W. W. Miller, the genial Secretary of Lodge No. 83. at Fort Worth, Texas, was recently married. Success to you, William, is the wish of all. The Southern Pacific has recently had the misfortune of having snow slides, and a tunnel burned out, which greatly delayed traffic for about ten days. Charles Fetcher, member of Morning Star Lodge No. 88, will resume his duties in the near future, having been laid up for some time with sickness. John G. Driscoll is one of Lodge No. 19's best members, and it is always a pleasure to meet him because he always has a kind word for everyone. The Ladies' Society at Parsons, Kan., starts out under the most favorable conditions, and the future outlook for this society is very encouraging. Lodge No. 330 keeps the raw material constantly worked up into Brotherhood men. As soon as a man becomes eligible to membership he is taken in. Twin City Society No. 45, located at Texarkana, Texas, is now in good working order, and the future has many good things in store for this society. The members of Ladies' Society No. 32 know how to entertain. Just ask the members of 337 and they can tell you, as they speak from experience. Lodge 260, at Sacramento, Cal., is on a boom. They took in seven new members during the week ending Nov. 19, 1898, and have many more in sight. Lodge No. 97, at Los Angeles, Cal., is climbing the ladder of success. This lodge admitted twelve new members during the week ending Nov. 3. 1898. A. J. Edgar is in the grocery business in Salt Lake City, Utah, and it is said that he is doing a good business. Bro. Edgar is one of 178's best members. Thomas Morgan, of Lodge No. 88, at Evanston, Wyo., is one of our prominent members in the Western District. It is always a pleasure to meet him. P. J. Forbes is Receiver of Lodge No. 24, and a good one at that. Pat can always be relied upon to get the money in on time. C. W. Jaminet keeps the records of Great Western Lodge No. 24 in a business-like manner. It will be but a short time until a new lodge will be instituted at Stockton, Cal., which will be composed of men on the San Joaquin Valley Railroad. Lodge No. 8 has so many good members that it is impossible to give all of them an individual notice, so I will bunch all of them and say they are hard to beat. Fred. Neff, of Lodge No. 58, at Rocklin, Cal., is at work for the city putting the streets in good order. This will add greatly to the appearance of that city. Mt. Whitney Lodge No. 139, at Sumner, Cal., is on a boom. The goat was in service a whole week recently and nine new members took a ride with him. Highland Lodge No. 467, at Albuquerque, recently made a home run and landed sixteen new members in less than three days, which is a record to be proud of. Indifference is shown to the cause of organized labor by non-union men oftentimes because of their indifference to their own welfare more than anything else. W. T. Barker, Master, and C. T. Largent, Secretary of Lodge No. 337, are ably assisted in keeping things in good order by the various members of the lodge. Charles Fetscher is one of Lodge No. 88' good members. It is always a pleasure to meet him, and at no distant day we expect to see him a full-fledged engineer. Jack Penny, of Lodge No. 260, at Sacramento, Cal., is now at Dunsmuir, hostling. Jack is an old-time Brotherhood man, and is well liked by all who know him. C. T. Pratt, Secretary and Collector of Lodge No. 78, is all right. He knows how to collect the money and how to keep the records of his office in proper shape. N. O. Harris, Master, and H. F. Sheble, Secretary, of Lodge No. 330, are the right men in the right places. The interests of their lodge are looked after properly. To the young member who has just joined the Brotherhood: Your work is not simply one with your membership in the lodge, but it is a work for the good of humanity. Rocky Mountain Lodge No. 77, located at Denver, Col., is among our best Western lodges, and the outlook for this lodge is very bright. Lodge No. 77 has many old-time members who are stayers with the good cause. The locomotive firemen on the M. K. & T. Railway may well be proud of the good feeling that exists between them and the management. Long may it continue. Pacific Lodge No. 173, at Winslow, Ariz., recently called out "smoke up," and smoke up she did, and twelve new members were added to her roll of membership. Great Western Lodge No. 24 will give a grand ball on January 2d, a splendid way to begin the new year. All are invited to participate in the general entertainment. Pat Beckum, member of 24, is General Chairman of the M. K. & T. Railway Sytem Joint Protective Board. Pat is recognized as one of the best chairmen in the West. The Southern Pacific has just completed a new ferry boat that runs between Oakland and San Francisco. It is said that this boat is one of the fastest of her kind in existence. Jerry McCarthy, one of 24's staunch members, has been away on a vacation, but will soon report for duty and resume his run between Parsons, Kans., and Muskogee, I. T. The outlook for the Brotherhood from all points of view in the Western District never was better. Splendid