Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-06-25
UNION SPEAKER
Appeals to Members at
Waterville
Organizer Says Strike of Car
men Not Grand Lodge Order

Waterville, Me. June 24.-(SpeciaD-
very largely attended open air meet
ing was held in City Hall square sat
urday evening which was addressed by
Organizer J. H. HUMPHREYS of the Am
erican Federation of Railroad Workers
in the interests Of the men OF that Or
ganization who are now out on strike
here. The meeting was called to order
by Willard Fitzgerald who spoke of the
large number of people who were pres
ent and of the efforts that are being
made to defeat the strikers and told
that the story was now being circulat-
ed that the clerks had turned against
the men who are out and were. advis-
ing them to get back in, saying that 1t
was better for them to do so. He said
that this was false, that the clerks were
the friends of the men who are out, and
that during the afternoon he had been
assured by some of them they were in
complete sympathy with the men on
strike. He then introduced Mr.. Hum
phries, who began by saying that this
was not a strike called by any labor
leader but was called by the men them
selves after they had been trying for
several months to get an agreement
with the officials of the Maine Central
railroad. He said that no Grand
Lodge officer knew of the strike when
it started and that he and the other
Grand Lodge officers were called here
at the request of the officials of the
road, after the officials up to this time
had refused to recognize them. He told
of his pleasure at the efforts that had
been made by the pubic-spirited citi-
zens of Waterville to settle the strike
and of the good work that was done by
Mayor Meader, DR.. Thayer and Presi-
dent Roberts in their capacity of rep
resenting the people of Waterville. He
spoke of the failure of the commission
err of labor and the board of arbitration
of the state to do anything and paid
his respects to them in no uncertain
terms. Mr. HUMPHREYS told that there
was a great difference between union
scab and a professional strikebreaker
such as is now in the shops, saying
that he would much prefer to shake the
hand of a professional strike breaker to
that of union scab. He said that the
union scab was one who got into some
union and then ran around breaking up
strikes and showing his union card and
saying why 1 have right to work;
am a union man" The professional
strike breaker was bitterly assailed by
the speaker, however.
Mr. HUMPHREYS declared that he had
been in conference for several days with
Mr.. Mcdonald. Mr. Douglass and Mr..
Hammett, whom he characterized as gen
tlemen and men who were ready to talk
things over in reasonable way ana
said that there were nine points at issue
The railroad had conceded one of them,
three they had under considera ton and
he had offered on behalf of the men to
throw out the other five, thus meeting
the company more than half way. The
last interview was held at $50 Friday
night and he had hoped that he would
have received a favorable reply from the
company so that the men would go PACK
to work Monday morning but he had not
vet heard from them. He spoke OF the
explosion on the tracks of the railroad in
the morning and declared that no mem
Der of the strikers had done anything
like that and he was positive that none
of their sympathizers had done it. as 1t
would have been the worst thing possible
for the cause of the men now out. He
told the members of the union in strong
words that they must SO conduct them
selves that there would be no question
as to their being law-abiding citizens and
that they must do all in their power to
see that not only they but their sympa-
thizers did nothing that was contrary
to the laws Of the city or State. He
closed with an appeal to the members of
the union to stand firm and declared that
they would win out even if it took num-
Der Of weeks longer.