The Washington times., 1917-03-17
DIRECTORS STAND
is TOLD IN LETTER
w. R. & E. Heads Write Com.
miSSioners in Answer to Con-
ference Invitation.

| FoHOWlng is the reply sent 10 tne OIL
missioners. after a conference. by the
board Of directors of the Washington
Railway and Electric Company:
Hon. Oliver p. Newman, president.
board OF commissioners. u. c., Wash
ington, ID. c.
Dear Sir: Your letter of this date.
addressed to the board of directors of
the Washington Railway and Electric
Company, was delivered at the office Of
the company early this afternoon, af-
fording insufficient time to call a meet
ing Of the board. but a conference at
tended by all Of the directors in the city
was held. and they will be glad TO avail
themselves of the opportunity Of calling
on you tomorrow at the hour suggested.
II am instructed by the conference to
state that the directors have read the
correspondence referred TO in your COM
munication Of even date, and that the
action Of Mr.. King. the president Of the
company, in the matters TO which you
refer has been with the concurrence and
approval OF the entire board of direc-
tors.
Recognition Pivotal Demand.
"They desire me further to advise
you that the present point OF differ
ence of Importance between the COM
pany and the strikers. and perhaps
the only one which is absolutely ire
concilable, is the demand of the latter
that the company enter into contrac-
tual relations with the Amalgamated
Association of Street and Electric
Railway Employees, which the men,
bers of the board are unanimous in
Il hnllfnor do In, {,,a 70 n
public, its own interests, or a major
ity of its employees, in view OF the I'M
.disguised, openly declared, ultimate
purpose and design of that associa-
ton to force this company into an
agreement to employ no men except
its members, and those only so long
as they have not, by the non-payment
of dues or other cause fallen under
the displeasure of the association or
its officers.
1.-THE position OF this company Is
not different in principle now from
what it has always been. You say
that by the agreement of March IL,
1916, this company accepted the prin-
ciple of collective bargaining, and
that Mr.. King In his letter of Febru-
airy 81, 1917. indicated the necessity
OF mediatorial services of the COM
I
has been inconsistent in now declin-
ing the mediatorial offices of the COM
mission. The facts in this connec-
ton are these:
IneonsIsteney Not Denied.
1.-The negotiations of a year ago,
which your letter refers to, were on
the express condition entered into by
r. \.
required, directly or indirectly, to deal
with the Amalgamated Association of
Street and Electric Railway En-
ployes, notwithstanding which fact
the ink was scarcely dry when the
Amalgamated Association wilfully
sought to convey enormously the i'm;
preston to the public that the con-
tract was with II.
THE letter OF February %, 1917, to
which you refer, was directed not to
/ this association or its officers, but to
the grievance committee representing
all of our trainmen, and the state
ment was then made that as soon as
the Inauguration was over the COM
pany would take up any matter per-
tanning to the interests of its en-
ployes as, we have always been will
ing TO do
March 6. 1917, Mr.. King addressed to
this same committee a communica-
ton. to which you do not refer, al
though a copy of it was forwarded
to you, stating that on March s. from
g to 6 o'clock p. m. the company
would be ready to take up with its
employees any matter which affected
their interests. and invited this COM
mittee, as well as all trainmen, to
attend. This committee, the only
representatives then in existence of
| all trainmen, although composed en-
tirely of members of the Amalgamat-
ed Association, failed to attend or
otherwise respond to this invitation.
but another committee, which they
said was appointed by the AmaIga
mated Association, did attend.
Contracts with individuals.
"They were informed that they
could not be treated with as such
representatives. but inasmuch as each
member was at that time an employee
of the company, Mr.. King would be
glad 10 take up with them any matter
they wished to present. In response
To the invitation they presented no
grievance and left stating that they
would discuss nothing except as rep
resentstives of the AmaIgamated As
ISOLATION.
ION the same occasion the individ-
ual contracts were presented and
signed by a large number OF other
trainmen who did attend and whose
execution OF it was on the condition
that the Amalgamated Association
should not be recognized.
After this your note of March o.
1917, was received by Mr.. King sug-
costing a conference on March 10,
which conference was held at your
office on that date. At this meeting.
Mr.. King presented to you his state
ment setting forth the position OF the
company. which was subsequently
published at length over his sigma
ture in the newspapers, so that the
public could fully understand the
position OF the company. and pointed
out the impossible character of the
demands made to this company by
the Amalgamated Association, and re-
viewed the intOlcrable conditions
which have prevailed during the last
year. Up to that time no modifica-
ton OF these demands by the ASSOC
citation had even been intimated TO
this company and II was generally
agreed that the demands made by that
association were indefensible.
Agreement With Capital Company.
"After this statement had been read
Mr.. King was informed by one of the
Commissioners that the Amalgamated