being made to make the men who will occupy the cars as comfortable as possible during their stay. "The train was expected to arrive in this city early yesterday morning, but late last night it had not pulled into the Union Station, where guns and other paraphernalia are awaiting it, along with a number of colored porters and waiters, who will care for the officials and policemen while they are stationed in this city. "It was denied last night at the train dispatchers office that there was such a train coming to this city to protect the railroad property should trouble arise among the trainmen, but according to persistent reports the train is coming, and it is expected here early this morning. It was learned early this morning that the special trains carrying officers will be rushed here from all parts of the Pennsylvania system. 66 "Coming as far west as Chicago by Sunday night it is believed that fully 500 special policemen and officials will be in this city. It is proposed by the company to make this instruction camp to teach these men how to protect their property, and if trouble is started they will be sent to their respective divisions." July 14, 1913, first page story: "The large force of Pennsylvania Railroad police that came in to Harrisburg Friday and Saturday and set up camp along the Linglestown road near the railroad tracks laughed yesterday when asked if their mission to this city was to protect the railroad in case of a strike. The men stated that they were in Harrisburg on their annual outing and that they had nothing with them but their revolvers. "There are about 450 men in the camp and they come from all points on the eastern division. Yesterday in full-dress uniforms they drilled under the burning sun. The officers stated that, should a strike take place, it would be their duty to protect the railroad. "The drill yesterday took place before hundreds of spectators. "It is customary during these annual encampments to take the men out one or two times and drill them, so that when trouble of any kind arises they are able to handle the situation. This is also done to keep the uniform system over the Pennsylvania lines from New York to St. Louis. "It was denied by both the officials of this city and the members of the force that they had either Winchester rifles or ammunition. So far, the men have not done any target practicing and it was stated will not, as they have nothing to practice with. "In the face of these denials, however, it is said that boxes of rifles and ammunition and riot clubs have been received in this city. "The men represent the police force of the Pennsylvania Railroad of the lines east of Pittsburgh and Erie. They represent all capacities of the railroad, from the superintendent to the cop. The men are under command of Supt. Harper, of Philadelphia, who is head of the police of the eastern lines. They came from all the terminal points on the eastern lines, including New York, Philadelphia, Camden, Baltimore, Jersey City, Williamsport, Renova, Pottstown, Altoona, Pittsburgh, Erie, and many other cities. "In quartering these men the company is using 13 Pullman sleepers, three dining cars, and two commissary cars. It was said they will leave Tuesday and Wednesday." In same issue of Patriot, July 12, 1913, first page heading: 66 Say railroads must recede to prevent strike-Leaders are authorized to declare formal strike any time-At Washington to-day-Interest will center at Capitol in conference with Wilson." One-column box read: "What the railroad strike would mean : "Railroads affected, 52, operating 50,000 miles of tracks in 18 States, including New England, Middle Atlantic States, Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. Total gross incomes, $957,190,000. "Annual pay roll, conductors and trainmen, on present basis of pay, approximately $85,000,000. Increase men now ask $17,000,000. "Annual pay roll, conductors and trainmen, if strike is won, $102,000,000. The employees affected, 90,000. "Number voting for strike, 75,734. Conductors, 11,808; trainmen-referring to brakemen and flagmen-60,829. "Number voting against strike, 3,077-conductors, 1,446; trainmen, 1,631. "Their chief demands are 20 per cent wage increase and adjustment of working hours. “Organizations involved: Order of Railway Conductors and Brotherhood of Railway Trainmen." July 15, 1913, front page: "The second force of armed policemen of the Pennsylvania Railroad east of the Ohio River arrived in this city yesterday morning to receive instructions on how to protect the railroad property in case of trouble. They proceeded to the instruction camp, which is situated along the Linglestown road near Rockville, where they will remain until to-night, when thev will leave for their respective divisions and the camp will be broken up. "There were nearly 400 men with the force which arrived here yesterday morning, and while they were coming into camp about half that number were returning to their homes. The latter force arrived here early Saturday morning, and have received their instructions. "The instructions consisted of the handling of riot guns, target practice, and drills, and during the three days since the camp has been opened about 600 railroad policemen from New York, Buffalo, and from as far west as Chicago have receiving training. "The entire day was spent at pistol practice, which was held on the Lucknow rifle range and was under the direction of Lieut. H. G. Olsen, of the Pittsburgh police force. Lieut. Olsen is a crack shot and is one of a team of four who during their service in the United States Army held the world's record as pistol shot. "Nearly the entire force which arrived yesterday morning were instructed by Lieut. Olsen on how to handle their guns in case of trouble. He also demonstrated to the men his art of shooting by placing seven shots in the center of the target at a distance of 25 yards, out of as many trials. This gave the instructor a perfect score. A number of the policemen watched the lieutenant handle firearms, and before the day's practice was over nearly all of the men were making high scores. Pistol practice continued until 6 o'clock last evening, when the men were ordered to the dining cars for supper. "Immediately after the evening meal all the patrolmen, attired in blue uniforms and white-top hats, proceeded to an adjoining field, where a dress parade was held. This drill was under the command of Capt. Robt. Cusick, of the superintendent of police headquarters at Philadelphia. "Supt. of Police Harper confessed yesterday that the camp was held in order to teach the railroad police how to protect the company