The Connecticut labor news., 1922-10-06

was the case when w. D. Mahon, president of the Amalgamated Asso- citation of Street and Electrical Rail way Emp1oyes, changed an ulti- matum from the president of an interurban line in Illinois to peace full settlement. Rejection of the ultimatum would have meant a strike.
 Anon the street railway boys Mahon is known as "Old Bill,' a name given by himself. During a meeting in 1903 of representatives of employers, Labor and society in the picture gallery in the palatial man sion of Mrs. Potter Palmer in Chi cago, August Belmont, owner of the interurban properties in New York, had told of the wonderful welfare plan |adopted for the benefit of the street railway employees. He said that a bath tub had been placed in each of the car stables of the company where the several thousand employees could take bath. When Mahon's turn came to speak he said among many other good things:
 "We do not want a bath tub in stable We want bath room in our homes I would rather go down to my grave as Old Bill Mahon, with the knowledge that 1 have been of service to my fellow men than to have all the wealth of the Wander bilts, Rockefellers and the Belmonts and be buried in a mausoleum such as are built only for kings"
 So he has been "Old Bill' ever since.
 The president of the interurban line was a Jew A conference was being held in Chicago to agree on a wage scale It looked very dark for a peaceful settlement. Finally the company president and his asso- ciates retired to another room. On their return to the conference room in which President Mahon and the representatives of the union in volved were waiting, the president of the company threw on the table what he said was an ultimatum.
 "You must take this, for you will get no more," he said.
 Mahon and his associates then went into executive session to con sider the ultimatum. It was decided to reject it. Just as they were re- turning to the conference oom bright idea struck ,Mahon. lie took Mp the ultimatum and ran over 1t item by item. There were five diff ferent scales of wages. Three of them were satisfactory to the em- ployes, but two were not. Then to the surprise of the other members of the union committee Mahon said to the president;
 We have considered your proposi- ton and agree to accept three of it's provisions but two of them we can not accept"
 "Mr. Mahon," said the president. Don't you know this is an ulti- matum?" r.....#.
 Sure know it is an ultimatum," said Mahon. That is why I am tell ing you that we are willing to accept three of your proposals, but cannot accept the other two"
 You don't understand me-" said the president This is an ultimatum and you have to accept all or none of ii" .-
 "Oh, no, mo- replied Mahon. "It looks to me as if we can make a set clement. You say that you will in crease the wages of three classes of workers and we accept your offer, but for two of them we want more"
 The president in a rage walked up and down the room wringing his hands, the precipitation running down his face, because he could not make Mahon understand what an ultimatum was. He finally stopped face within foot of the 1atter's, his hands gripped as if he was ready to fight and began again his explana- ton of what an ultimatum was. He said:
 Don't you know this is an ultima tum which you have to accept? This Is an ultimatum and you have to ac- cept all of 1t. You can not accept part of it."
 "Why certainly, I know what an ultimatum is," said Mahon in his fatherly way to the president "No man knows better what an ulti- matum is than I do. That is the question at issue. You make an ulti- matum to grant an increase in wages for three classes of workers which we accept. But 1 want to repeat that the ultimatum for two classes of employees can not be accepted. We must have more"
 The president began again his prancing up and2 down the room, and stopping occasionally in front of his associates and saying:
 What do you think of that. He, the president of all the street car men and don't know what an ultima tum is.''
 MT Mahon grew very indignant.
 You say I don't know what an ultimatum is," said Mahon "I have had the pleasure of considering many ultimatums. You have given us an ultimatum and I have told you what we would do with 1t. Let me repeat that we accept three of your offers but cannot accept the other two"
 When it is understood that this sort of argument proceeded for an hour or more it can be realized what