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THE GREAT STRIKE ON THE "Q"
WITH
A HISTORY OF THE ORGANIZATION AND GROWTH OF THE
BROTHERHOOD OF LOCOMOTIVE ENGINEERS, BROTHERHOOD
OF LOCOMOTIVE FIREMEN, AND SWITCHMEN'S
MUTUAL AID ASSOCIATION
OF NORTH AMERICA.
BY
John A. Hall,
_Ex-Yardmaster C., B. & Q. Railway_.
1889.
ELLIOTT & BEEZLEY,
CHICAGO AND PHILADELPHIA.
COPYRIGHT, 1889,
BY
JOHN A. HALL.
DEDICATION.
A history of the spoliations, robberies, and oppressions of corporate
capital in America, is a history of shame, degradation and disgrace, not
to be obscured in the halo of great achievements in material progress,
though adorned by the splendid triumphs of science and art. It is the
impersonation of the passion of avarice, and no more soul-debasing
passion afflicts the human race. It becomes more ravenous the more its
maw is gorged; it always and everlastingly wants more; in growth it
never reaches maturity.
The only firm and determined resistance that has ever confronted this
power has come from the widely extended but fraternally combined labor
organizations of the country; though not always successful in
resistance, they have ever left the enemy too feeble to follow up a
technical victory.
To that mighty bulwark that will yet stem the tide of corporate greed,
and insure to the laborer a fair share of the produce of his toils, this
book is respectfully dedicated.
PREFACE.
The cause of right is but the cause of reason. Let all men reason
together, and be brothers. Let all help each other and it will be easier
for all.
We are all victims of monopoly, and it lies within our own efforts to
reform a system which enslaves the many and makes heartless misers of
the few. We must not fear a thing because it seems radical; truth is
always radical, and every advance that humanity has ever made has been
born in radicalism.
To act upon the dictates of reason is to be radical. This fearful thing
called radicalism is the hope of society. With it you will bury
monopoly, injustice and oppression.
Him the world calls Master, because of His worthiness, nobleness,
manhood and justice, was far from being conservative. He espoused the
cause of the poor, the weak and the helpless against the rich, the
strong, and the powerful. Instead of favoring and fostering the existing
evils of society, He sought to reform them, and set into motion the
great wheels of Christianity that are rolling over the whole earth. Let
those who call themselves His followers, strive to make His commands
practicable. Let them have more of justice, charity and humanity.
ORGANIZATION.
To obtain justice, and obtain it legally, the weak must organize.
Whatever may be the ideal to which labor reformers aspire, the first
step must be organization. This is living protest against monopoly and
injustice, and the means by which we must reform our social system, if
we would last as a nation.
A tramp at the base of the social pyramid, and a millionaire at the top,
argues ill for the middle classes. With the foundation rotten, and the
summit top-heavy, the whole structure must fall or be rebuilt.
Much of the matter contained in this book came under the personal
observation of the writer; more was furnished by the Brotherhoods and
the correspondence of the strikers.
Thanks are due to Chairmen Hoge and Murphy, for kindness and favors
rendered.
Yours Truly,
JOHN A. HALL.
THE GREAT STRIKE ON THE Q.
This work should properly begin with a short history of the origin and
growth of the three Orders whose members were connected with the strike
upon the Burlington system.
Naturally the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers should come first, as
the strike originated with them, and was brought about by the injustice
and oppression of the Burlington Officials toward this Order.
The organization of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers originated
in the State of Michigan, in the year 1863. For some years before that
time, the locomotive engineers on various roads throughout the country
had cause for serious complaints owing to the treatment they received at
the hands of railroad officials. It was felt that the men handling the
locomotives on the growing railroad system of America were performing
important duties that required good, responsible men, and deserved fair
and honorable treatment, which, in many instances, was not given. The
tendency of many railroad officers, in fact, was to degrade engineers,
and refuse them the justice and fair dealing which is their just due.
