The Connecticut labor news., 1922-07-07
HARTFORD BRINGS FORTH A PATRIOT"
 TO AID RAILROAD
Electric Light Official Offers Men Into Slavery and Retires to
 Island Home.

Hartford, July 7.-,Hartford has
 one sterling patriot" one who is ready to lay down his plant for his company if not his life for his coun- trv. He is Samuel Ferguson, vice president of the Hartford Electric Light company, who regretful that the railroad shop crafts, misguided by what he calls bad leadership, laid down their arms and tools and went on strike to secure return ot l1v- ing wage So shocked was he that he promised to shut down one ot his power plants and leave Hartford per haps without light or power if the other shoudl break down, and send the crew to the Cos Cob powerhouse of the New HavetA road to operate that plant He neglected to say and evidently didn't care whether his men were willing to do the job or not but evidently regarded them as shackled slaves to be sent where and when he wills.
 Patriot" Ferguson got in touch with General Manager Bardo of the road as soon as he heard the strike was on and volunteered four inemen and such other help as needed to assist the road. He even sent the four linemen to report to the Bridge port division superintendent, then dictated long and pathetic telegram to MT. Bardo and promptly retired to his summer home on Fishers Island off the coast and far removed from the railroad troubles where he can ponder over the regretful situation in peace and quiet. He kept his general manager, one A. D. Colvin, "con- stantly on the job' to act quickly on call of the railroad. MT. Ferguson's sob to MT. Bardo is as follows: Il regret to see by the papers that guided by bad leader ship, large number of your men have placed themselves in the positoin of fouting decree of congress as expressed l through it's authorized representative, the Railway Labor Board
 Under such circumstances, it is obviously the duty of every citizen to uphold the government of this country, and to assist in every pos sible way to overcome a misguided effort of a small class of employees to tie up the transportation of the country, and to bring suffering and discomfort to all law abiding citizens. Experience has shown that the ] employees of this company are true LA you can count on their assistance to do their part in supporting the gov ernment in such capacities as you may specify.
 Already our linemen have report ed to your Bridgeport superintendent. You will pay them the standard wages as fixed by the United States government, in addition to the full pay which they will receive from this company while performing their vol unteer duties in the interest of law and order,
 "In case of dissatisfaction at your Cos Cob power station, we are pre- pared on 60 minutes notice to shut down one of our steam plants and to transport the entire force, from jan itor to superintendent, to Cos Cob. This we can do without imperilling the power supply of the city, but at very considerable sacrifice of oper ating efficiency.
 "I cannot but believe that as soon as your men understand what an i'm possible situation their leaders have got them into, they will repudiate such leadership as, except for some hot headed ones, they are as good and law abiding citizens as the rest of us"