that much of this trouble could be avoided if the lodges under whose jurisdiction these members accept employment, would insist on their transfer to that lodge and in that way make them absolutely amenable to the collections made in the locality where they are employed. Our experience is that some lodges permit men to work within their jurisdiction for three or four years before attempting to have them transferred to such lodges-that is to the lodges within whose jurisdiction they are employed. If every member liable for Joint Protective Board assessments would pay the same, it would reduce the cost to every member who is willing to pay. I urge upon all members employed in railroad service to make it a point to assist in supporting the Joint Protective Board on the system on which they are working and in that way help in maintaining the working conditions of that system. Transferring of Members. It seems that many of our members are not familiar with the laws pertaining to the transferring of their membership from one lodge to another. A case recently came before us where a member was so unfamiliar with these laws that his impression was that all he had to do to transfer from one lodge to another was to go and pay his assessments to the lodge to which he desired to be transferred. members should always pay their assessments to the lodge to which they belong until they receive notice that they are to pay their assessments to some other lodge. We find many cases where a member will apply for a transfer and then allow himself to become expelled on the second day of the month in which he would be transferred. This makes it very bad for everybody and I urge upon all members transferring from one lodge to another to be sure their assessments are paid to the lodge they are transferred from until such time as they are notified that they are to be transferred to another lodge. Brothers do not permit yourselves to become expelled at a time when you are joining another lodge because if you are not well acquainted in that lodge and become expelled and then readmitted, the information is at once cenveyed to the lodge you are going into and it does not make them feel that they are getting a member who is going to look out for the payment of his assessments as he should. If, We aim to make the transfer of all of of our members from one lodge to another on the 15th day of the month. A notice is sent to the financial secretary of each lodge and to the member himself, advising of the date of transfer and where he is to pay his next months' assessments. on receiving these communications, the financial secretaries and members would pay particular attention to them, there would be a great deal less trouble occasioned for this office and much inconvenience would be done away with for the Members can be transferred from one lodge to another by the General Secretary and Treasurer only. No one else has authority to make such transfer and members. Forum Reduction of Convention Expenses. That, of course, would reduce the exI have been particularly interested in pense but, in my opinion, it would not give us full representation and that in letters that have appeared in the Maga- legislative bodies is what is generally zine during recent months advocating the sought after today. I have attended just reduction of convention expenses. In the one convention, and that experience has July issue in a letter under the title "Re- led me to believe that there are a numduce Convention Expenses," Bro. L. ber of ways in which expenses could be Sheely, Member Lodge 328, proposes a lessened and still every lodge be allowed plan whereby our membership would be a representative. At the convention I represented at conventions by general attended a number of delegates seemed chairmen from the various systems, etc. to have no interest whatever in the pro ceedings, and in fact some of them ab- to make the conventions as inexpensive sented themselves from the sessions to as possible to the boys at home. If we attend picture shows, bowling alleys, and will send such men to our conventions it other places of amusement. I am sure will result in a great reduction in conthat many delegates to that convention vention expenses. I could not give their lodge a satisfactory explanation as to why certain things were done or why certain things were not done, and yet on the other hand I believe that many lodges did not take the trouble to seek such information from their delegates. W. F. SIMPSON, Member Lodge 671. Business Dull in Toronto, Ontario, I desire to warn all unemployed brothers against coming to this city-Toronto, Ontario, Canada, to seek work. Quite a number of men were laid off on our road at this point on August 16th, and up to that time from the beginning of the year 95 had been laid off and the outlook for the future here is very dull. I think that we might well take a pattern from the British railroad men and make a demand that all men employed in railroad engine service join our organizations. As things are at present there are a large number of unprincipled individuals who are enjoying, without paying a cent therefor, the benefits resulting from the work of our Brotherhoods and, notwithstanding this, I have often noticed that these parasites are the first to find fault about the