The Coconino sun., 1921-02-04

"He was with Henry Ford in the trying days of the Ford Motor com pany, and advocated the "Open Shop" which made that company mechani- cal success.
 "In May, 1901, when James O'Con- nell, International Lodge President of the Machinists' union, ordered gen. eral strike to enforce his nine-hour work day, and calling an unauthorized strike of all the shopmen out on the Southern railway (7,O00 miles of rail- way) to affect the situation in the south, he was immediately challenged by Frank s. Cannon, third vice-presi- dent and general manager of the rail- way at Washington, who had engaged Edward Smith for relief and who transportation, and to the loss of the union, the strikers in majority threw up their union cards" and returned to work in spite of O'Connell and the grand lodge.
 "In this same (l90D year John w. Kendrick, then third vice-president of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe rail- way system at Chicago, engaged Ed ward Smith to assist in the reorgan- ization of this railway. One of his first acts was to create discipline and to secure better operating results. A saving of almost one mil lion dollars was made in mechanical maintenance with more and better work accomplished. The first "Air Brake Instruction Car" was turned out in the Topeka, Kansas, shops, and the whole railway system became the operating envy of its competitors within less than a year. It was Ed ward Smith who accomplished this.
 "From 1903-7 Edward Smith was engaged in like capacity with the Mis- souri, Kansas X Texas Railway sys- tenn. During this period the Katy" became the safest and most popular railroad out of St. Louis to | the southwest. Other rail- roads began sitting up and taking mo- tice and began using Edward Smiths joint service with astonishing results.
 "In 1905 the Great Lakes Engineer ing Works at Detroit, Michigan, (the largest independent shipbuliding plant on the Great Lakes), had the contract for building the steel tubes for the Detroit River Tunnel company. A general strike was called by the Boilermakers' and Iron Shipbuilders' union, which closed down all other shipyards on the Great Lakes except ing this plant, whose men positively refused to recognize the walking del egates" of the union and supported Edward Smith in keeping the strike clear of this big shipbuilding plant.
 "The Galveston (Texas) dock strike was on in 1907 and it affected all Morgan Line" or Southern Pacific shipping. Edward Smith then informed Tourney that he would quickly terminate the strike; within twenty-four hours after he entered the union hall and got in conference with the unions officials and strike committee, and this was accomplished without concession and, as promised, the strike was officially declared off at 12 o'clock noon on the following day, to the astonishment of the entire city of Galveston.
 "In 1909 a most bitter labor war was carried on between 1000 strikers and the Pressed Steel Car company at its works at McKees Rocks, Pa. The fight ragged for months. Edward Smith then proceeded to the union hall and engaged both commit tees in conference over the strike from 9:15 a. m. to 3 p. m., and concluded by having the committee declare the strike off without concessions outside of dismissing the chief of police of the works for extreme brutality at times committed against ignorant workmen.
 "In 1914, Edward Smith was the first man consulted by C. M. South, as- sstant to the fourth vice-president Claw department) of the Pennsylvania Lines, West of Pittsburgh, as to the feasibility of terminals penetrating Detroit by an extension north of To- ledo. Edward Smith prepared maps with all data and showed the Pennsyl- vania railroad the possibility of enter ing Detroit Something like 9,000,- 900 is now (1920) being expended in in the construction of the Toledo and Detroit extension.
 "In 1905 Edward Smith was called to New York to confer, by special ap- pointment, with John Skelton Will Hams, President John l.. Williams & Sons and the Bank of Richmond, Rich mond. Va. and J. W. Middendorf, of Middendorf- Williams & Company, of Baltimore, Md. It was these two men who, in connection with other south em banking interests, consolidated group of small lines into what is known as the Seaboard Air Line rail- . way. The conference which brought Edward Smith to New York was to un- dertake the task of making a search :, ing investigation into "Seaboard" af- fairs, and as both men expressed, had they taken the advice of Edward Smith three years before they would not be suffering the loss of several mil lion dollars which now was the case through graft and mismanagement. Edward Smith unearthed gigantic fraud and came out for the bankers by fully exposing the graft ring. Mir, Williams in now comptroller of the U. S. treasury at Washington"