Show NO STRIKE ON I ITHE I THE IO Skeggs Would Not Go Back If Offered a State Statement ment mp riy 4 i M 4 M M 4 M 4 M t Denver Colo Cob Oct OcL will ill 4 be no strike of telegraph operators op f 4 on the Denver Rio Grande rail railroad f 4 road on account of the discharge of f Wire Chief R H H Skeggs of ot Grand f Junction 4 i if f Special to The Herald f Denver Demer Colo Cob Oct OcL 22 Skeggs in ina Ina f f a letter to the 0 O R It T says sas that f he has another position and that if f even een he were reinstated he would f 4 I Inot 4 not go back to work He says sa s he f 4 does not want to work any an hard hardship hardship f f ship on the men by b being the cause f of a strike and therefore withdraws f the Hie controversy i if f Skeggs action deprives the 0 O R RT f 4 T of grounds for refusing to settle 4 4 the strike The O 0 R H T men and f 4 the tile striking telegraphers are 4 4 nant at Skeggs action i H F 4 i p 4 STATEMENT Skeggs Is Charged With Flagrant Refusal Ref sal to Obey Orders The following statement was Issued from the general offices of the Denver Rio Grande and the Rio Grande Western estern at Denver Det er erThe The following facts are given gien concern ing the dismissal from the service of this company com pan of R It H Skeggs wire chief and operator at Grand Junction On Sept 21 1907 Superintendent of Telegraph J M 31 I Walker directed that a break in commercial telegraph wire No extending on and along alon the right o of way of this company which had failed west of Grand Junction be located and mado made good which instructions Wire Chief Skeggs positively and in terms re refused refused fused to carry out The Denver Rio Grande Railroad company and the Rio Grande Western estern Railway company under their contract with the Western estern Union Telegraph com company company company pany made in among amonI other obligations obligations agreed to exercise the same care and diligence In the maintenance and repair of the wire or wires that the telegraph company has or may have hae along said railroads that the railway companies do In the maintenance and re repair repair repair pair of the wire or wires used exclusive exclusively ly 13 I by themselves There are on the telegraph poles on and along the right of way of or this com corn company company pany wires devoted to the exclusive use of the railway company and wires de devoted devoted devoted voted to the use of the tho telegraph com corn company company pany with a right ri ht In the railway com corn company compan pany pan in case of necessity nece s t to use any an anor of or the wires Line repair men are em employed employed by b the railroad company and un under under under der the direction of the wire chiefs who are ar located at the principal division ter terminals terminals terminals are required to keep leep in repair and operation all alt of the telegraph wires men mentioned mentioned The telegraph wires under the charge of Mr Skeggs aa as wire chief cov coy covered covI I ered the territory extending ext from New NewCastle Ne NeI NewCastle I Castle Colo Coo to Helper Helver Utah All wire ire chiefs make dally daily dall reports to the superintendent of telegraph on the condition at 7 j a m of all wires in the territory under their supervision and where interruptions existed such reports Include the result of or tests made fixing the character and locality of or such interruptions and it is their duty dut from time to time as required to make malte tests of wires in their jurisdiction to correct interruptions that may ma occur if such cor correction correction can be made in the wire chiefs chiers office or If the services of linemen are required to direct linemen to tl proceed to such point of trouble and make necessary repairs The dally daily reports of wire chiefs are on file In the office They The were mule mode larl by Mr Skeggs s In Including eluding the day on which he refused to comply com pl with ith the order to o locate and cor correct correct reet trouble with commercial wire No lOs which failed after atter the morning report Instructions from the superintendent o or of telegraph similar to those of Sept 21 which Mr Skeggs gs disobeyed had from time to time to that date been is issued issued sued and were by Mr Ir Skeggs carried carrl d dout out and as 85 late as Sept 17 Ii an order al almost almost almost most the same In phraseology and md in substance Id identical with the one of Sept 91 21 1 relating to trouble with the same commercial wire No was sent to Mr Ir Continued on page 3 i 1 NO WO STRIKE ON THE RIO GRANDE Continued From Page 1 Skeggs Skaggs and by him complied with There Therefore Therefore Therefore fore his refusal to do on Sept 21 1 what had Iad been a part of his daily duty as incumbent in incumbent incumbent of the office of wire chief 1 at t Grand Junction and which he had per performed performed performed formed theretofore Is Inexplicable This company must and desires to car carry carry carry ry out in good faith all an Its contract obligations obligations obligations Mr lr Skeggs refusal to test commercial com commercial commercial mercial wire No lOti would if it condoned create a violation of the tho obligation obligation obligation gation under Its contract with the West Western Western est estern ern Union Telegraph company compan His re refusal refusal refusal to carry out a proper order of at a superior officer the superintendent of tel telegraph graph is destructive of discipline and under the circumstances the company was compelled to remove him from the service If one may exercise his j pleasure as to the orders l he will accept Iud and the orders he will refuse efu a to obey In other words constitute himself the Judge HS RS to the propriety of his Instructions then every one of ot the or 1000 em employ ploy s in the service can do 10 the same samer r on this is unnecessary The company feels that Its in nil all departments realize that respect for authority compliance with regulations and cheerful and prompt carrying out of oC all proper instructions from the constituted constItuted constituted heads of the various departments Is absolutely essential to the proper conduct con conduct duct dud of railway business and to the wel welfare welfare welfare fare and safety of ot the public and the of at the company It is confident confidently ly h belleN that when the tho circumstances are understood the action of the com company company company pany in the case of Mr Skeggs will meet the approbation of the public and of the I extremely extreme I regret that an who has been some years In the service should so far err in hi his conception con of ot his duty to the company as to compel it to take taka summary action Signed C C H Vice President o |