The immediate cause of the formation of the Order was the harsh
treatment received by the engineers employed on the Michigan Central
Railroad from the superintendent of motive power of that road. The
disposition manifested by him to wage a remorseless war upon the best
interests of labor, and especially his incroachments upon the
established rights and usages of the engineers in the employ of that
company, and the reduction of their pay, at length became insufferable,
and the engineers, as a class, became satisfied that the safety of their
pecuniary interests demanded a unity of purpose and combined
organization. A meeting was held, composed of engineers employed by the
Michigan Central Railroad, and the result of their deliberations, at
this primary meeting, was a call for a Convention of Engineers, to meet
in the city of Detroit, on the fifth of the ensuing month, May. The call
was extended only to the engineers on the following roads: The Michigan
Central, Michigan Southern & Northern Indiana, Detroit & Milwaukee,
Grand Trunk on the American side, and the Detroit Branch of the Michigan
Southern. At the Convention, the Michigan Southern & Northern Indiana
was represented by F. Avery, L. Wheeler and John Kennedy; the Detroit
Branch of that road by T. Wartsmouth and E. Nichols; the Detroit &
Milwaukee by H. Higgins; the Grand Trunk by B. Northrup; and Geo. Q.
Adams represented the Eastern Division of the Michigan Central, and W.
D. Robinson the Middle Division of the same road. With but little
formality in their organization, these delegates entered upon their
duties. A Constitution and By-Laws, embodying the fundamental principles
of our present organization, was adopted.
The necessity of something further on the part of engineers than the
common consent to become and remain members of this organization so long
as suited their convenience, and no longer, became apparent to minds of
the delegates, and an obligation, as a bond of union, was unanimously
adopted, and on the 8th of May, 1863, a band of twelve engineers, the
delegates included, joined hands and pledged themselves to support the
Constitution and By-Laws then adopted, and to resist the wrong and
maintain the right. Officers were elected, and Division No. 1, of
Detroit, Brotherhood of the Foot-Board, stood forth as the pioneer in
the work of the regeneration and elevation of the locomotive engineers
on this continent, eager to extend the hand of fellowship and alliance
to all worthy members of the craft who had any faith in their rights as
a class and a belief that in organized action alone rested a hope of
vindication. The organization of Divisions soon began, and in three
months ten Divisions had sprung into existence.
At this time, the Chief Engineer of Division No. 1 issued a call for a
meeting of one delegate from each Division, to meet at Detroit August
18, 1863, for the purpose of forming a Grand National Division,
Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers. At this meeting, the Constitution
and By-Laws were changed and provisions made for the formation and
government of a Grand National Division. W. D. Robinson was elected
Grand Chief Engineer of the Order, and served in that capacity until
August 20, 1864, at which time there were thirty-eight Sub-Divisions,
covering the railroads from Michigan, through Indiana, Illinois, Ohio,
Kentucky, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York. Charles
Wilson, the second Grand Chief Engineer, was elected to succeed W. D.
Robinson, and continued in office until February 25, 1874.
At a special session of the Grand International Division, held in the
city of Cleveland, P. M. Arthur, the present incumbent, was elected his
successor, and re-elected at the close of each term of three years to
the present time, executing the duties of the office with such success
and judgment that the Order has continued to grow and improve, until it
now numbers three hundred and sixty Sub-Divisions with 25,000 members,
and covers every railroad and every State and Territory in the United
States, as well as a large part of the British Provinces and Mexico. We
believe that the law of the Order, enforced by him, of "doing by others
as we would be done by," is the only true solution to the labor problem
of the present day.
In these days of strikes and increasing labor agitation, the course
adopted by them has proved to be unquestionably the best, and to that
alone we ascribe the great success that has attended their efforts and
made their Order known and respected everywhere. This course is, that
any differences between members and their employers shall be settled by
arbitration. St. Paul says, "Come, let us reason together;" and this
advice they have found to be so good that they have it to say, that
never since its adoption by them have they resorted to a strike when the
officials of a company where dissatisfaction existed would receive and
treat with our committee.
Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen.
The organization known as the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen was
organized at Port Jervis, N. Y., December 1, 1873, and is consequently
fifteen years old.
The following "Preamble" to the Constitution explains the aims and
objects of the Order:
For the purpose of uniting Locomotive Firemen, and elevating their
social, moral and intellectual standing, and for the protection of
their interests and the promotion of their general welfare, the
Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen has been organized.
The interests of our members and their employers being identical,
we recognize the necessity of co-operation, and it is the aim of
the Brotherhood to cultivate a spirit of harmony between them, upon
a basis of mutual justice.
