The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1916-10-13
CHECKMATED
Railroads Desired Strike and Were
Disappointed
BY Grant Hamilton.

Disappointed
BY Grant Hamilton.
The controversy between the rail
road brotherhoods and the railway
managers which occupied general at
tention for number of weeks brought
out more trenchantly than ever the
lengths to which the managers of the
railway corporations will go to ac
complish their desires. The news
papers of the country, whose editorial
utterances were almost wholly con
trolled through their advertising
columns, assiduously endeavored to
convince the readers of their journals
that the railroads were actuated by a
spirit of fairness in offering arbitra-
ton.
The railroads did not offer to sub
NIT all of the points at issue to a
board of arbitration. Their offer con-
tanned such an array of exceptions
as to amount virtually to no arbitra-
ton at all.
While the railroad /brotherhoods,
| through their restricted press facil-
/ tiles, gave the details of the situation
as it existed, yet a large volume Of
the press never carried the state
ments issued by the brotherhoods.
The railroads We're represented by
committee empowered to deal with
the situation. During the many con-
ferences between the representatives
of the railroad brOtherhoOds and the
railroads the latter refused to meet in
any particular the demands of the
brotherhOods. On the contrary, they
insisted on applying their scheme of
sOcalled "arbtration," which in fact
was offered with the yelled purpose of
promoting a strike, for the terms Of
their offer of arbitration" were SO
tirely so many roads from arbitration
at all, that the offer, even if accepted
would not have resulted in settling
the controversy
By the action of congress the rail
road managers were checkmated in
their desire to bring about a nation
wide strike. Now these railroad man
ayers, with the assistance of Candi
date Hughes and those who are com
mitted to his cause, are combining
their efforts for the purpose Of making
an effort to convince the people that
the principle of arbitration in in
dustrial disputes has been destroyed
The railroad managers, true to their
past history, are assisting in the cam
pa1Sn of destruction, for the history of
their past has never been one of CON
struction. Now for the real record:
There were 275 railroads involved
in the controversy.
Seventy-five of these railroads abso-
lutely and unequivocally refused to
arbitrate any of the demands of the
railroad brotherhoods.
One hundred and eighty-two rail
roads in their offer of arbitration
specifically excluded negro firemen,
negro brakemen and negro hostlers.
Eighteen railroads offered arbitra-
ton, but specifically excluded the
white hostlers.
In other words, the offer of arbitra-
ton had long string attached to it.
If any further evidence is wanted of
the stiffness and sharp practices of
the railroad managers, it is only
necessary to cite one instance.
Mr.. Hale Holden, of the Chicago.
Burlington and Quincy Railroad, the
spokesman for the railroad managers
in the recent controversy. locked out
the freight handlers upon the c.. B. E.
Q. in Chicago because of their demand
| for changed conditions. Immediately
the freight handlers offered to arbi
trate their differences with the road
Mr.. Hale Holden, as spokesman for
the railroad managers in the railroad
brotherhood controversy, and who so
strongly advocated arbitration in that
case, summarily refused to accept ar
bitration when the Chicago freight
handlers offered that medium to settle
their controversy.
The attitude of President Ripley of
the Santa Fe Railroad, who asserts
that he will not observe the Adamson
law until the court of last resort COM
pels him to do so, is merely a com
posite type of nearly all of the railroad
managers of the country some ex-
ceptons being noted
The submission of the railroad con-
troversy to congress was practically
an arbitration by court of the peo-
pies representatives, which ought to
signify to the public be-damned'
managers of the railroad corporations
that if they continue to persist in
their disregard of the economic and
social welfare of the people of our
country the people themselves will