Show imi THE cbs WILL THE OUTCOME BE A VICTORY FOR CAPITOL OR LASOK shall corporations and capitalists arbitrarily rule their employees correspondence of the the united states above all other countries is noted for the number potency and strength of its labor organizations strikes in many cases unknown are here of very common occurrence occur ence perhaps one of the most important the stub bornost and promisingly far reaching of all thus far is the present strike of the engineers and firemen on the chicago burlington rquincy railroad a few of its features fea might theradore ther afore be of interest to your numerous readers the question at issue is one peculiar to the case yet general in its na turo and application the demand on part of the employees being equal pay for equal work and wages equal to those paid by other roads it seems that the 0 B Q has had for many years a system of grading its engineers engin eera and firemen according to the number of years of fc ervice without reference to fitness of qualification fi A man must serve as fireman for a period of five years during which time ho is considered an apprentice ho may then run an engine out of the round house for another year or two finally he is permitted to run a switch engine for tareo additional years when he becomes a full fledged engineer a period of nine years thus passing before he is entitled to full is not our purpose to enter into a discussion of the principles involved in the cause of the pres ent strike nor to canvass the merits or demerits of either party further than to say that the demand of the strikers appears to be 3 they asking merely what is paid ur other roads they have committed no violence thus far and are ready and willing for arbitration but there are certain general necessarily involved which must present themselves to every thinking mind aside from the immediate or local question whose settlement shall determine whether the employees of the C B Q shall receive their rights as men or be reduced to a worse condition than before it is apparent that the result will be to determine whether corporations and capitalists shall arbitrarily rule their employees placing thorn as it were in a condition of almost perfect vassalage or will bo compelled to recognize them ns fellow beings possessing inviolable rights the brotherhood of engineers is a powerful organization consisting of thirty thousand members the best muscle brain and nerve in the feld of locomotive engineering gi in america it is united has considerable capital and above all is gover ened by levelheaded level headed men while the dihe policy pursued in the past and the conservative principles of the organization and the comparatively few strikes of its members are additional circumstances in favor of the strikers the struggle is therefore perhaps the most important that I 1 has thus far taken place between la 1 bor and capital and is being watched with equal anxiety by both should it fail it will demonstrate that the day of the laboring man has come that the power which the various labor organizations fondly believe they possess is yet but a shadow should it result favorably to the brotherhood capital must recognize what it has so long fought against that labor is a power and virtually its brother who will win the brotherhood is a great power with half a million dollars of available moans and twice that amount readily obtainable with chich to fight the battle ly if the question be reduced to a mere game of broeze the victory must be on the side of the corporation for the brotherhood has not when limited meaux are gone that most powerful argument to capitulate a lot of starving wives and children but there is another phase of ako tko question which the sagacious chief has not been slow to see in the hands of incapable and inexperienced engine 16 lany locomotives and cars een ruined passengers are af M ride and by no moans more th fifty per cent of the local and pr no through freight can be carried under these circumstances the question is how long will the f stockholders of the railroad consent to this ruinous policy the brotherhood being a unit tho members on other roads standing by their brethren on the C B Q positively refuse to handle any of that companas comp anys through freight in consequence of which strikes on the milwaukee and st paul atchison topeka santa fe and iowa central railroads haap already occurred while the situation on ganv other road i is precarious should the issue bo pressed the organization is prepared to fight to the bitter end and it is not beyond the improbable that the entire railroad systems of th united states canada and new conay be tied up the injury thai commerce has already sustained if something immense but abo resul tri bf such a general move are difficult to imagine and appalling so far as seen to the prophetic eye the entire business interests of the north american continent would be paralyzed large cities would be reduced t a state of famine and millions of laborers thrown out of employment such a consummation is one to be averted if possible and if the past judicious course of the and its conservative principles be considered as indicative of future action there are good grounds for believing that it will be avoided vet it is hard to determine what a body of exasperated men will resort to when pressed to the issue here we are brought face to face with three great questions of oy 1 should an organization because a few of its members are wrongly treated have the power to vindicate the nights of those few at the expense of the great multitude 2 aught a corporation for the sake of a few paltry dollars to have the power of robbing the masses of millions of wealth and causing most serious inconvenience to the entire country 3 Is it right for a corporation entrusted with a public duty to betray the confidence of that public which sustains it even if such betrayal be to its pecuniary interests T cheso aro pertinent questions and wo leave them for individual thought and careful consideration the labor question is a knotty problem and one with which moral ests philosophers fand statesmen have long and vainly wrestled there is but one solution to it and of this solution the latter day saints have been in possession over balfa halfa contu ry it was revealed through the prophet joseph smith and can be found in section seventy eight of the doctrine and covenants G march |