Realizing the fact that our vocation involves ceaseless peril, and
that it is a duty we owe to ourselves and our families to make
suitable provision against these disasters which almost daily
overtake us on the rail, the necessity of protecting our interests
as firemen and of extending to each other the hand of charity, and
being sober, industrious and honorable men, becomes self-evident:
And, hence, the Brotherhood has adopted as its cardinal principles,
the motto: "Protection, Charity, Sobriety and Industry."
The organization was formed by eleven men on the Erie Railroad, and the
first Lodge numbered eleven men. Its growth and development has been
phenomenal; starting with that first Lodge of eleven men in New York,
the organization expanded into immense proportions, with lodges in every
State and Territory of the Union, covering Canada and extending into
Mexico.
There are at present 385 subordinate lodges, with a membership of 19,000
men. The rapid growth fully demonstrates the necessity for its
existence. It might be supposed that this phenomenal increase would be a
source of weakness, instead of strength. Such, however, is not the case.
The Brotherhood of Firemen has never, at anytime, been unwieldy, but on
the contrary the addition of each new lodge has been so well assimilated
by the whole, that this body of 19,000 is as compact, firm and as
thoroughly under control as a division of the Regular Army. Another
grand element of strength is the fact that there is no aristocracy in
the Order.
It must not be thought that all has been clear and smooth sailing with
the Brotherhood of Firemen; this great result has been won by years of
incessant labor by earnest, determined men, with confidence in
themselves and in the justice of their cause. Probably no organization
has had a harder struggle for existence; it has experienced serious
reverses; the year of its birth was the year of the great commercial
panic. Born and nurtured in adversity, it has steadily worked its way to
the front. In 1877 the country was agitated from Maine to California by
labor troubles, and labor organizations received a severe check, and an
unsettled condition existed for several years. "Seventy-eight" and
"'79" were critical periods, and were years of anxiety for the safety of
the Brotherhood.
Starting in 1873 as a purely benevolent institution, it developed into a
labor organization in 1885, retaining, however, all of its moral and
benevolent features intact. There are no State organizations in this
Brotherhood. It is governed by a Grand Lodge composed of a Grand Master,
Vice-Grand Master, Grand Secretary and Treasurer, Editor and Manager of
the Magazine, Grand Executive Board of five members, and a Board of
Grand Trustees, consisting of three members.
OFFICERS.
The first Grand Master was J. A. Leach, now residing in Kansas City; the
first Grand Secretary and Treasurer was Wm. N. Sayre, of Buffalo, N. Y.;
second Grand Master, W. R. Worth, followed in succession by F. B. Alley
and W. T. Goundie (now General Manager of the New York Elevated
Railway), and F. W. Arnold. S. M. Stevens, of Lowell, Mass., was, for
several years, Grand Organizer and Instructor, succeeded in 1885 by J.
J. Hannahan, of Englewood, Ill., who now holds that office in connection
with that of Vice-Grand Master.
The present officers are: F. P. Sargent, Grand Master, Terre Haute,
Ind.; J. J. Hannahan, Vice-Grand Master and Grand Organizer and
Instructor, Englewood, Ill.; Eugene V. Debs, Grand Secretary and
Treasurer, Terre Haute, Ind.; H. H. Walton is Chairman of the Grand
Executive Board, Philadelphia, Pa.; W. E. Burns, Secretary, Chicago,
Ill.; the Grand Executive Board is composed of J. J. Leahy,
Philadelphia, Pa.; W. H. McDonnell, Scranton, Pa.; F. Holl, Minneapolis,
Minn., and C. W. Gardner, Fort Dodge, Ia.
The circulation of the Magazine, the official organ of the Brotherhood
is 26,000 copies.
BENEVOLENCE OUTSIDE OF THE ORDER.
Standing squarely on the broad principles of Benevolence and Human
Justice, this Order has ever extended the helping hand and given counsel
and assistance to the laboring man in his struggle for independence. The
Brotherhood of Railway Brakemen owe much to the B. of L. F., and never
in its history has the B. of L. F. opposed itself to labor organization.
Remembering their own desperate struggle for existence, charity,
sympathy and aid have been freely given to younger organizations.
Ever foremost in the battle for justice and right, it was the first to
call attention to the imperative necessity for federation of railroad
employes. The strike upon the "Q" has demonstrated the absolute need of
federation.
GRAND MASTER SARGENT.