indications of good management can be observed at all points. If indications count for anything, the largest increase in membership in the history of the Brotherhood will take place in the Western District during the next few months. Organized labor does not claim that the world owes the workingman a living, it only says the world owes the working man an opportunity to make an honest living by his work. R. W. Fidler, Master of Lodge No. 260, is the right man in the right place. To him is due considerable of the credit for the splendid showing now being made by his lodge. Frank Andrews, Past Master of Lodge No. 8, is one of Denison's best boys. The members of his lodge may well feel proud of him, as he is a good representative on all occasions. One motto of the Brotherhood is "industry," and this is symbolized by the bee hive. The busy bee has no use for the drone. The drone does not work, but lives off the labors of the others. Let there be no drones in the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen, let us all be workers. Kaw Valley Lodge No. 313 had a long and a hard siege to pull through after the strike of 1894, but she is now past the danger line, and it is in good fighting trim for the future. Jack Garson, of Rose City Lodge No. 45, is doing a good business in the insurance line on the Iron Mountain Railroad. Jack is a good fellow and is well liked by all who know him. The outlook for the Brotherhood in and around DeSoto, Mo., is all right. Our members are busily engaged with plenty of work which insures us a prosperous lodge at that point. The wives, mothers, sisters and daughters No. 6 will, in a short time, organize a Ladies' of the members of Pride of the West Lodge Society in DeSoto, with a good charter membership. J. E. Harrison and J. M. Brickhouse, Master and Secretary of Lodge No. 45, are great workers in the cause of the Brotherhood, and they are ably assisted by many good brothers. The members of Great Western Lodge No. 24 feel very proud of their new Ladies' Society, and now they will have entertainments galore. May 47 always prosper, is the wish of all. Rain has been falling plentifully in California, and this insures a good crop for the coming season. This means that our members in that section of the country will have plenty of work to do. The sisters of Lodge No. 44 say they will make their society second to none, and from the way they are starting out it looks as though they will carry their declaration out. Success to you, ladies. Primrose Lodge No. 80, of the Ladies' Society, located at Little Rock. Ark., has taken on new life, and from present indications this will become one of the best societies in the Southwest. Lodge No. 260, at Sacramento, Cal., admitted eleven new members during the early part of December, and there is every evidence that many more non-union men will come into her ranks soon. J. K. Fairley is an old-timer in Denison, and is an earnest and enthusiastic worker for the Brotherhood. It will be found that he is ever ready to defend the Order under any and all circumstances. Many members of the Brotherhood have been promoted to the position of engineers out in the Western country during the past few months, and in nearly every instance they have given satisfaction. Lodge No. 312 from now on will experience an increase in membership. Business on the road has fallen off some and this will give the boys a chance to get together and initiate some non-union men. William Verry, one of 88's old-timers, is still performing the duties of a brakeman on the Union Pacific, out of Evanston. It is said that it will not be very long until he will be carrying the way-bills. The non-union men are beginning to real ize that their place is in the Brotherhood, and many who have not fired the required length of time say they will join just as soon as they are eligible to membership. The railroad ladies of DeSoto. Mo., gave a nice spread to the members of Lodge No. 6, on December 8th, at the close of the meeting, when five non-union firemen of that place became Brotherhood men. Ike Dean, of 83, is an old stand-by in his lodge. Some of the older members can remember Ike quite well way back in the eighties, when it required considerable nerve to be a member of a labor organization. The ladies of Twin City Society No. 45 came out in full force to hear the lecture on the good of the Order on December 6, 1898. The sisters of No. 45 are quite earnest, and expect to make their society a good one. John Clopton, of Trinity Lodge No. 83, has recently been promoted to the right hand side, and has been transferred to Clarendon, Tex. John was a good Master, and the members of 83 will miss him very much. J. F. Canady, Past Master of Lodge No. 98, was recently married to one of California's fair daughters, and is now living at Wadsworth, Nev. Here's to you, Fred; may you always be prosperous and happy. When you buy a cigar that does not bear the union label, how are you to know that it was not made in China Town" in San Francisco, by dirty, filthy Chinese laborers? The inspector of the City of San Francisco recently ordered cleaned or closed, some