The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1913-07-18
Arising from Railroads De-
mand for Arbitration of
Their Grievances
UNION LEADERS
CLAIM BAD FAITH
And Declare They Will Not
Submit to the Prop
osition

New York, July 1s.-Seth Low, presi
dent of the National Civic Federation
came forward again to-day in an en-
deavor to straighten out the tangle aris
ing from the demands OF the 40 eastern
railroads that their grievances be arbi
trated at the same time the wage dis
pute between the roads and their con
duetors and trainmen is being arbitrat
ed. The trainmen's leaders claim thai
the roads are acting in bad faith in pre-
senting the demands at this time. Tn
less there is compromise, the proceed
ings will be deadlocked.
Presidents w. G. Lee and A. B. Gar
retson of the trainmen's and conductors
brotherhoods, respectively, said they
would not agree under any circumstan'
ces to the proposition that the railroads
grievances be arbitrated at the same
time.
The trainmen declare in their letter
that the railroads in insisting upon ar
bitration of their own grievances at thi;
time could have selected no surer way
of driving the men from the service.
The sincerity of the roads is ques'
toned by the employees who point out
that prior to the mediation conference
with the president last Monday no in
timation was given by the roads that
they proposed to air their demands be-
fore the federal arbitration body. The
present attitude OF the roads is char
acterized in the letters as a fragrant
violation of faith"
Copies OF the letter that the trainmen
submitted to the roads last night were
mailed to President Wilson, every mem
ber of the Senate and the House and to
all the conferences at the meeting at
tended by the president.
After giving a resume of the contro-
versy, the letter emphasizes that when
the roads consented to join the White
House conference the only matter of dis
pute pending was the trainmen's wage
demand. in this connection the letter
points out that in practically all exist
ing agreements between roads and men
there is a provision that if either side
desires an amendment or regulation,
30 DAYS notice to the other side is re-
quired. In asking arbitration affecting
several agreements now in force the rail-
roads did not give such notice, the train
men set forth.
The employees said last night that
they will wait only for the Senate's con
frmation Of the presidents appoint
ments before insisting upon conference
forthwith at which they will present
their wage demand. II the roads then
submit their grievances to the federal
board the men, so they declared will de-
cline to sign the arbitration stipulation
and will strike instead.
Mr.. Lee and Mr.. Garretson expressed
satisfaction at the personnel of the me-
dent selected.
The committee representing the train
men and conductors on the Erie road,
which road withdrew from participation
in the arbitration negotiations, after an
nouncing it could not afford to grant
better wages, will meet here to-day.
The question OF calling strike on this
system probably will be deferred until
the outcome of the present deadlock is
known
The attitude of the trainmen and con-
ductors toward the announced purpose
of the eastern railroads to submit for
arbitration under the Newlands amend
ment to the Erdman act "all questions"
in dispute was declared to be that the
roads are honorably bound to dispose of
the employees demand for better wages
and leave to a later time the settlement
OF the roads grievances.
Seth Low, whose med diatory efforts
last week convinced the trainmen's lead
ers of the desirability of joining the
roads in the conference with President
Wilson that resulted in the Newlands
legislation, made known the employees
attitude in a letter sent to the roads
conference committee Of managers. Mr..
Low solicAed an opportunity to appear
personally before the managers that he
might renew his mediatiye efforts with
a view to bringing about an understand
ing as to which questions are to be ar
bitrated under the Erdman act
The roads at once evinced an appar-
ent willingness to meet the trainmen
half way in settling this point. Elisha
Lee, chairman of the managers, invited
Mr. Low to set time and place for put
ting his mediative suggestions before the
conference. The insistence by the roads
that call questions" be arbitrated is re-
garded BY the men as ''breach of
falIH according 10 MI. LOW IetIer 10
the managers. The eight demands which
the roads desire arbitrated along
with the mems wage demands constitute
new and far-reaching problems" to
which the unions have not had an oppor-
tunity 10 give consideration, Mr.. Low
set forth. continuing:
"If it has been the intention of the
railroads to submit these questions as
soon as the law was passed. and as a
part Of the pending controversy, | think
this purpose should have been made
known to the brotherhoods before their
aid was accepted in securing the passage
of the Newlands law. Ii must not be
lost sight of that the brotheThoods were
willing to arbitrate under the Erdmau
act as it was; but they joined the rail-
roads in asking for the Newlands law
because they thought the desire of the
railroads for larger board of arbitra
tion was reasonable and fair
This attitude of the brotherhoods
towards the railroads as to the size of
the board OF arbitration fairly entities
them to ask at the present time that the
railroads confine the Immediate arbitrs-
tiOu To tho utiastion "a isad hx- fhem =