The following extract from the address of Grand Master Sargent, at
Minneapolis, three years ago, covers many of the points in controversy
to-day, and will be found interesting to the public:
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen ask nothing that is not just;
we do not want one penny more than we rightfully earn; we believe
that our calling is one that should command good wages for faithful
service, and we desire also that all our members shall render such
service. We recognize the fact that our employer has certain rights
that we, as employes, are bound to respect, and it is never our
purpose to antagonize. Justice is our motto--justice not only to
ourselves, but to our employer. I believe that if organizations of
labor keep in mind that great principle, and are officered by men
that are conservative, that are willing to work at both sides of a
question and settle on a basis of equal justice to both employer
and employe, and when the employer will be willing to treat his
employe with that spirit of fairness which is due all faithful
workmen, recognizing in them men of intelligence, capable of
knowing right from wrong, that strikes and strife will seldom come,
and if they do, it will be when every well-thinking man that has
the true principle of manhood will endorse the organization
struggling for its rights. I desire the members of the Brotherhood
of Locomotive Firemen to so conduct themselves that when they go
before a General Manager, Superintendent or Master Mechanic, they
will meet with those courtesies due a manly man. I want General
Managers, Superintendents and Master Mechanics to feel that they
have in a member of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen a
faithful employe, one they can place confidence in, and when he
comes to them in a respectful way, and lays before them a
grievance, that they will give him a hearing and render him
justice.
Our system of adjusting grievances is by arbitration, believing
this is the only sure method of preserving harmony between employer
and employe. If at any time we feel aggrieved, we make a statement
of our grievance and place it in the hands of the Grievance
Committee of the local Lodge. The chairman of this committee,
through its secretary, calls the committee together, and examines
into the merits of the grievance, and if considered just, the
committee so reports to the Lodge with proper recommendations, and
if the Lodge considers the grievance worthy of action, it orders
the committee to proceed to adjust the matter. The committee then
calls on the Master Mechanic and Superintendent, and in a
gentlemanly manner lay the grievance before them, and if possible
arrive at a satisfactory settlement. If the Master Mechanic and
Superintendent have not the power, or show no disposition to treat
with the committee, they go to the General Manager, from him to the
President, and so on until all means have been exhausted to secure
an adjustment. If they fail, they then send for their chief
executive, and on his arrival, he, in conjunction with the
committee, again uses all means within reason to effect a
settlement. Failing again, it then lies in the power of the Grand
Master to order the men to quit work, or, in more plain terms, to
strike. Now, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen have been in
existence nearly thirteen years, and during that time we have not
been involved in a single strike. We believe that the conservative
stand that has always been taken, and the intelligence of the men
that have been our leaders and committees have been the means of
making this record. It has been said that firemen would never be
recognized by railway officials in the adjustment of wages or the
settlement of grievances. I desire to dispel any such opinion from
the minds of all. During the last year we have had a large number
of our committees wait on Presidents and General Managers, and in
every instance they were cordially treated and received a
satisfactory advance of pay, and the result is that firemen are
looked upon by officials as men capable of reasoning, that they are
qualified to go before a President or General Manager and discuss
questions relative to their vocation better than men that are not
following the same occupation, even though they ride upon the same
engine.
The Brotherhood feels proud of its record, and it is our purpose to
carry forward our good work in the same straightforward manner. We
ask nothing of our employer but what is reasonable, believing that
it is the policy of the railway managers of the present day to
treat with their employes in a fair and liberal manner. It has been
my experience, during the limited time that I have been connected
with railroads, that most of the dissatisfaction that arises
between employer and employe originates from the overbearing,
tyrannical action of some petty foreman, ofttimes a Master
Mechanic, and employes censure the officials, and sometimes affairs
assume a serious aspect, when, if the employe would go to the
proper authority--the President or General Manager--and lay his
grievance before them, he would get immediate satisfaction.
Ofttimes the officials know nothing of the existence of any
dissatisfaction until they are informed that the employe has
struck; then it is too late to present the true situation to the
official, who, having had no intimation of trouble, feels greatly
incensed at the action of the employe, and immediately turns
against him, when, had the facts been presented to him, the foreman
or the petty boss that caused the dissatisfaction would have been
looking for employment, while the employe would have had justice.
