Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-10-06
RAIL ROAD RUMBLES
OFFICIALS SAY
FAGAN is RAILROAD TOOL
Scout His Forecast to Results of EgtHour LaD: Take
Exceptions to Statements

In letter to the Public Ledger
signed by w. G. Lee, president of the
brotherhood Trainmen and D. l..
Cease, editor and manager of the
Railroad Trainman, official publica-
ton of the Brotherhood, the train
officials. declare that James o. Pagan
was employed by the managers of the
railroads to issue his Confessions"
They also scout his forecast of how
the eight-hour law will work. The
letter as published follows:
Cleveland, o., Oct. 2, 1916.
To the Editor of Public Ledger:
Sir-The issue of the Public Ledger
containing the forecast of how the
eight-hour law will work, by James o.
Fagan, states in the Introductory note
that "he is highly regarded by rail-
road managers and railroad leaders"
The statement is only half correct;
the railroad managers undoubtedly
regard him very highly. sufficiently so
IN fact to have employed him to issue
his first confessions, which. like all
other confessions of the kind, consist
principally in telling what he believes
to be the sins of some one else He
Is held in the same light by labor
leaders as any one is who deliberately
attempts to misrepresent them and
their organizations. Fagan pretended
1or number OF years to be affiliated
with labor organization, but he was
not, and to the best of my knowledge,
is not
His horoscope of the application of
the eight-hour law is more of a hope
on his part than any knowledge of
what the effect will be.
The yard service is one service in
which there is no reason for working
men more than eight hours a day;
that 1t can be done has been demon
strated on the New Haven for thirty
years. In small yards where switch
ing is comparatively easy and by no
means continuous there is likely to
be some overtime, but the fact that
switching is not continuous is not the
fault of the men, but is due to the
nature of the business. The railroad
companies require the men to be on
the JOB continuously whether the en-
gine is actively engaged all of the time
or not.
The eight-hour law will not mean a
loss of money to the men. If Fagan's
knowledge of the law were equaled by
his hopes of disappointment to the
men in its application, he would know
that for certain period the law pre-
vents reduction in wages, while it
does compel a reduction in time.
Railroad employees are not at all
AFRAID of losing two hours time be-
cause of going from the ten to the
eight-hour day. If Fagan knew any,
thing about economics he would know
that no reduction in hours has result
ed in a reduction of the daily rate
without bringing on labor troubles
The strike at the Lawrence (Mass.)
mills is evidence enough of that, if he
does not care to go further to find
sufficient proof of every instance
where 1t has been tried, to disabuse
his mind of what will happen in yard
or road service. All of the employees
IN the yard service are alike in de-
manding the shorter workday. They
are not at all fearful that the railway
companies will be able to reduce the
daily rate either by violation of the
law or duress.
1t is quite certain, when the adjust
ments are made under the proposed
law, that there will be considerable
discussion as to the application of the
law, but even at that, the law is as
sured of from six to ten months
operation before anything can be
done to change the present situation,
except as fixed by the law, and in that
time the merits or demerits of. the law
Will have had chance fairly to be
tried out, and what can be done fairly
to both sides of the controversy ad-
visedly considered. Railroad en-
ployes fully understand that the
United States law is bigger than the
brotherhood schedule. 1t is also ex-
pected that the railroad companies
Constructive mileage. or presump-
tive mileage, referred to by Mr.. Fagan,
is mflage or time that acrues while
the men are held in service. Railway
writers like Pagan attempt to leave
the impression that the men are paid
FOR time they are not engaged If
they would state that the men are
subject to the immediate demands of
the company and are on duty all of
this time, it would not leave so much
misunderstanding as it does the way
1t is stated. The impression is given
that the men are paid for time when
they are not in service at all; this is
wholly incorrect.
The fact that Pagan confesses to
having once held a very responsible
position in railway service and has
been denoted to that of a towerman
would hardly commend MIN for the
position of general critic of the per-
formances of the men. The fact of
the matter is, Fagan was employed by