The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-04-29
Santa Fe Employees Bring
Charges Against q s. C. of C.
They Say Big Business Is Try
ing to Crush Labor.
STATEMENT BY LABOR HEAD
He Says Dealings Are Not Made
With Santa Fe.
Representatives of Crafts Urge
Cut in Freight Rates.

Declining to believe that the Santa
F'e was the party with which they
were dealing, representatives of the
shop employees Thursday failed to
agree with the general officials of the
road that their wages should be re-
duced 20 per cent.
The United States Chamber of
Commerce, working thru local Cham
bers of Commerce, the employees rep
resentatives stated flatly today, is try
ing to crush organized labor. establish
the open shop. and then reduce wages
Statement by j. HI. Goff.
The statement was made by ]. H
Goff. of Cleburne, Tex, representing
the boilermakers craft, and G. J. Boil
blacksmiths' craft. and was corrobor-
ated by other representatives present
at the time.
"If we had been dealing with the
have had no trouble. 1t isn't the
I Santa Fe that is trying to reduce
wages" Golf declared.
This propaganda about the Cham
Der of Commerce here in Topeka is all
! backed by the same thing Bollotte
asserted. TT is all part of the gil
gantic move to down organized labor"
The employees do not know whether
| the general officials plan to submit
the request for a wage reduction to
the United States labor board or not
| They do not intend to join in sending
| the case up for consideration by that
! body, and it is their opinion that the
Santa Fe will not take the case to the
| labor board, tho the intentions of the
road in that respect have not been an
nounced to them.
| If the case does come before the
government board. the employees will
! have representation there, they stated
today.
Recommends Freight Cut.
'If the road wants to relieve the
suffering public let them reduce
| freight rates first Geff said today
He ridiculed the idea that railroads
are not making moneysat the present
| time, and asserted that their income
| is quite sufficient to enable them to
pay the present scale of wages.
IF they reduce the rates first, then
| let them cut the wages if they have
to- he said. But they would not
agree to cut the rates at ALL
| I'D like to look the guy in the face
the high official of the Santa F'e' who
| is quoted saying that he'd like to
see the good old days come back
| when the Santa Fe officials and their
| table and Strengthened things out We
never saw a able in those days. When
an employe went into the offices he
took off his hat and stood in the cor
ner. If he didn't do as they wanted
him to, he saw the outside of the
gate, and not any table, Goff said.
Goff Was Chairman.
Goff was chairman of the delega-
ton which met the general officials
Thursday. The committee included
himself, G. ]. Bollotte, T. L. Person.
ette, of Kansas City. general chair
man of the carmen's organization; A.
H. Norris of Albuquerque, n. M, rep
resenting the machinists; S. H. Stub
bings, of Topeka. also a machinist !;
George Lauterborn, of Rialto. Calf
sheet metal workers; and E. B. Swope,
of Albuquerque, representing the cleo
trical workers.
A Friendly Conference.
The conference Thursday was thor
oily friendly, the employees declared to-
day. The general attitude of the men
who are representing thousands of
shop employees on the system was that
the Santa F'e officials are being COM
lpelled. by big business to demand
the reduction in wages and that their
general officers are tools of the men
higher up" rather than acting on
their own initiative. They evidently
and frankly did not believe that the
necessity for reducing their wages in
order to keep the railroads going ex-
lists
Thus far two of the classes of en-
ployeS with whom conferences have
been held have agreed to go with the
road to the United States labor board
for adjustment of their differences.
The signal department employees and
the maintenance of way and structure
employees will. Jointly, with the Off
Gals of the road, present the problem
to the government board.
! Two others, the shop employees and
the clerical and station employees have
declined to join with the road in ap-
pealing to the board.
TeIegraphers Meet Today.
| The telegraphers are in session with
the general officers today. No con-
clusion was reached during the morn
ing session. and the conference was
resumed this afternoon.
W. L. Braun of Chicago, general
chairman of the Order of Railroad
Telegraphers, is head of the employees
delegation.
> The other members of the delega-
tion are c. Green, of Strong City Kan.
and V. A. Gendron, of Capron, Okla.
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