The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-02-18
Eastern Railroads Agree to
Arbitrate Firemen Demands.
Public Will Not Tolerate Strike.
Managers Say.
ANOTHER WAGE CRISIS SOON.
Conductors and Trainmen Ex-
pected to Demand Increase.
Railroads Submit to Erdman
Act Under Protest.

+, New York, Feb. 1S.-There will be no
| hremen's strike on the eastern roads.
| The railroads yielded today and agreed
| 10 arbitrate under the Erdman act
the controversy with the Brotherhood
! OF Locomotive firemen and engineers
| The firemen had stood to a man for
/ this method of arbitration ever since
the deadlock began; the railroads had
| stood hrm for arbitration before a
commission of six or seven men.
Ihe railroads already had expressed
WiiIingness to raise wages but not
! 10 the maximum demanded. To grant
! this they assert, would cost $12 600 600
! a year.
The agreement to arbitrate was
| promptly signed by both sides.
me medlators, in a formal state
fhent, later announced the firemen's
! committee has passed a resolution rec
| ommend1ng that the labor organiza-
| tlons and the railroads unite in the
! adjustment such amendments to the
able"
| The railroads will request that the
| committee of three men now provided
| Tor under the law be enlarged TO in
crude at least six men and possibly
| seven, but not in the present proceed-
! lhss. IN agreeing to arbitration un-
| der the Erdman act the railroad came
/ TO the position the firemen have held
since the renewal of negotiations The
railways were willing to arbftrate but
they wanted the controversy submit
| TED TO committee of six The hremen
objected to this on the ground that it
| was contrary to statute
| Ihe decision of the roads was
| announced in an official statement is
| sued by Elisha Lee, as Chairman of the
conference committee of managers
| The managers feel" SAYS the state-
| ment, the public will not tolerate a
| strike"
Arbitrate Under Protest.
MIR. Lees communication was ad-
dressed to Judge Martin A. Knapp of
| the united States commerce court and
| e. w. w. Hanger, acting United States
| commissioner of labor, who have been
! acting as mediators in the dispute 1T
I is as follows:
AT the urgent request of you as
representing the government and un-
| der the strongest protest we are able
| TO voice, the managers COMMITTEES
agrees to arbitrate the fremen's con-
troVersy under the Erdman act. The
managers also desire to give notice at
TINS time that they shall earnestly re-
| quest that the hearings in this arbi-
tratlon be open to the public.
| AS the managers have stood ont tn
| the limit against arbitration under the
Erdman act, and as the government
or the public-is responsible for what
ever the consequences may be the man.
ayers reiterate their principal objec-
tions to the Erdman act These were
pointed out by the board of arbitra-
tion in the engineers case.
Objection to Erdman Act.
| The responsibility which ulti-
mately would rest under third MEM
Der of Erdman arbitration board
was too great to impose on any one
man.
The operation of the act is to set
tie dispute rather than to adjudicate
| a controversy.
The arbitrators are three in num-
ber. Each side is represented by one
| arbitrator. 1t rests therefore upon the
| third arbitrator to bring the other two
| as nearly as possible together, and il
| he cannot do so, he must decide be-
| tween them. This is accomplished by
| splitting differences, and the case may
| be adjusted without adequate investi-
! cation OF the facts involved, and the
| award may not rest upon a basis OF
equity.
- But the most fundamental defect
| of the Erdman act is that the inter-
ests of the public are not guarded by
| it.
THE managers feel that the public
will not tolerate a strike and realizing
| their three-fo1d responsibility to the
| public, their men and their share
holders, they only agree to arbitration
under the Erdman act when it seemed
the only way to avert the calamity OF
a strike.
THE firemen's brotherhood has no
responsibility except to its members.
Another Crisis Coming
| The question the public should Sc
| riously consider is whether in compeII-
| ing the railroads to arbitrate under a
defective and inadequate law, and in
| thus securing temporary convenience
and accomm odation, they are not sac
rificing their permanent welfare
| THE managers committee wishes to
warn the public a. this time of an
other and similar demand for increased
wages made by the conductors and
| trainmen. We desire to put the public
on notice as to the crisis that will con-
front them when these demands are
| considered by the railroads.
I'VE also desire to call attention to
the serious public danger of these re-
curing demands backed up by repeated
demands that the railroads arbitrate
under the law.
"The whole situation is now in the
| hands of the government and the peo-
pie They have taken it out of the
| hands of the managers at time when
the latter hoped to make a stand for
the public good"
Charleston Strike Into Court
| Charleston, Feb. 1S.-Preparations
were completed today in the supreme
court for the hearing on the writ of
| habeas corpus by which counsel Tor
the United Mine Workers of America
hone to show tat Mother" Jones and
| other labor leaders were being held by
the military in defiance of law. As
sistant Attorney General Hanson and
| Colonel George S. Wallace, judge ad-
vocate of the military commission.
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