The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1911-03-09
QUEEN AND CRESCENT FIRE.
MEN RESENT SQUARE DEAL
GIVEN NEGROES.
Seniority Question
Differently Interpreted by railroad
officials and conl shovelers, and
every railroad in the South liable
to be involved.

| CllCllnall, w., Mar. 5.-Ile color
question SO far as firemen on the
Queen and Crescent Route are con-
cerned is likely to create a strike
| that will involve all the railroads
south Of the Ohio River, east Of the
| Mississippi River and West of the
Potomac River before the question
Is settled. Strike ballots will be
submitted to the f1remen all over
the Queen and Crescent system to-
morrow, from Cincinnati to Chatta-
nooga, Tenn, comprising the three
divisions
Late Saturday committee COM
sisting of H. o. Teat, acting Vice
President of the Brotherhood of Lo-
comotive Firemen and Engineers, Of
Peoria, ILL.,; J. l.. Payne, General
tChairma4, Chattanooga; J. l.. Fet-
1terman, Secretary and Treasurer,
fDanville, Ky: ]. II. Lumpkin, Chat
| tanooga, and G. A. Odenwald, Lud-
low, had a conference with Vice
President T. G. Powell, in the lat
ter's office in the ingalls, Building,
at which Interpretation Of Article 8
of the Firemens schedule, signed
July, 1910, was discussed. The
committee and Mr.. Powell had diff
ferent views, and the men served
notice upon MI. Powell that they
would take up the matter with Pres
ident w. w. Finley, head of the
Queen and Crescent and the South
ern Railway, which may also be in
volved in the strike, should it be
called following the strike vote TAX
fen tomorrow.
The Article Involved.
Article 18 reads:
"Firemen will have preference of
work, runs or promotion according
to age in service, experience, merit
and ability being equal; firemen who
have had three and One-haIf (3%)
years In freight service will be con-
sidered eligible for promotion to en-
gineers where otherwise fitted for
such service. 1t is the intention to
provide engineers by promotion
from firemen to such positions so
far as practicable.
'When temporary vacancy oc-
| cars in passenger or preferred
freight runs, 1T will be filled by the
oldest available fireman in service
If the rugular fireman does not re-
| turn In ten 10) days, the oldest
hreman in line of promotion will he
held for and placed on the run.
| When a new run is created or a
permanent vacancy occurs, it will be
bulletined for ten (1O) days. If the
run is refused by the oldest man en-
titled to 1t, he forfetts his right
thereto, retaining his right, how
ever, should another vacancy occur.
| IT a fireman is sick Or away from
the district on which he is employed,
on leave of absence, he will have
the right to make application for
| runs that were bulletined and as
signed during his absence; provided
he makes application for such runs
within three CD days after his re-
| turn to work.
Firemen in yard service will
hold age as between each other un-
I'll placed in road service.
Negroes Not Advanced.
The committee declared that this
article, when properly interpreted,
means that Negro firemen are not
| to be advanced above the position Of
fireman or to have the preferred
runs in the passenger and freight
service, while the company officials
stated at the conference held in
Washington, d. c., last Thursday,
| that they are. President Finley
told the committee that the article
| % n o fnI
that, while he was in sympathy with
the movement to give the white fire.
men the best Of it, he could not do
otherwise than sustain the conten-
| ttons of Vice President Powell. as
be would back up his subordinate
officer.
The men claim that strict in
terpretatjon Of the rule does not
give the Negroes the right to any
thing above the position Of fireman.
lThey point to the fact that the Ne
tgroes are referred to only once in
the wage schedule, one paragraph
Istating that Negro firemen are to
receive 5 per cent less wages than
white hremen. The men also as
sert that the only thing left to
white men, should it be decided that
/ Negroes are to have seniority, would
be "slop" freight runs. It is also
alleged that white fremen cannot
enter the Chattanooga yards, as the
Negro firemen are given the pref
erence, as white men who apply for
positions, according to the men, are
rejected In favor Of Negroes.
None on North End.
No Negro firemen are employed