There is only one way to adjust our grievances, and that is by a
careful statement to the proper authority. Then, if we fail to
obtain satisfaction, we can feel that we have done our duty, and
the responsibility rests with employer, not employe. During the
past few months we have observed in many localities troubles
between employer and employe. The cry has always been, Labor
fighting capital. Capital is not the enemy of labor; it is not
capital that labor is opposing; it is the monopolist, and such a
monopolist grinds down the laboring man to starvation wages in
order that he may enrich his own coffers. Labor is the creator of
capital, and as such there can be no strife between them. It is the
monopolists that control capital that antagonizes the laborer, and
compels him to work for scarcely enough to keep his family in food;
and it is those monopolists that to-day have capital bound in
chains and separated from its creator--labor. For years laboring
men have been subject to reductions in wages until, in many
instances, the amount of their daily earnings would scarcely buy
food sufficient to sustain life. Men of liberal views have observed
this state of affairs, and many of our great thinkers have examined
into this question, and, becoming convinced that it was wrong to
allow their fellow-men to be trodden down by a class of men that
have only one ambition, and that is to control all the capital of
the land, have organized for the purpose of getting for the
laborer, the creator of the vast wealth of this country, a
reasonable day's pay for a reasonable day's work; not to antagonize
capital, but to ask that he who creates the wealth of the land
shall have at least enough to clothe and feed his family and live
in a respectable little home. To be sure, there have many things
occurred during the past few months that have caused some of these
organizations of labor to be looked upon with suspicion, and there
are many that stand ready to condemn them. But let us not be too
severe; we have all made mistakes, and we should always be willing
to concede to others what we ask for ourselves--charity; and let us
be charitable to those that during the past year have been involved
in difficulties with their employers.
The members are not to be censured for all that is done by these
organizations. Officers that wield the power can involve an Order
in difficulty by making unjust demands. Men ought never to be
placed at the head of these labor organizations who are
unprincipled or unjust. Place men there who will work to the
interests of those they represent, and at all times avoid conflict
when it is uncalled for. I am convinced that the labor troubles of
the past few months have been beneficial to us all, notwithstanding
there have been many wrongs committed, many lives lost and much
property destroyed. This we all deplore, and any Order that
sanctions any such actions on the part of its members should be
condemned. We believe that the trouble we have experienced will
teach a lesson to all organizations of labor. We cannot be too
careful whom we admit to our Order, one bad man may ruin a whole
Lodge. Look well to a man's character and standing before you admit
him, and then you will find that in all his duties he will do right
and bring credit to himself and the Order. In admitting only such
men, we may hope to receive the endorsement of all good people.
We turn to our Constitution, and there read in the preamble: "For
the purpose of effecting a unity of Firemen, and elevating them to
a higher social, moral and intellectual standard, and for the
promotion of their general welfare, and the protection of their
families, the Brotherhood has been organized."
Let these words be engraven upon the hearts, not only of our
membership, but the great public, so that our aims may be
understood and our ambitions appreciated. Our preamble voices the
sublime sentiments of our fraternity, and we trust they may touch a
responsive chord in the hearts of all good people.
Switchmen's Mutual Aid Association of North America.
This Association is growing rapidly in influence and numbers. It is now
one of the most powerful labor organizations on this continent. The
large field from which it draws its membership, the character of its
members, and the care exercised in admitting none but the right type of
men, the energy and determination of each individual, and, above all
other considerations, the absolute equality guaranteed by its
Constitution and unwritten laws, warrant the assertion that this
Association must soon stand among the first in the list of labor
organizations.
OBJECT.
The preamble to the Constitution reads as follows:
1st. Is to unite and promote the general welfare and advance the
interests, social, moral and intellectual, of its members.
Benevolence, very needful in a calling as hazardous as ours, has
led to the organization of this Association.
2d. Believing that it is for the best interests, both of our
members and their employers, that a good understanding should at
all times exist between them, it will be the constant endeavor of
this Association to establish mutual confidence and create and
maintain harmonious relations between employer and employe.
3d. Such are the aims and purposes of the Switchmen's Mutual Aid
Association of North America.
Benevolence is its corner-stone,--to relieve the distress of disabled
brothers, to care for their widows and orphans, and to see to the
decent burial of deceased members.
The National Association, strong as it is in numbers, is but little over
three years old.
The first Switchmen's Union was founded in Chicago, on August 18, 1877.
That was a local society, and was chartered by the State of Illinois.
The charter members were--Edward W. Jennings, Thos. Griffin, James
Cullerton, Wm. Hopper, Thaddeus Boyd, Thos. Green, Edward Scanlon, John
Kenny, Wm. Short, Chas. Richardson, Wm. Rosencranse and John Reily. The
officers were--Wm. Hopper, President; Thaddeus Boyd, Vice-President;
Thos. Griffin, James Cullerton and Edward Jennings, Trustees.