schedules not being lived up to by the company. If our lodges would be particular in the selection of men to serve as delegates-if they would send men who take a thorough interest in lodge affairs in general-men who are constant attendants at lodge meetings and who in the lodge room take an active part in the discussion and on the outside are silent about the affairs of the lodge, I am sure there would be a decided reduction in convention expenses. No delegate ought to feel that in going to a convention he is being sent on a pleasure excursion and take advantage of the pay he is receiving and the confidence reposed in him, to have a good time at the expense of the Brotherhood-of the men at home. I believe if everyone got right down to business at the convention I attended, eight or ten days' time could have been economized, which would have resulted in an enormous financial saving. I believe in first doing what is to be done and then Our boys here are acting the part of having a good time. We are under just men. They are contributing both men as weighty an obligation to the Brother- and money to their country in the preshood as we are to the railroad companies ent war crisis. About a dozen of the we work for, and no railroad company brothers of our lodge are amongst those would stand for the "delays" in railroad going to the front. We know these men service that characterize our conventions, will be striking a blow for the labor and had some delegates been guilty of cause, for we expect when the war is and called to account for delays in the over, that our brethren in Europe will service of the companies employing them have a larger say in politics than they such as they were responsible for as dele- have had before. It is to be hoped that gates in that convention, they would have they will then avail themselves of the had a very hard time to find excuses. But privilege of using the ballot in a more then the Brotherhood does not require effective way than we have learned to use delay reports, but pays all bills without it as yet. question, and we are the Brotherhood, and the boys at home are toiling, many of Financial them sixteen hours a day, to pay these bills. Let us send to our conventions men who are interested heart and soul in the organization-men who understand what present service conditions mean and who realize what the average engineer and fireman have to contend with today-men who can appreciate what it is to put in sixteen hours on a modern up-to-date battleship hauling from sixty to one hundred cars, and to account for every delay. Such men will take hold and try WILLIAM WORTHINGTON, and Recording Secretary, Lodge 262. A Reform Much Needed in Our We should elect our subordinate lodge officers for a period of at least three (3) years, because it takes study and experience to become an efficient lodge officer. If lodge officers are not efficient the lodge members soon lose interest and will not attend meetings, the well being of the lodge and its members are jeopard ized, and our Brotherhood consequently Boiler Makers, Cigar Makers, Bartensuffers. ders, Electrical Workers, Musicians, Inefficient lodge officers cause the Typographical, Painters, Tinners, BrickGrand Lodge officers unnecessary work, expense and annoyance. Therefore, I think our lodge officers whose duties make it necessary that they attend lodge meetings, i. e., the president, recording secretary, financial secretary, chairman of local protective board, chairman of legislative board, etc., should be compensated according to the number of members comprising the lodge, and that the offices should be made as attractive and remunerative as practicable, so that they would be sought after, and administered in a creditable manner. It is a busines proposition with us and should be handled in a business way. C. N. SMITH, Recording Secretary Lodge 21. Use the Ballot. same I wish that every issue of our Magazine contained articles along the lines as that in the July issue by Bro. W. W. Murphy, Secretary Lodge 594. How strange it is that so many thousands of our brothers seem satisfied with their lot, seem content to struggle along under existing economic conditions and each year they still continue to vote into power men who help to maintain the rule of the various trusts. How I wish that all brothers would wake up and use their voting power to liberate themselves from the economic and industrial impositions to which they are being constantly subjected. C. H. EVANS, Member Lodge 85. A. B. of L. F. and E. Man Appointed Bro. John E. Lynch, of Lodge 54, Moberly, Mo., who has held continuous membership in the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen for thirty-seven years, was recently appointed United States Marshal for the Eastern District of Missouri. layers, Carpenters, and United Mine Workers' Unions was held at the court house in Moberly for the purpose of paying tribute to and expressing the high regard of organized labor in that city for Brother Lynch. The meeting was presided over by Bro. D. G. Phillips in the absence, due to sickness, of Bro. O. E. Shedd, President of Lodge 54. HON. JOHN E. LYNCH Brother Lynch having been advised that his presence was desired at the meeting joined the assembled brothers and in due course Bro. C. S. Martin, Assistant