The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1908-04-17
Want Arbitration.


The former employees have been, at
all times, and are still willing, TO sub
init this question or any other differ
ence, 10 arbitration or to any disinter-
ested person Or persons. as might De
agreed upon The refusal TO accede
TO this counter proposition is based
on the TACT, as IL appears to this COM
mlttee. that the company Is Only will
ing TO have in its employ about 80
per cent. OF union men. the total COM
plement when full service is in Oper-
alton being about sixty-eight men
In stating its reason for refusing 10
accede 10 the second counter prOpO-
sllOn, the company very frankly
makes it plain and clear that il must
De LETT free and untrammeled to Sc
Iect men for its employment entirely
irrespective Of whether they be union
men or not, showing that the purpose
OF the company is to destroy the
union, nothing more or less. This is
further borne out by the fact that
while negotiations were pending in
January last as 10 the signing of a
new agreement, the company. at that
me. had TWO carloads of strike-break-
erS waiting in the city of MOntgOm-
cry Tor the purpose of bringing them
to Pensacola in the event the agree
Elent was not signed as proposed by
the company, while the leader of
the Strike-breakers, Mr.. Burr. was in
the city making preparations to break
the strike, if such occurred.
Again, at that time the company
gave as its reason for refusing to in
crease the wage scale that the finan-
Cial panic had reduced its receipts to
such an extent that a concession on
hi 4, -.
today the company is willing to spend
thousands Of dollars and run its cars
at dead loss day after day for the
sole purpose of breaking the union.
Public Interests.
This committee and the local union
believe that they have cons dered the
interests of the public to very great
extent when it is remembered that
not only did the former employees
agree 70 yield the cardinal princi
pies of uniOnism, viz, closed shop.
but at the same time the settlement
of the strike would be of the greatest
benefit to the former employees of the
company, for they are largely men of
family without means of support. and
for these two reasons they have yield
ed to the DEMANDS of the company as
far as they could honorably go While,
on the contrary, II must be clear TO
the PUBLIC that this company, which
IS owned by a fifty million dollar syn
dictate. has considered its own inter
ests at all times, to the exclusion of
the interests OF either the public or
former employees who served it in the
cast for wages which eked out to
them and their families a bare exist
ence.
In view OF all that has TRANSFERRED
IN these negotiations. and the further
tact that public sentiment, as eX-
pressed in the mass meeting of Sun
day afternoon, April 18th, demanded
that the questions involved should be
submitted to arbitration, we feel that
the Pensacola Electric company, be-
ing a publ &c utility corporation, owes
to the pubIic more than does this
committee or the companyis striking
employees We cannot, therefore, con-
scientiOusIy, nor honOrably, go beyond
what we have already done in. our ef-
forts to procure d settlement, and
are forced to return to the original
proposition as outlined in the resolu-
ton adopted by the mass meeting of
Sunday afternoon; in other words, the
strik ng employees are willing to begin
the operation of the cars at any mo-
ment and leave existing differences
to future determination by arbitration.
Thanks for Foster.
We feel that this committee and
the former employees of the Electric
company. as well as the citizens of
Pensacola. owe a debt of gratitude to
Adiutant General J. c. R Foster for
his earnest and untiring efforts to
effect a settlement. and We desire to
hereby express our appreciation OF
his work We also desire to tender
our thanks to Hon. Scott NJ Loftin.
who has been assisting Adjutant Gen
eral Foster in endeavOring TO bring
about settlement for the many val
liable suggestions offered in arrang-
ing details of the negotiations, and
his honest endeavor to adjust the
pending differences
Respectfully submitted.
BEN COMMONS.
Member General Executive Board.
G. c. MCCAIN.
President Division 234.
LOUIS p. HEAD.
Organizer American Federation of
Labor.
THOS. JOHNSON.
President Stevedores Benevolent
Association No. I.
THOS. W. KENT.
President Cotton Screwmen's AssO-
citation.