While for several years the Union made little headway, it succeeded in
maintaining a nucleus for something better. In 1884, new life was
instilled into it by the demands and spirit of the times, coupled with
the selection of a set of officers with unusual energy, ability and
determination. Rapid growth, and the creation and dissemination of
sentiments of organization were the immediate results. Other cities
followed Chicago's example, and very soon there were a number of
flourishing Unions throughout the United States.
Then the necessity of a National organization became manifest. Several
Unions, moved by the same spirit, took hold of this matter about the
same time. A call for a meeting of delegates of the various local
bodies, to meet at 112 East Randolph street, Chicago, on February 22,
1886, was issued, and in response thereto a large assemblage of
representative switchmen met at the place on the day named. The meeting
lasted eight days, and was quite harmonious and exceedingly
enthusiastic. The Convention was called to order by Mr. John Drury, who
stated that the object was to amalgamate the different organizations
into one grand body, whose authority should extend throughout the United
States. The Convention was duly organized by the election of Mr. John
Drury as Chairman, Mr. James A. Healey, of Chicago, as Secretary, Mr.
Joseph D. Hill, of Kansas City, Reading Clerk, and Mr. M. J. Keegan,
Sergeant-at-Arms. A Constitution and By-Laws were adopted, and the
following grand officers elected for the current year: Grand Master,
James L. Monaghan; Vice-Grand Master and Instructor, John Drury; Grand
Secretary and Treasurer, John Downey. Board of Directors, M. J. Keegan,
of Chicago; James A. Kelly, of Chicago; W. A. Simmons, of Chicago; James
A. Healey, of Chicago; Joseph D. Hill, of Kansas City; J. L. Hyer, of
Rock Island, and W. R. Davison, of Joliet. A great deal of important
business was transacted in secret session pertaining to the Order, after
which the Grand Lodge resolved to aid Mr. C. R. Wooldridge in the
publication of a monthly magazine devoted to the interests of the Order.
A uniform pin was adopted, and an invitation to attend the second annual
ball, given by local Lodge No. 1, in honor of the Grand Lodge, was
accepted with thanks. The Convention then adjourned, to meet in Kansas
City, Monday, September 20, 1886.
James L. Monaghan, the first Grand Master, graduated from the public
schools of Philadelphia, and studied law for two years. Bad health,
however, compelled him to abandon an indoor life, and he took to
railroading. He first did duty as a clerk, but found that was little
better for him than the law, and he then entered the service as a
switchman on the P., W. & B. Ry. He came West in 1879, and has been
prominently identified with the switchmen and their organizations until
November, 1888, when he was elected to the lower house of the Illinois
Legislature. He was succeeded in the office by Frank Sweeney, of
Minneapolis.
John Drury, the first Vice-Grand Master, is an Englishman. He first
entered upon railroad work as a brakeman on the Grand Trunk of Canada.
As an organizer during the early days, John Drury was eminently
successful, and the Association progressed in a surprising manner during
the first year of its National existence. The First Annual Convention
was held at Kansas City, September 20, 1886, and was composed of
delegates from twenty-five Lodges. This represented the growth of the
Order for one year.
The important business of the complete reconstruction of the
Constitution and By-Laws to keep pace with the growing propensities of
the Association, was the result of that body's deliberations.
The Second Annual Convention was held at Indianapolis, September 19,
1887. The result of this meeting was a still further revision of the
laws, and the election of Wm. A. Simsrott as Grand Secretary and
Treasurer.
At the Third Annual Convention at St. Louis, in September, 1888, Frank
Sweeney, of Minneapolis, was elected Grand Master; John Downey, of
Chicago, Vice-Grand Master; Geo. S. Bailey, Grand Organizer and
Instructor. John W. Callahan, Chicago, Ill.; Edward Hutchinson, Chicago,
Ill.; S. K. Hardin, St. Louis, Mo.; John M. Kelley, Fort Wayne, Ind.;
Jas. F. Scullen, Omaha, Neb., Grand Board of Directors.
Grand Master Frank Sweeney was born in Zanesville, O., in 1855. His
parents moved West in 1860, and located at Monroe, Wis. He received a
common-school education, and for a time studied medicine. He disliked
the profession, however, and soon abandoned it and entered the railway
service. His first railroading was in the capacity of brakeman on the M.
