The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1922-08-31

Item for transportation service
! After having taken every precautioi
we couId consistently take in behalf %
1.-THE men who went out, we began en-
lnIoviua, new men The men who tool
1.-The places of those who left our ser
lvice have coura goOusly and efficient
lIv assisted us in rendering 10 the pub
lie an unimpaircd transportation ser
Twice We believe they are entitled Il
livery great consideration, not only from
lus. but also from our patrons. We sub
init that no fair-minded person with {
lcorrect understanding of the situation
lwould have Us deal unfairly by these
men.
There is no dispute about the right OF
.I9orkaeD 10 leave their positiQQs. Nei
Their can there be any question about the
rights of others TO take the places thus
made vacant. nor the right of any man
to work when and where he may wish.
Those rights are essential to civiliZa-
ton The President of the United
States has asserted that he will, if nee
essary, use the full power of the United
States government to sustain these
rights. Neither can there be any ques-
ton as 10 the attitude of the Illinois
Central System toward labor organiza
lions. We believe in the principles of
organization, and we stand ready to
work hand in hand with those organiza-
tions which will work with us in serv-
ing the public.
From the beginning of this controver-
sy we have felt that the members of the
shopcraft organizations were being mis-
led, and it is matter of deepest regret
to us that we are not able to induce
more of our shOpmen to guard against
ill-advised action. We believe that the
vast ma jority of our employees in all de-
partments, as well as the vast majority
of our patrons, feel in their hearts that
the Illinois Central System has dealt
fairly by the striking shopmen. In adj
dition to the letters which we addressed
to them, reasoning with them and ex-
horting them to let their better judg-
ment prevail, our officers appealed to
them personally, worked with them and
did everything they hOnorably could do
to induce them to vote against the pro-
posed strike to refuse to give up their
positions after the strike had been call |
ed, and, finally. to return to the service
in time to preserve their pension and |
seniority rights unimpaired.
We hold no feeling of resentment to- |
ward those of our former shopmen who |
as a result of being misled. gave up |
their positions and the benefits and priv |
ileges which they formerly held. So /
long as vacancies exist, we shall give |
preference to those of our former shop |
men who have not resorted to violence |
or damaged company property.
However, frankness compels us to |
make clear that the vacancies are be- |
ing rapidly filled. Our mechanical |
forces are largely depleted at only one |
of the main shop plants on the Illinois
Central System. At all of our shops |
our mechanical forces range all the |
way from substantial forces to more |
than 200 per cent of normal. This dis |
parity has made it necessary for us to |
some of our work from the |
shops having the smallest forces to \
those having the largest. The total |
number of men employed in the me-
chanical department of the Illinois Cen
trail System on June 80, the day before
the strike, was 13,507. On August "a, |
after almost two months of the strike,
there were 1858 employees in the me- !!
chanical department, of whom a very
large percentage were old employees who
emainded faithful by refusing to strike.
Therefore, on August "a, we had only |