The Leader, enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ga.) 1915-1921, 1921-03-11
BUGG BLAMES UNION
LEADERS FOR STRIKE
Reply to Mayor Pittman Express
Sympathy for Men
MARTIN ANSWERS SLUR
Strike Is Entirely Of Mems Own
Will and Volition

Mayor ]. l. Pittman yesterday re-
ceived from Col. B. L. Bugg, ex-
president and receiver for the Atlanta,
Birmingham and Atlantic railway the
following telegram in answer to his
wire urging early settlement Of the
present strike:
Your night letter received. Regret
inconvenience to your city and people
along line due to present strike. This
is situation created, however, by
employees and not management of
road. | have been making every ef-
fort to persuade the employees to
exercise reason and common sense
but they have been badly advised and
are now being made victims of their
union leaders who fear possible influ-
ence on other roads of accepting what
they must realize is a reasonable wage
on Atlanta Birmingham and Atlantic.
"The employees have my sincere
sympathy. Am glad to know that at
Fitzgerald they are conducting them
selves with dignity and forbearance
and hope they will continue to do So"
Mayor Pttman had wired Col.
Bugg as follows:
eve would urge you in the interest
of the city and the people along your
line to make every effort for an early
adjustment of the strike. The men
are conducting themselves with Dig
nifty and forbearance and have the
sympathy of this community"
Not Leaders Strike
w. M. Martin, general chairman of
the engineers employed by the A. B.
& A. and chairman Of the joint fed
Grafton committee representing the
thirteen crafts now on strike, replied
i'll no uncertain terms to the charge
of Col. Bugg that the striking en-
ployees were dupes of their union
chiefs.
We want it understood once and
for all that the cessation of service
which is now in effect was made on
the initiative of the men who are out"
he declared. at was started by them
without direction or influence of any
other organization or agency and is
being prosecuted by them at their
own volition, uninfluenced and I'M
hampered.
THE grand lodge officers of the
Brotherhoods," he continued, "had
nothing to do with the negotiations,
except in a passive advisory capacity,
from December 10Th, when the first
proposal of a wage reduction was
made, until March 5th when the men
severed relations with the operators oil
the road and placed the negotiations
in the hands of the grand lodge Off
GERS.
This walk out is unique in the
annals of controversies between en-
ployers and employees in that there
has never been a strike order issued
Mr. Martin stated. "The only force
that impelled the men to leave their
jobs was their own consciences. Our
employer, the Atlanta Birmingham &
Atlantic railroad, had violated the
law in its attempt to avoid the pay
ment of just and reasonable wage
scale. We could do nothing else but
leave the service.
Mr.. Bugg infers that the en-
ployees of the Atlanta Birmingham
and Atlantic railroad are being used
to fight the battles of all union labor
against all railroad operators of the
country" continued Mr. Martin. "We
entered this contest to protect our
own individual rights. If the rail-
roads have seen fit to make this fight
a test of strength between capital and
labor we are so placed that we must
accept the challenge and our cast is
so palpably just that we can win it
without the assistance of our sympa-
thizers on other railroads.
However" concluded Mr.. Martin,
I'VE are standing pat on the laws of
the land as they directly control in
this particular case We did not pass
these laws, in fact they were passed
over our protests, but they are the
laws of our country and we are going
to fight to the last ditch to have them
enforced"