Secretary of the last Missouri State Meeting of the B. of L. F. and E., presented Brother Lynch, in behalf of Anchor Lodge 54, with a handsome solid gold shield bearing the inscription "U. S. Marshal, Eastern District of Missouri, J. E. L." In making the presentation, Brother Martin said in part: On the evening of August 11th last a Gentlemen and Brothers-I think it rousing meeting under the auspices of only right that I should say a few words Lodge 54, and attended by prominent in behalf of our good old tried and true officers and members of the Brotherhood Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and of Locomotive Engineers, the Order of Enginemen. The B. of L. F. and E. as Railway Conductors, Brotherhood of an organization is non-partisan and nonRailroad Trainmen, Brotherhood of Railway Carmen, the Moberly Trades and Labor Assembly and of the Stationary Engineers, Blacksmiths, Machinists, sciences. sectarian. We go to the polls and cast our ballot for the man we think most fitted for the office, and serve God according to the dictates of our own con Of course, in political affairs it is only fitting that we vote for the man who has the interests of the laboring man at heart, and as a labor organization we are truly thankful to those men of political influence who have worked to the interests of the laboring class of people. But in order to have a good, true organization it is necessary to have good, true members, and that is what we have in the B. of L. F. and E. We have assembled here to do honor to a member of whom the men of our order feel justly proud. He is a man who by his manly traits of character has endeared himself to all who know him; one who has been a member of our order for thirty-seven years and who has always strictly and nobly adhered to its great principles and practiced those virtues with which its banner is inscribed-Protection, Charity, Sobriety and Industry. you; and may your reward be "such as cometh to him who doeth all things well." Brother Lynch responded in part as follows: Brothers, Citizens and Friends-It is hardly necessary for me to say to you that I greatly appreciate the kindly thoughtfulness of this gathering of representative men from so many labor organizations in presenting this token of your regard. I of your friendship and for the numerous thank you most sincerely for this emblem expressions of your good will, all of which I heartily reciprocate to the fullest de gree. you know me better than any one else. I I do not care to talk about myself, for consider that when we meet as men of common occupation we might well think of some things of vital interest to us. Therefore, I want to ask you to review some of the features of the struggle we have had in Missouri to secure what we regarded as our just due. The railroad men of Missouri, at one Ready and willing has this man been at all times to protect the interests of organized labor; charitable in the broadest sense; always ready to help those in time, were greatly interested in an imneed, either financially or otherwise; and portant piece of legislation for the protec of the highest moral standard. A man tion of ourselves and associates in our he is who, by his great manly character, work. has shown to all of us that he is as fear- known as the fellow-servant law, striving We fought for years for what is less in the defense of right and justice as against the combined opposition of the the rising sun; and withal as gentle and legislative representatives of railway corkind in his integrity as the fallen dew or the mother that fondles her child to her porations, who for reasons best known to themselves, were opposed to that measure. breast; a man who has followed the ex- I am glad to say that within the last fifample so nobly given by that truly great teen years, however, a more liberal spirit general, George Washington, "Calm in has developed among the railway comvictory, calm in defeat.". His hair is now panies and their managements and that gray but that great smiling countenance of his still beams forth a warm welcome we have today a federal law yielding the to every Brotherhood man. railroad man the surety he requires if he He is one whom we love (as it was once said of one against the many risks incurred by him is to protect the interests of his family of our presidents of the United States) in the performance of his daily work. for the enemies he has made-for he numbers his friends by his acquaintances, his enemies by a single cipher. The gentleman to whom I refer is the Hon. John E. Lynch, who was for years our legislative representative at Jefferson City, and during which time valuable legislation in the interest of our orders was secured, and who has recently been appointed Marshal of the Eastern District of Missouri. Therefore, Brother Lynch, it is indeed with great pleasure that I present to you, in behalf of Anchor Lodge 54, B. of L. F. and E., this present, which represents in a very small way the high esteem in which you are held and the brotherly love manifested by that lodge; not only as the good and true member of our order that you are, but also for your noble, honest and upright citizenship, and we trust you will accept this token in the same pure spirit of brotherly love in which it is given. Brother Lynch, may the God of