of the cigar establishments that were operated by Chinese workmen, and the dirt and filth found in those shops is utterly beyond description. Primrose Society is made up of some of the most energetic ladies that it has been my pleasure to meet for many a day. May the future of this society be always bright, and their influence for good never grow less. The members of Ladies' Society No. 44 know how to reach the hearts of the members of No. 83. To attend a joint meeting of these lodges is a genuine pleasure, as there is always something good to eat in store. The Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen has been a great factor to the locomotive enginemen of North America. Without the influence of the Brotherhood, locomotive firemen would be but little better off than slaves. There is considerable talk of holding a union meeting of the several railroad organizations in St. Louis in the near future. This is a good idea, and our members should encourage the movement in every way possible. Bro. Fairbanks has been elected Master of Lodge No. 143, to succeed Bro. Nash, the latter having resigned on account of being assigned to a run that would make it impossible for him to attend the meetings of the lodge. Harry Palmer is one of 78's good boys. Harry could hardly wait till he had fired long enough, he was so anxious to join the Brotherhood. It is to be regretted that all non-union men do not look at the matter in the same light Lodge No. 83, at Fort Worth, Texas, has a membership of over one hundred, and the lodge is in a most excellent condition. The members of this lodge may well feel proud of the work they have accomplished during the past few years. Arrow Head Lodge No. 314, located at San Bernardino, Cal., said to the nonunion firemen, Get in the clear," and nine of them did so in short order. The danger signal is out for more of them. Don't run by, boys. San Francisco, Cal., is only reached by boat by those who come from the East to visit that city. Ferry boats cross the bay every thirty minutes during the day, to enable the people to take trains at Oakland. Besides, many people live in Oakland who have their business or employment in San Francisco. Lodge No. 344, at Trinidad, Col., has made a splendid showing in the last two years in the way of getting members. Bro. Wells, the Master, has been a devoted worker in the cause of the Order on the U. P. D. & G. out of that city. Economy should be practiced where it is possible to do so, for if we are careful with our earnings in prosperity, when adversity overtakes us it will not be necessary for us to call upon charity for sustenance. admonition applies only to those who know not the value of their money. This To belong to a labor organization does not mean that a fight will be made on any one. All differences in the future, with but From the present indications, the call made by Grand Master Sargent to begin the work on July 1, 1899, with 30,000 members, will meet with an ample response, and the Western District will more than make good few exceptions, will be adjusted by peacethe required number. Robert Brown, Past Master of Lodge No. 178, at Salt Lake City, Utah, is still in the employ of the city waterworks company. Bob was always a good Brotherhood man, and it seems that his interest in the Order does not wane in the least. Sobriety is a virtue that should be practiced by all. Many hard-earned dollars sometimes find their way to the drinkinghouse. Brothers, take care of your dollars while you are young, and when you are old your dollars will take care of you. Whenever a candidate is initiated in Red River Lodge No. 8, he never forgets it. This lodge is well equipped for doing the work, and the members know how to confer the degree in a manner that makes the ceremony both impressive and lasting. The Texas & Pacific Railroad is one of the best organized Brotherhood roads in the South. The most cordial relations exist be tween the members of the Brotherhood employed on that system and the management. May nothing ever occur that will in any way mar this good feeling. William Fairbanks, Master of Lodge No. 143, is a rustler. Just keep an eye on the record he is going to make for that lodge. He is ably assisted by Bros. Turnbull, Hayden, Stine, Ward, Robertson and Nash, and these brothers will leave no stone unturned to make of 143 a banner lodge. Texas is a large state. It is sometimes said that Texas is as large as the United States. It makes no difference about the size of the state. One thing is sure, and that is the Brotherhood men in the State of Texas are doing good work within her borders and are taking in more firemen than are being taken in in any other state in the Union, the number of firemen employed being taken into consideration. able means. The strike will only be known There are so many good members in Lodge No. 243 that it is impossible to attempt to single them out. Lodge No. 177, located at Marshall, Tex., is rapidly increasing in membership. E. S. Hardy, Master of Lodge No. 177, is an old-time Brotherhood man, and is an earnest worker in the good cause. Some firemen say they can't