Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1915-02-03
PAY OF ENGINEERS
AND F|REMEN
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member of the arbitration board, who
asked Mr.. Carter if it were not a |
fact that, if the wages of the negro
firemen were raised to the white STAN
dard, the negroes would probably lose
their jobs. Mr.: Carter frankly answer
ed that he feared they would but he
indicated plainly that if such con.
tingency were brought about it would
be by reason of action by the railroad
companies and not through any effort
or wish of the brotherhoods.
On Thursday Mr.. Carter made the
following proposal, which was not &C
cepted, to the conference committee
of Western railroad managers:
II hereby propose to counsel for the
| railroads to join with me in petition
| to the officials of the Illinois Central
Railroad and the officials of the Yazoo
and Mississippi Valley Railroad to be
| fair to these negro firemen and not
discharge them because of their par
ticipation in this petition, or because
of the fact that this board will probab-
ly award them an increase in wages,
as is their right as American citizens
ask counsel for the railroads to join
with me in the petition which will pre-
vent the railroad companies letting
out these negroes because they hap
pen to be negroes"
President Carter read into the rec
ord the petition from the 1872 negro
firemen, but declined to mention their
names as he said they were fearful of
losing their jobs if their names were
known. The vital clause in the Pc
tition follows:
1--WE certify that if we had been
given the opportunity of expressing
our choice in the matter, we would
have elected to be represented by the
same committee or committees which
represent firemen and hostlers on
other railroads; and we do hereby af-
firm that it is our desire to partici-
pate in the benefits arising from an
award in said arbitration and delegate
authority to the joint committee re-
presenting engineers, fremen and
hostlers in said arbitration to repre-.
sent our interests"
In commenting on the attitude OF
the railroads in refusing to permit
outsiders to receive the benefits OF
awards, Mr.. Carter said:
IF that is the issue now made by
the railroads., then it will devolve upon
these railway brotherhoods to demand
the closed shop. The next great fight
perhaps, will be to carry out that
which the railroads say must be
done.'
Mr.. Carter continued momentarily
along this line and then added these
words:
IF our policy must be changed an(
the next great battle fought by the
| engineers, firemen, conductors an(
trainmen with these railroads is fol
the closed shop, let it be known tina
it is not of our inviting but because
of the position of the railroads at this
arbitration, exressed through their
counsel, that unless railroad employees
are members of these organizations
and participate in our negotiations
they shall not be entitled to the bene
fit of an award. l say that at the tim'
!: the fight comes, gentlemen, we shall
refer to the records here that the mes
cessity of a closed shop has beef
brought about by the attitude of tn
,, railroads."
Grand Chief Engineer Stone her.
announced that his brotherhood TO
years had followed the generous poll
: cy of applying awarded benefits t.
outsiders in the craft; he also dis
e closed the fact that the proper TIM
for the companies to have excluded
the Y. & NJ firemen was prior to sign
ing the arbitration agreement. Pres
ident Carter insisted that the Y. & M
: V. Ry. Company appeared in the lis
S of roads signing that original com
d pact,
d During the last few days reports
: have come from the South to the eft
|. feet that back-ire has been started
by somebody connected with the rail
4 road companies and that signers O.
r the Carter petition possibly may re
i cant and cause trouble. All of thi:
a despite the testimony before thu
y board Thursday by Charles V. Nc
t Laughlin, Vice President Of the fire
Y mems brotherhood, who had just re
e turned from the Y & M. V. territory
! that firemen in that section are an
Y xious to be considered in the presen
l. proceeding and wish to have theil
d names withheld only because they
: fear losing their positions. Mr.. Nc
a Laughlin indicated, and he was zorro
q borated by Mr.. Carter, that negrOe!
h working on Southern roads for man!
4 years have been terrorized by pol
}, icy best described as "the white viii
: catch you if you don't watch out.
: In other words, local officials of rail
S roads have caused negroes to fee
), that if they make any stand for bet
h ter wages or conditions or initiate
e any movement which will attract at
l. tention to themselves they will incu
). the antagonism of white firemen, o.
l. others who may want their jobs, ant
be summarily ousted.
4 Chairman Pritchard ruled that tn
e board recognized no color or race ant
), that at the proper time, probably il
rebuttal, further evidence regarding
l. the negro firemen will be considered
5, by the arbitrators. Chairman Prit
J. chard remarked that he personally re
pretted the color question had beel