The St. Paul echo., 1926-02-20
Shannon Gives Reasons
for Supporting Company
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preston of the many colored leaders
of our group today, that ever so Oft
en- the sleeping car porters must be
organized, and out of all the at
tempts that have been made, which
are many, the result has been the
same, failure.
The plan that we have for sleep
ing car porters to adjust their diff
ferences was brought about during
the time that the Pullman porters did
not have an effective organization,
nor were there any prospects for
them to have one. Under the Indus
trial Plan there are certain advant-
ages given, where a committee in
each district is permitted to take up
such grievances as would happen To-
cally with their superintendent, and
if they are not successful in adjust
ing these grievances satisfactory
Sthey are permitted to appeal the same
to the highest Offices of the Pullman
Company for final adjudication.
Since these advantages were given
to us as group, many of the pro-
gressive men with imaginary minds
thought that they saw an opportunity
to put into effect some of their pent
up emotional, radical, non-effective
ideas where every condition under
which we work could be reversed
over night, there never was nor there
never will be more dangerous ele-
ment than this group who claim to
be leaders of this movement, and to
my greatest surprise they claim to
have the endorsement of such officers
as the N. A. A. C. p, Urban League
and the Clubs of Federated Women,
if this group has endorsed thes move
ment as it stands in its entirety,
they have done themselves and ev-
cry colored employee on the sleeping
cars an irreparable injury, and when
the matter is thrashed out and
brought back to their attention they
themselves will have to acknowledge
the same.
This group of so-called leaders
have turned the spotlight on many Of
the employees who were heretofore
able to remain in the dark. AS to
whether or not they can continue in
the dark and get by on the meritori-
Gus service of other employees will
remain to be seen, but the meeting of
by statement will doubtlessly serve
better purpose in years to come
than at the present time, but you can
rest assured that this group will new
er be able to win their point. They
claim that it is necessary to have the
required number, 81 per cent of all
employees, in order to have a ma
jority representation, which, if true,
this could be done as easily by hav-
ing the men sign their names, and
much quicker than the method of
collecting $500 and $1.00, monthly
dues. 1 will further state that if
these men were given SO per cent
majority, and also an opportunity to
show this group what they could do
towards changing their working con-
ditions and raising their wages, they
could not accomplish in any way
what has been accomplished by the
committee of IS, who represented us
at the meeting held at Chicago re-
Gently.
The whole truth about this move
ment is that it has been placed in the
hands of dangerous persons, who
have stopped to the lowest tactics in
inflaming the minds of those who are
their followers, and the result of
their following them is that they will
eventually heap tons and tons of
criticism upon them and the same
method they are using now to fur
ther their movement in their own in
terest will be used later to heap
Goals of fire on their heads.
GEORGE C. SHANNON,
| Porter.