the one-man organi-
-iou. tho b. of l.. Il. and my rea-
ou for calling the b. of l.. +. a one
uan organization is owing to the
act that chief Engineer L. S. Stone.
'i Cleveland, Ohio says that a man
who is member OF the b. of L. f.
5 D. or any other Labor Organiza-
ion must first drop the same before
they can become a member of the
y. OF l.. +.
However If this same Mr.. Stone
would leave the question to a refer
'ndum vote he would learn to his
regret that 70 per cent OF the
membership of the b. of l.. r. would
ote to allow the members thereof
% hold membership in both organi-
toDs And again. | desire to say
hat it is not a question Of having
an railroad look more favorably
ruou the p OF l.. f. & f. than upon
Doe - of /. z. But the right Of the
of l.. T.. & r. to place members
sa before the proper officials OF
the railroad be he a fireman or en-
siuaman. so long as he is a mem
.ar ana i'm good standing, and the
.u'v reason that Mr.. stone is object
Mss 70 this agreement is that If the
railroads do recognize the b. of /.
d. D.. both as frpmen and engine
men, then the members Of the B. Of
r. 6 p will have no reason what
YER for Withdrawing from the b.
of D.. F.. d r and joining the y. of
t. H.. for the simple reason that
'ha cost ~ membership in the B. of
T.. d. g. p. is considerably less and
.r benefits much greater than I'm
no D. of j.. r.
TRUST YOU will kindly publish this
rue statement OF the situation as #
now exists between these two organ
.lat0us
Fra'arnally Yours.
PROF MAXWELL ARLINGTON.
lecturer ON Labor Questions