& St. P. After braking on several roads for the period of four years, he
began switching in the yard of the Minneapolis & St. Louis in 1886. At
that time there were but three switch engines in Minneapolis. He has
been in the yard service in that city ever since, until elevated to the
position of Grand Master of the Order. He was one of the active men that
organized Lodge No. 30, and was elected a delegate to the Second Annual
Convention, held in Indianapolis, in 1887. At that session he was
elected Vice-Grand Master of the Association, and his recent elevation
to the highest position in the Order speaks better than words as to what
opinion the switchmen have of him. He was instrumental in organizing the
Northwest, and won the admiration of the switchmen of the country by
his intelligent and conservative handling of questions that arose in
that locality.
Grand Secretary and Treasurer William A. Simsrott was born in Chicago in
1861, and has the hustle characteristic of the average Chicagoan. He
received a common-school education, and began his railroading in 1878 as
a clerk on the P., Ft. W. & C. Railway. In 1882 he entered the yards of
the Chicago & Western Indiana Railway as a switchman. In 1883 he entered
the service of the L., N. A. & C. Railway, and continued with that road
until elected to the office of Grand Secretary and Treasurer. He was a
yardmaster at the time of leaving the company's employ. He was accepted
in Lodge No. 1 in 1883, and in a few months elected to the office of
Financial Secretary. Mr. Simsrott was one of the thirteen that
established the Association as a National organization, and was a
delegate from Lodge No. 1 to the First Annual Convention at Kansas City
in 1886. At this Convention he was chosen as one of the Grand Board of
Directors, and at the Second Annual Convention, held in Indianapolis in
1887, he was elected Grand Secretary and Treasurer. None have shown a
higher regard for the good of the Association than this officer.
Vice-Grand Master John Downey was born in Cleveland, Ohio, October 12,
1853, and came to Chicago in the fall of 1858. He received a common
education, and in the winter of 1869-70 commenced railroading. He first
began braking on the P., Ft. W. & C. road, but soon went to switching in
the Ft. Wayne yards. He had not been there long, however, before he had
his left thumb completely shot off by the accidental discharge of a
shotgun he was handling. In September, 1871, he lost two fingers off of
the right hand, after which he went to tending switches on the Ft.
Wayne. In 1872 he had his right foot caught and lost part of it, and
1875 he had his left foot caught and so severely injured that it laid
him up for six months. In 1876 he went braking on passenger on the Ft.
Wayne, where he remained for nine months, when he went braking on
freight, and 1879 went back switching in the Ft. Wayne yards, where he
has remained ever since.
John Downey joined Lodge No. 1 in September, 1884, and was soon
afterward elected Treasurer of the Lodge, a position he held
continuously until October, 1887, when he resigned. He was elected Grand
Secretary and Treasurer of the then Switchmen's Mutual Aid Association
of the United States of America, at its first Convention, held in
Chicago, February 22, 1886. He served for some time in this capacity,
but was forced to resign, owing to ill health, and when W. S. Condon
absconded with all the money of the Grand Lodge he was asked by the
Board of Directors of the Grand Lodge to fill out the unexpired term as
Grand Secretary and Treasurer, and straighten out the tangled financial
affairs of the Grand Lodge. He responded with that patriotism he is
noted for, and won encomiums from all connected with the Association for
his work. He has represented Lodge No. 1 in the Grand Lodge
twice--Kansas City in 1886 and St. Louis in 1888.
Grand Organizer and Instructor George S. Bailey was born in Edgar
County, Illinois, in 1858. After receiving a common-school education, he
studied law for some time, but had to abandon his studies on account of
ill health. He commenced railroading in 1878 on the I. & St. L. Railway,
braking on local freight. He was employed as a switchman in East St.
Louis a number of years, and was prominent in the great railroad strike
of 1886.
When the "Q" strike occurred, he was selected to go over a portion of
the road and address the railroad men. He spoke at Kansas City, St. Joe,
Council Bluffs and other western points. He was a delegate from Lodge
No. 37 at the Convention of 1888, and was then elected to his present
position. He was a member of the Illinois Legislature in 1886, and made
a creditable record. He introduced, and had passed through the House,
"House Bill No. 268," which provided for a State Board of Arbitration,
but before it reached the Senate the General Assembly had adjourned. Mr.