get along Yes, and we without the Brotherhood. know some that do; but such men can rest assured that their Brotherhood neighbors are putting up two dollars to protect the interests of these non-union men when one dollar would suffice if all belonged to the Brotherhood. J. J. Murphy, the legal adviser of the Brotherhood, has his office on the fifth floor of the Kittredge Building, in Denver, Col., and the elevator in this building does not run on Sunday afternoons. Should anyone desire to visit Bro. Murphy, take my advice and visit him during the week, for I now know how to climb stairs to perfection. December 1, 1898, was the twenty-fifth anniversary of the organization of the BrothThe Order erhood of Locomotive Firemen. now has some 28,000 members and 545 local lodges. Compare the Organization today with what it was December 1, 1873, when it was instituted with eleven firemen as members. Truly the work of man is wonderful. M. H. Frederick, of Lodge No. 260, is now at work in the shops of the S. P. R. R. at Sacramento, Cal. Bro. Frederick met with a painful accident on July 2d last, the result of the turning over of his engine, at which time the head brakeman, Mr. Edwards, was killed. It is to be hoped that Bro. Frederick will soon be able to resume his work on the road. The members of the Brotherhood may well be pleased to know that in the management of the Fort Worth & Denver City and the Texas Pacific Railroads we have warm friends. It has often been demonstrated to the entire satisfaction of all, that such friendship should be reciprocated by a strict attention to duty. This seems to be the case on the part of our members in the locality of Fort Worth. Always ask for the union label when you buy goods of any kind. The merchant will keep what you want if you will only advise him. Purchases of union-made goods means to the person who made them, shorter hours and better wages. Non-union made articles mean to the non-union workman just what working forty hours to go a hundred miles meant to the locomotive fireman before the Brotherhood came into existence. The members of the Brotherhood are taking great interest in the Order everywhere now, and this will insure the thirty thousand members by July 1st, and perhaps we will reach thirty-five thousand by convention time in 1900 if the present interest is kept up. There is no lack of material at hand, and good material at that. Keep the good work going, boys. The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad Company has secured control of the San Joaquin Valley Railway, that runs from Stockton to Bakerfield Cal. This line will soon be completed to Oakland, where a connection will be made with the boat that will allow the Santa Fe people to reach San Francisco. From Bakerfield to Mojave the Santa Fe will run over the Southern Pacifc tracks. This will save the Santa Fe the ex pense of constructing sixty-eight miles of road through the mountains, which would cost that company about as much as it would to build a road across the entire State of Kansas. It will only be a short time until the Santa Fe will be the longest railroad in the world. The Santa Fe people are very enterprising and will do a great deal to help the State of California. Miscellaneous. The members of Lodge No. 284 are putting forth great efforts for an increase of the membership of that lodge. Mr. Webb C. Ball, the manufacturer of the B. of L. F. Standard watch. has issued a beautiful calendar for the year 1899. The Bloomington Pantagraph compliments the members of Lodge No. 40 on the splendid success of their twenty-third annual ball. Elm City Lodge No. 284, at New Haven, Conn., will give its fourteenth annual concert and soiree in Music Hall, January 25, 1899. The second annual ball of Sherman Lodge No. 366 was held at Lancaster, Ohio, in ber 26th. The eleventh annual ball of Lodge No. 18, at Slater, Mo., will be given by the members of that lodge on January 3d, at the Opera House. Blooming Lodge No. 40 held its twenty-third annual ball on Thanksgiving Eve, and it is reported to have been a "Blooming" success. Grand Master Sargent has given his consent for me to work during the months of Y. M. I. Hall, on Monday evening, DecemJanuary and February along the line of the Southern Pacific Railway. I will begin the work in the early part of January, at Houston, Texas, and will visit in succession lodges 146. 506, 145, 263, 281. 135, 94, 97, 314, 139, 143, 91, 260, 58, 19, 98, 312, 542. 167, 193, 348, 88, 87, 86 and 438. I will stay with each of these lodges just as long as I can do any good there. I hope the brothers will prepare for some good meetings. I will have my stereopticon with me and will be prepared to hold open or closed meetings, just as the members prefer. Get your candidates ready, and we will thin out the ranks of the non-union firemen and have a good time generally. Grand Secretary and Treasurer Arnold has mailed to secretaries of subordinate lodges, explicit instructions and blanks relating to the new law requiring bonds of lodge Receivers, etc. Above all things, Secretaries and lodges should attend to this business promptly. |