The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-07-01
ENGINEERS HEAD
AND ASSOCIATES
DRIVEN FROM JOB
Brotherhood Convention
Finds Bank Mismanaged

CLEVELAND, June 30.-Though
nominal secrecy still prevails in the
Brotherhood of Locomotive Engin-
GERS Convention it has become gen.
orally known that the four principal
grand officers of the brotherhood are
on trial, facing forced resignation and
disgrace, and that the convention has
voted a So monthly assessment for "a
months to pull through the brother
hoods financial enterprises without
outside help.
Unanimous Verdict.
The grand officers whose resigna-
tions were demanded are, it is re-
liably though not officially reported,
Pres, w. B. Premier, LIST V. Pres.
L. G. Griffing, I'd v. Pres. H. P.
Daugherty and Gen. Secy. c. E. Lind
quist. Grand Chief Al Johnston, in
charge of the labor side Of the broth
erhood, is not included. The demand
was made unanimously by the COM
mittee of 10, selected by the conven-
ton soon after the opening session
June to investigate the troubled
state of the brotherhood's 100000
900 banking and more or less loosely
connected investment enterprises.
While no statement has been issued
to the press containing the text of the
committee report on Premier and his
associates. it is known that the COM
nittee found the quartet guilty of
such carelessness, laxity and indiffer-
ence in the performance of their Of
fetal duties that they are not, nor
have they been for long time past,
fit persons to hold office of any kind
in your organization. 1t is therefore
strongly recommended by unanimous
vote of your committee of 10 that the
convention in executive session de-
mand and accept the immediate res
ignations of Brothers Premier, Grit
fling, Daugherty and Lindquist."
Bond Salesman Official.
The convention however gave the
officers a brief hearing and instruc-
ted the committee to prepare formal
charges. it is reported. George Webb,
the ,000-a-year executive vice
president Of the brotherhood's costly
ventures into labor capitalism is
scheduled for swift transit to the
cinder dump. He is a former bond
salesman.
Class Collaboration.
The brotherhood's program of la
Dor banking, which all progressives
have branded as merely a means of
class collaboration, placing money de-
rived from the dues-paying member
ship at the use of all manner of shady
business men, and concentrating the
means of defense of the union in case
of a strike in the hands Of enemies
to labor, seems to be in peril Ger
tainly some of the more obnoxious eX-
tensions of the lab0S' banking, such as
the fifteen million dollar speculation
in Florida real estate, and the Coal
River Galleries, run non-union, have
disguised the rank and file, and forced
the delegates at this convention to
undertake real action.
To withdraw from the mess into
which the grand officers of the
brotherhood have entrapped its mem
bers is not easy, except by the heroic
method of disorganizing the banks,
in which the members have placed
N'o money on deposit.
Therefore one group among the
delegates is in favor of preserving at
least for some time the banking side
of the brotherhood's manifold business
ventures, and has secured the special
assessment for that purpose. All con-
cerned agree, however, that the graft
ers actually discovered must be de-
prived of control of the enterprise.