The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-01-24
GIGANTIC STRIKE OF
100000 RAILROAD MEN
IS THREATENING NATION

interstate commerce laws IS d Qu0S-
ton which is giving the labor leaders
grave concern, it is stated. Labor
men, however, say that Carter and
Lee have met this with this answer:
"Who will enforce interstate COM
merce laws in a Presidential election
a million ?''
Have a Political Lever.
Carter, responsible labor men have
said, has conducted a comprehensive
Roosevelt campaign. According to
this information, President Carter ar
CUES as follows:
That Colonel Roosevelt is already
considered a candidate of the COM
bined Republicans and Progressives;
that the votes the strikers could swing
would make or unmake him. that
both Colonel Roosevelt and President
Wilson would be acuteIy conscious of
this fact and that the railroad union
men therefore hold the key to the po-
1itical situation and are practically in
q, position to dictate terms to any party
or combination thereof, and that it
would be nothing, less than foolhardy
to throw such patent advantages
away.
On the other hand bitter opposition
has already developed within the
Brotherhood of Locomotive Engine
11oen and Ffremen to Carriers leader
ship. The Roadway this opposition
has made is illustrated by the fact
that last Saturday night in New Fa-
ven Henry M Walker of Taunton, one
of Carriers chief Iieutenants in His
own union, was defeated for general
chairman by a vote of to 8. James
p. Farrell, a, strong supporter of An
drew p Kelly. who is being groomed
TO oppose Carter for the presidency
att the unions general convention in
Denver next summer, was elected
Says Garter Bung1ed Job Z,
Carriers opponents charge that his
national strike scheme is put for
ward to save his own bacon" They
say that Carter, heretofore the dom
mating figure of all our national rail-
road unions, insisted last winter In
Chicago upon going before the arb1tra-
ton board and presenting himself the
case of the employees; that he mace a
mess of it and was directly RESPONSE
BILE fVr the unsatisfactory awards OF
the commission in consequence.
His opponents charge that the de-
mands and the national strike plan
were evolved by Carter not in the,
interests of the employees so much as
in his own They say his real plan is
to involve the union in a strike at the
time his own reelection comes up,
thereby leaving his own union in a
position where it can do nothing but
re-e1ect him.
They assert that there was no gem
eraI demand r. the shpnter work
day and the increased overtime pay;
that the referendum vote was and Is
a place to work up sentiment Tor
such a demand and to pave the way
FOR a general strike. They charge
that Carter has political ambitions
and wishes further to create a situa-
ton whereby he could leash in" on
them. Lee is also opDosed by a strorS
faction in the Brotherhood OF Rail
wacv Trainmen. and he comes up for
reelection in May.
Assert the Demands Are Fair.
Carriers supporters say as do a
large body of men who have sided ac-
lively with neither, that setting aside
all questions of Carter and his alleged
motives the demands he has forn1ulat-
ed are fair ones. g.
The argue that government activity
under the Sherman Law against rail-
road directors and officials has not
resulted in charging the attitude oE
these men; that if the roads were
properly managed, if salaries to OFF,
Gals were reasonable. the railroads
could easily grant their full demands
and still return a. liberal return from
whatever capital has been honestly
invested in them.
Labor's argument is that engineers
deserve more pay and shorter hours
because of the excessive strain under
which they are forced to work, a
strain which, they say, has materially
increased in recent years. The same
argument is advanced in behalf of the
hrenen. And they say further that
the referendum vote shows the exist
ence of a, general and honest demand
for more pay and shorter hours.
Results of Demands Were Granted.
The railroads see in the situation
r,,aI-
grant the demands would force them
to get the money "for the additional
millions they. would have to add to
their payrolls in one of four ways
reduce the wages of the million and a.
half employees outside the train SER
vice; reduce payments for inter est and
dividends to their security holders;
curtatl the betterment expenditures
for new stations, reduction of grade
crossings and other non-productive
demanded by the pub
lie; or ask the government to allow
a proportionate increase in freight |
rates.
The railroads have determined up
on a concerted appeal to public opin-
ion. They say the engineers. fire.
men, conductors and brakemen are
10 per cent. of the army of railroad
employees, but absorb % per cent. OFF
the total payroll; that their demands
for higher pay increased their year
ly earnings from 1910 to 1914 by more
than $7O,00o,00O without any increase
in the number of men employed; that
even a green" brakeman gets $500 a |
year. while some Of the engineers re-
ceive as much as $4,000.
Really Ask Increase of Pay
Train wages, they argue, are cali
eu1ated through out the United States i
on a dual standard. the miles run /
and the hours on duty, with guar
antees as to nini5S1um pay. These |
schedules provide that the men shall
be paid by the mile or the hour,
whichever gives them the larger earn
ings. The prevailing basic day for /
wage-f1xing is 100 miles or 10 hours
on duty. That the demands to be |
made on them are in reality not for
shorter hours. but for higher wages.