The Holbrook news., 1916-04-28
President Ripley's Ad-
 dress to EmployeS

Ripley, of the Santa Fe Railway | Company, to employees of the company, at Santa Barbara, Cal, April IA, 1916.)
 1 suppose every man in the em- pIoy of the Company realizes that he can get justice whether he belongs to one of the Unions or not. Our position is that if he belongs to a Union and chooses It's officers as his representatives he loses no rights, but neither does he gain any, because it is the policy of the Company to be just to those inside as well as outside the Unions.
 But when our men authorize a Union to say to us: We demand certain changes in pay and con- ditions, and propose to have them by force if not granted; when they say that they will not arblt- rate, but will have what they demand whether right or wrong then we, as those charged with the interests of forty thousand stockholders, must necessarily demur.
 The officers of the Company are charged with a threefold duty to the public, to the own CTS, to the employees and they are doing the best they can to deal squarely with all three. They are hampered by various laws supposed to be Tn the public interest; they have yielded Sometimes perhaps unwisely) to the demands of organized labor. They have done their best they cannot consistently grant the } present demands and retain their self-respect, or the confidence of their stockholders.
 I Any advice 1 might at this time give the employees making these demands might be mls- construed, and yet it seems to be my duty to say to our men that the course they are pursuing IS a mistake; that they cannot compel us by threats ot a strike to consent to demands that we believe to be radically unjust; that real grievances will have the same consideration as in the past when presented by any employe either in or out of a union. There may be roads where membership Tn an organization is a necessity for the protection of the individual. No such necessity exists on the Santa Fe, and while the Company dis claims any objection to the fraternal organizations, it desires to emphasize it's intention of : dealing exact justice to all whether members of such or ganizations or not.
 Employees of the Santa Fe are noted the country over for loyalty and "esprit de corps"we- like to think they are higher type than is usually found elsewhere and that they would hesitate to leave their certain and we'll paid positions and the privileges they enjoy to engage in a conflict. the result of which is at least doubt full, at the command of organiza- tions composed largely of men employed on other roads.
 Every one of our officers has grown up in the ranks and knows the duties and the feel ings of a subordinate. I would advIse every one of our employees to talk the present conditions over with his immediate superior so as to get the latter's view point. A strike will cost the Company a great deal of money perhaps necessltate the passing of one or two dividends and working much hardship on many innocent people: But It will not help the men, and after the loss of wages and standing, other men will take their places and the work go on. Is the game worth the candle?
 The men who pull the throttle, or feed the fire, or ride the freight trains, or wield the con- ductors's punch, are no more cecessary to the operation of the railroad than those who care for II