heaven in His almighty power give you strength to enable you to perform the duties of your office in that spirit of honesty and fearless integrity for which you are so well known and may He abundantly bless In 1893, in company with others, I went to Jefferson City to try to secure a fellow-servant law. We encountered could bring to bear. greater opposition than any pressure we Nevertheless, we did our best and fought our way through the session of the general assembly, and here, I hope it will not come amiss for me to say something of the interest taken by the Governor of Missouri at that time, J. Stone. From the inception of our ef our present great U. S. Senator, William forts he co-operated with us and aided us in every way he could, but at that session the opposition was too much for us. Two years intervened, and we continued our efforts to build up public sentiment in our favor believing that when the public should be aroused to the importance and fairness of this legislation, we would have no difficulty in obtaining favorable action from representatives of the people in the general assembly. When the session of 1895 convened, your representatives again went to Jefferson City. Governor Stone took up the fight for us in his message and fought with his unexcelled zeal and energy to bring about the enactment of the bills we were pressing. How Governor Stone struggled like the lion he is to overcome the entrenched forces of the railroad corporations, whose representatives blindly opposed our move, is well known to all who watched the contest. When the legislature failed in the complete fulfillment of what he deemed to be its duty, Governor Stone appealed to the people of the State for support in the fight, and called the legislature in extra session. The extra session was a long-fought battle, in which the railroad representatives won a doubtful victory, for, although that session did not pass our bills, the next following session put them through almost without a struggle. Why? The reason was that Governor Stone tired of the inaction of the legislators, went before the people and urged the nomination of men for the legislature who would not thus disregard the public will. He campaigned the State during the following year, and by his speeches and personal efforts so aroused the people that an overwhelming majority of our friends were sent to the legislature which met in 1897. In conclusion, let me say that I was not interested in this fight for myself alone, nor do I claim any credit for what has been accomplished, but I did what I could, and merely my duty. I had two brothers in railroad service, one of whom died last January from injuries he received in an accident on the Southern Pacific, when he ran an engine into an open switch. Had his death occurred prior to the passage of the law for which Governor Stone fought so faithfully, his widow would not have been able to recover a cent. How can we over-estimate the work of Senator Stone when he secured the passage of so just a law? Following Brother Lynch's response addresses were made by Bros. Geo. H. Lyons, General Chairman of the Wabash Line, of Detroit, Mich., in behalf of the O. R. C.; E. C. Whitesitt, B. of L. F. and E., attorney at law from Kansas City; H. A. Mosher, President of the Moberly Trades and Labor Assembly; William Maslen, Chairman of the Machinists' Grievance Since that time, as I have said, condi- Committee of the Wabash; C. B. Dysart, tions have vastly changed. Now any man who opposes a fellow-servant or an em- Chairman State Board of Mediation; J. ployers' liability law in any State or in O. Lingo, President of the Carpenters' congress, is disregarded, and can scarcely Union, and J. J. Cadigan, President of obtain a respectful hearing. I believe, the Boiler Makers' Union. yes, I know that our fight in Missouri paved the way for this fortunate and gratifying condition. R. L. MAXWELL, R. and F. Secretary, Lodge 54. OUR ORGANIZATION By JOHN E. BJORKHOLM* the fact that the age of individualism is past, is either a hypocrite or mentally defective. Organization is, according to our friend Webster-a connection of parts in and for a whole, so that each part is, at once, end and means-and he might have There was a time when a man leading added "a step towards a greater and more an army of thoroughly organized soldiers, cooperative common whealth." Organiza- victorious from one battlefield to another, tion is almost as old as history, be it or marching from continent to continent to ganization of people of religious creeds, the strain of their national anthem acorganization of citizens in the form of armies, or organization of capital. After companied by the cannon roar and the these various organizations having demon- moaning of the wounded, was considered strated their usefulness or the success of by the masses as the greatest man of his organized bodies, labor became aroused to the necessity of organization which culminated in our present labor organizations and later federations of such organized bodies. The crying need of them has been demonstrated from time to time, in fact, is being demonstrated every day, and the worker who fails to acknowledge *Local Chairman Lodge 180, Milwaukee, Wis. time. But that time has gone, conditions have in mind and we should advocate and |