The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1914-07-23
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THE PEOPLES FORUM
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The Railway Strike.

behalf of locomotive engineers and
firemen, | am, through the friendly
columns of the daily paper, asking
you to keep in close touch with all
news that appears in the papers rel
ative to the negotiations between the
engineers and tiremen, approximately
$1,000 in number" and the Confer
ence Committee of General Mana
gers, representing the Western Asso-
citation of General Managers, having
jurisdiction over 10000 miles of rail-
roads west, northwest and southwest
of Chicago On July 20 in the city
of Chicago, the Federal Board of Con-
ciliation and Mediation, Judge Cham
bers officiating, began taking evil
dence relative to the justness of the
claims of both the men and the rail
roads. When $1,000 men, "flling the
positions we do, the attending re-
sponsibilities attached to these posi-
| tions," ask for a condition to be rem
edied, for an adequate scale of wages,
for running the large locomotives of
the present day, it is well for every
| citizen of this country who rides
mile on "A passenger train, or ships
an ounce of freight, to study the prob
lem from all points of view, and be
unbiased in your decision, regardless
of your personal opinions. This is
what we want you to do, as we have
nothing to conceal from anyone Our
| principal contention is for shorter
| hours and more pay on large en-
| sines. 1t is a general opinion that
| locomotive engineers and tiremen are
the highest paid class of men of any
skilled artisans. We refute this in its
entirety. Our salaries are governed
| by the miles we run or the hours we
make is made by sapping out our
very life-blood in many miles or long
I hours. The ordinary days work in
all lines of service, skilled mechanics,
| business men, professional men, is
and 10 hours. Ninety per cent of
| locomotive engineers and tiremen
work from Is to 16 hours, giving the
days work in hours, or its equivalent
in miles. This, within itself, is sap
! ping out our life-blood, and our eff
fciency and one of the grossest dis
regards Of public safety, and safety
/ of employees and their families that
I is in existence. Brick masons, car
penters, blacksmiths, machinists, boil
] ermakers, in fact, any skilled arti-
I sans, WORKING the same hours that
we do, would make as much, and seY-
eral of them more, than we do. We
! run on your locomotives, eat and
| sleep, wherever 16 hours catch us,
most generally sleep in caboose
| or on an engine All the rest of the
| civilized world eat and sleep at home.
| We contend that our claims are just,
and we are asking you to analyze
them, and be the judge. We are pub
lie servants and follow hazardous
calling. 1t is the duty of the public
to demand that the men that are the
/ life-blood of these great arteries of
commerce be given a living wage and
a reasonable day of work, in hours.
Think of the millions of lives you
. -ntrust -in.cur cars, to wead oar way
over the rails, in and out among the
intricate web Of trains, meeting and
passing the men on freight engines,
and yet you know these men are
working II to 1G hours out of each
81 hours Give this an earnest thought
and see what it means to you and to
me, to know that these men have
not had Gods required amount Of
rest, are hungry, sleepy, tired and
then perhaps, sleep wherever they
can get a bed, and, in eight hours,