Omaha daily bee., 1909-09-20

1 llll u QUIZ nave considerable weight
with the council. And ] am sure the com
mittee will agree with me that We would
be glad to do that at any time"
MT Gillian; I'm some. cities reduction
OF fare has not reduced the income OF
lhe mpa there has been more riding
done and the income WAS increased, OF
course. do not know that it would result
Mr.. Linahan: Naturally, Mr.. wattles.
we would oppose such a movement on
ne part Of the city council as that. Yet
barrassing position TO go and defend the
rights OF the company In that respect and
use our Influence with our fellow work
men that are In the city council at the
present time, owing to the view that you
take or the trade union movement.
You say that you have not seen any
There are very few cities in the country,
as you know, today, of any Importance.
that are not organized, and the workers
certainly must realize that these organ-
~lzations are beneficial TO them or they
would not be kept Up as they are; and
away down in the bottom of your heart,
ton is a benefit to the workman; and
YOU know that an appeal from an in
diVidual working for a corporation-no mat
ter how m you may bean ap-
peal made 70 you under the same con
ditions from a single individual. would not
nave the same force with you as would
an appeal or representations coming from
an organized body represented by a com
mtttee of leVel-headed. weIl-balanced men.
You agree. with me in that. You agree
with me that YOU would not take notice
and say, as an Individual: Mr.. Wattles,
the street car boys are not paid enough
Il am. not coming here on my own hook
today. am not talking to- YOU simply
because | wan to talk to you. am talk
Ing to you, sir, because ! was selected
from your employees to tell you the situa-
ton, and / know that what say to
you has more weight and bearing with
you than II came up here to speak to
you as an Individual.
Nov ! hope thai you will not take too
p~esslmistic a view of this affair because
is so serious and it viii only throw us
into a position where we cannot straiEhten
II out with the men no matter how we
talk to them when w go back TO make
our report. We may SO back with all
the determination in the world to say to
the men. have patience and hold back a
little while and Mr.. Wattles will do every
thing in his power for us that he possibly
can do. But they will say we instructed
you to bring back to us a business propo-
sition and to deal with this company along
trade union lines, along the lines OF the
mated Association Of Street and Electrical
Railway Employees OF America. That ia
what they will say to us, And n we do
not do our duty they will turn us to one
side and they will appoint another com
mittee, or they will probably order a strike
and go out in the street.
Il am stating the TRUTH am telling the
truth when ] say speak the truth and
speak from the very bottom OF by heart,
and am telling the honest truth lust as II ID
prssented to me-that this will be theii
response when we go back 10 them and
tell them what you have aid-the kind
words you have said. We may state all oil
them Just as you have stated them. Bui
say now that know-I feel that I know
the temper of the men, and we cannot keeT
them within our control with the promise:
that you have made, without YOU are will
ing TO arbitrate or get down to some bpe
cific means whereby they viii know in
future under what conditions they ar,
working. And that is the reason that W,
are appealing to you. ! am telling thu
uation, and | do assure you that Il Is mos
serious; and " there is anything that yol
can give to us in writing that you thinl
would satisfy the employees OF this com
pany, with your signature to il, / wish this
YOU would consider II and take Il up an,
have II prepared so that we may present !
that this committee misrepresented YOU
Views or your IDEAS, and you cannot sa.
that some Of them were radicals. wer
hotheads and misunderstood and miscon
strued your words, Because ! know thes
gentlemen well and / know there Is no
one OF them will misconstrue your words
but he will tell the truth. the whole trutI
and nothing but the truth: and so far a
we have gone in this wage scale and th
other questions that we have touched upor
l believe II we go back and relate the sIt
uston, that we may bring upon ourselve
troubles that we will have an awful tim
TO ~untangle; and q stitch IN time save
nine. as the old woman said. There
nothing like coming out fair and plain an
telllng you the exact situation. and prof.
ably you will reconsider and give us some
thing in writing hat will satisfy the en-
+ ployes Of your company
: MT; Wattles; Nov Mr.. .Linshsn an
( gentlemen: l have tried TO show YOU tins
} my heart Is in the right place. that I al
open to receive employees al any time tina
{ tley nave grievances. to consider them.
F., give a hearing 20 our men at all times an
4 TO correct grievances that may exist. Thl
+ - the position ] take. When you come
z me ana ask me to violate my word #,
e honor and TO go back on agreements tbs
i rave made with men that I respect iuI
: as highly as I do you, you are asking m
souAethlhs -lhal YOU may cut my arm o.
0 out you never can get me TO grant.
e NOW, l am not a timid man either.
e VIII do exactly what Is Just and fair:
the same time ! will be firm In what
u know Is right. These men, IL they uu
the service Of this company and 20 M
on a strike have got to appeal 10 this con
munity FOR the justice OF their cause.
1 theN cannot appeal TO the community 2,
me justice OF their cause and be sustain,
by the great bulk Of our people they ha,
e lost before they started. That is a,
n thlhg lhey want to think Of. and think
d u seriously. Because. / have said befor
y ana repeat II now, that while / am Eoir
n TO be absolutely fair and lust 10 svs,
union man in the employ OF this compsr
d and protect him in his rights and See M
ne y not disseminated against In any wa
Is Al me same time am going 20 be equal
faiF 10 the other side; and IN the uni,
men In our employ do call a strike und
Il thQse conditions that ( know exist ar
thal | I'M positive that this commun
n VIII say exists when they see the eviden
N before them, ] say 10 Tie union men.
II they quit the employ Of this compan
there never Pnl he another union man 81
"a ployed by This company. Now YOU mn
think thai is idle talk. men. NOBODY y,
40 Iegrel 4 strike worse Than l. And dor
think that / am sitting here with n