The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1908-08-07


Started Sunday Afternoon.
President, j, j. Welsh.
Secrctary-trcasurcr George A. Ken
dali.
Vice presidents, S. l.. Miller, con.
ductOrs G.. J, lIibhcn, engineers; II.
r. Bonner firomon; +. j. McGrane,
tranmcn; Frank Coleman, track de
partmcnt; II, j. Eccles, bridge de-
partmcnt; c, NJ. Wur2bachcr, tclc-
graphcrs; f. w. Kocrbor, lincmen:
John Hinze, machinists Gilbert An
dcrson, car repairers.
At a mass meeting OF railroad en-
ployos in Railroad hall, well attended
and displaying considerable cnthus-
iasm, local division of the Nebraska
State Railway Employees Protective
association was formed Sunday after
noon
The protective association is
political organization of railroad en-
ployes. 1t disclaims any connection
with national politics at this time.
Its interests will center this year in
legislative candidates and candidates
for railway commissioners.
Fair play for the railroads and fair
treatment for the employees Is the
platform of the organization. 1t will
seek to win the voters of the state to
this viewpoint. The Norfolk division
formed Sunday afternoon will meet
twice month to keep in touch with
the situation, the meetings to be held
in railway hall at 2 p. m. on the sec
ond Sunday and at s p. m. on the
fourth Wednesday in each month.
Fremont has a division and di-
vision is to be organized at Chadron.
The Norfolk organization will include
the intermediate territory.
Prominent Railroad Men Here.
Members of the state executive
board who were in Norfolk for the
meeting were l.. c., Macumber of
Omaha, chairman of the e. p. board,
f. II. Croaby of Omaha, chairman of
the c. b. & @. board and p. II. Nor
rison of Fremont, chairman of the
C. & N. w. board. F. NJ. Ryan, chair
man of the executive board. C. ID.
Hopkins, chairman of the C. st. p.
M. & o. board and NJ. J. Roche, sec
rotary of the executive committee,
had been expected here, but were
called to Sioux City to organize di-
vision.
The mass meeting was called to
I,,
p. F. Dolin was elected temporary
chairman, George A. Kendall, tenn
pOrary secretary.
Mr.. Morrison was the first speaker,
explaining the purpose of the organ
iZation. The way for the employees
to protect their interests, he said,
was to direct their vote in the right
direction. 1t was a matter which had
been passed over very lightly but
which was now being brought so fore
IDLY to their attention as to make
some action seem necessary.
The power of the state legislature
and the state railway commission
over the we'll being of the railroads in
general was explained by F. II. Cros-
by of Omaha. He then showed how
the well being of the railroads reacted
upon the employees.
l.. c. Macumber, who is chief con-
ductor of the Order of Railway Con
ductors on the Union Pacific system,
told of the effect of recent legislation
and explained the employees organi-
cation last April.
Among the other railroad men who
spoke were j. ]. Welsh, C. NJ Wurz-
bacher of Tilden, A. B. Lane of
Scribner, ]. McCarty, section fore
man at Tilden, S. l.. Miller, P. F.
Dolin, j. F. McGrane. G. E. Kendall
and F. Coleman.
Purpose of the Organization.
The purpose of the organization, it
was brought out at the meeting was
not to prevent, obstruct or oppose
any legislation demanded by the gen.
eral welfare of the state, but to pre-
vent such so-called anti-railroad legis-
lation as would work against the en-
ployes. 1t was felt that the interests
of the banker, merchant, the manu-
facturer and the farmer were the
same, all tending to the general pros.
perity of all.
The membership of the association,
it was stated already includes over
$1,000 of the $4,000 railroad employees
in Nebraska and that the entire rail
road population would soon be in
cluded.
1t was stated that of the SO,OOO,OOO
people in the United State 100000
of them gain a livelihood through the
agency of transportation companies.
The speakers claimed that in recent
years the interests of these 5000, 900
people have not been given proper
consideration.
INT ShIE IN NnRTH uEppInK