Bailey is full of energy and ability, yet does not allow his enthusiasm
to overbalance his good judgment. He has the faculty of controlling men
and at the same urging them on to a sense of the duty they owe to
themselves and those dependent upon them, as well as to their employers.
It has been but a few months since the Convention of 1888, and already
fifteen new Lodges have been organized, while about a dozen others are
ready and are clamoring for admission to the Association. The whole
Eastern section of the country yet remains to be organized, and the
switchmen throughout that section are fully alive to the needs of the
hour. The present year will witness the addition of several thousand
earnest men to the Association.
One grand element of strength is shown by this organization--namely: The
absolute equality of its members. They have not permitted designing men
to foster and establish a set of so-called "High-Class Runs" among them
to breed discord and disunion. One switchman is the same as another, and
a thousand are but as one, in all the essential points that originally
brought them together. Other railway labor organizations have allowed
grades and castes to grow up in their Orders, those of the lower grade
having scarcely any rights that the others are bound to respect and
assist them to maintain. Not so with the switchmen; the young blood in
their Association will enable them to steer clear of the rocks and
shoals that are sadly trying the timbers of the older Orders.
In the strike upon the Burlington system this Association was not
officially connected, and had no part whatever in the management or
final settlement of that trouble.
"We know what Master laid thy keel,
What workman wrought thy ribs of steel,
Who made each mast and sail and rope,
What anvils rang, what hammers beat,
In what a forge, and what a heat,
Were shaped the anchors of thy hope."
THE GREAT STRIKE.
In order to give our readers an intelligent understanding of the causes
that led to the strike, it will be necessary to state that for a number
of years an iniquitous system of classification had been in vogue on the
Chicago Burlington & Quincy lines--a system under which gross injustice
was done to engineers and firemen, in that they were so graded that
their wages were reduced far below the average of the recognized
standard of pay on ninety per cent of the roads in the United States and
Canada.
For years the men were dissatisfied; all along the lines could be heard
the mutterings of discontent. The complaints touching the grievances
were universal; and these complaints expanded into proportions of the
gravest character. The tendency of the agitation was toward organized
action. Engineers and firemen realized the necessity of co-operation,
and, as a consequence, committees of the two Brotherhoods were convened
in Chicago, in the month of January, 1888. Joint action was decided upon
as the basis of operation. S. E. Hoge was selected as Chairman of the
Engineers' Committee, and J. H. Murphy as Chairman of the Firemen.
The following schedule of grievances was prepared, which met with the
unanimous approval of the joint committees. This schedule was presented
to the officials of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy road in a spirit of
moderation and fairness. Every proposition had been carefully
considered, and there was no disposition to take any undue advantage of
the company.
BROTHERHOOD'S SCHEDULE.
_Revised Schedule of Wages Governing the Pay of Engineers and
Firemen on the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad and Operated
Lines, Presented to the General Managers on February 15, 1888, by
Committee of Engineers and Firemen._
_Article I._
No engineer or fireman shall be suspended or discharged without
just or sufficient cause; and in case an engineer or fireman
believes his discharge or suspension to have been unjust, he shall
make out a written statement of the facts in the premises, and
submit it to his Master Mechanic, and at the same time designate
any other engineer or fireman (as the accused may wish) who may be
in the employ of the Company; and the Master Mechanic, together
with the engineer or fireman last referred to, shall, in
conjunction with the Superintendent, investigate the case in
question without unnecessary delay, and render a prompt decision;
and in case the aforesaid discharge or suspension is decided to be
unjust, he (the accused) shall be at once reinstated, and shall be
paid for all time lost on such account.
_Article II._
SECTION 1. Engineers and firemen shall be called at a reasonable
time before leaving time. The caller shall have a book, in which
the engineer and fireman must register their names and time when
called. Engineers' and firemen's time shall commence when they take
charge of the engine; or, if the engine is not ready, the time they
report at the office for duty, and shall end at the time designated
on roundhouse register as arriving, or otherwise relieved from
duty. Time shall be taken from roundhouse register, instead of
conductor's register or train-sheet.
SEC. 2. When engineers or firemen are ordered out, and not used on
account of train being abandoned, or other causes, the engineer or
fireman called on duty shall receive pay for one-half (½) day for
five (5) hours or less, and stand first out.
_Article III._