property. "I knew that this camp was to be held at Harrisburg,' said the superintendent, but I did not know when. I was on my vacation when the messenger came to me Friday morning stating that I was to prepare for the instruction camp. It was a very short notice, but until Saturday morning everything was in readiness, and on Saturday morning breakfast was eaten there. "When the train pulled into this city early on Saturday morning there were about 311 policemen on it, of which 120 were former Army men. Some of the cars, sleepers, and dining cars which were in the train had to be brought all the way from Chicago. "We have now in the service of the railroad force east of the Ohio River 525 uniformed men and 750 regular officers, including superintendents, inspectors, captains, and lieutenants. They are the best men we can find. We protect our police force to the best of our knowledge and equip them with the best firearms and ammunition which can be gotten. If we find any flaws in the revolvers or ammunition, we will throw them away and get new, for we do not want any accident to happen to the policemen which could be avoided. Just to-day we found at least 10 revolvers among the men who participated in the target practice which back-fired, and I ordered them throw away and new ones secured.' "After the day's instructions were completed the policemen were entertained by a baseball game, which was played on an adjoining field between men picked from the main-line force and Baltimore division, the latter coppers losing to the score of 19 to 4." On the same day's paper, same page (first), appeared the heading: "Railroad men will arbitrate under new bill-Conference at Washington ends in agreement with trainmen-Bill to be law to-night-Railroads and brotherhoods agree to armistice until to-morrow." The commission will notice that the interview with Superintendent Harper was published almost two years ago, yet no denial of its authenticity or accuracy has been received by the newspaper publishing it-the Patriot. The num ber of men employed in police work was given freely by the superintendent, as was the entire interview. As stated before your commission, the police were withdrawn after decision to arbitrate was arrived at by the board of managers and the officials of the brotherhoods. During his testimony Mr. Atterbury said, in effect, that the various superintendents see only the bad men who come before them for discipline. There have been reported to me details of conferences which men have held with various superintendents over grievances, in which the superintendent is said to have given out false information to one set of committeemen, charging, in detail, other members of the brotherhoods serving on grievance committee with having taken active interest in brotherhood matters only when their own class was affected. One man has told me how he forced one of the Pennsylvania's superintendents to retract such a statement, though not until some time had elapsed, during which time the injured man was obliged to suffer the odium of suspicion resting upon him in his brotherhood as a result of charges made against him. The charges were preferred by men to whom the superintendent is said to have given the false information. Names of these men will be furnished the commission, but not for use by the company, which would doubtless discipline them for daring to tell of conditions. Excepting for one brief instant when one of its superintendents "slipped up' and gave a partial exhibition of character as it really is, the commission has seen the Pennsylvania "with its gloves on." I have seen its bare hands reaching out for the jobs of men who disobeyed its requests for aid of various kinds to further its own ends. One young man who had just been dismissed or furloughed without cause being assigned, according to his statement to me, had his relief taken away. His wife had just been confined. Shortly afterwards one of the company's representatives came to him and asked him to "break strike on the Monongahela division, though they didn't use that term. His wife urged him to keep away from that division, which he did. He has never been employed by the Pennsy, nor has he received his relief. Another man who was furloughed before the 1914 strike was told by a confidential employee of the company to turn in the names of his friends who had joined the new brotherhood, suggesting that by so doing he could be given his work again. This man's wife was pregnant at the time, according to both his statement and that of the wife, so he turned over the names of all the men he knew were in the new organization. Finally his wife learned of it and made him stop, but he had turned in all he knew. He never got his job and is not now working for the company. An employee of 12 years' experience, with wife and large family, told me how he was treated by the company when the first talk of urging seniority rights was heard. His foreman was notifying him that he was to go on furlough. His "buddie," working on the same line of work, was a single man and owned some property. This friend offered to take the place of the man with family, to prevent the family's suffering. The foreman refused to permit it, and the men say it was mainly because the married man was a brotherhood advocate. The married man has secured work with the company again. The unmarried one has left the company's employ. Both these men told their stories to me shortly after the incident happened and both have repeated it since Mr. Chenery investigated conditions here, telling it to Mr. Chenery in my presence. In his testimony Mr. Atterbury said that, owing to the great number of employees, it was impossible for the superintendents to know personally each man or to be on such friendly terms that they named their babies for them, yet these foremen certainly have opportunity to know of the conditions of the families of the men employed, and in the instance cited, the foreman was told of conditions, yet intimated he was acting under instructions. It is such lack of knowledge or of realization of the fact that all men are our brothers, whose welfare is our own, which makes for the industrial unrest. Sincerely, JOHN P. GUYER. ADDITIONAL STATEMENT OF MR. S. C. LONG. THE NEW WILLARD, PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE, FOURTEENTH AND F STREETS, Hon. FRANK P. WALSH, Chairman United States Commission on Industrial Relations, Washington, D. C. DEAR SIR: Referring to the statement made to-day before your body of Mr. W. H. Pierce, that Mr. J. C. Johnson, superintendent of telegraph, Pennsylvania Railroad, had paid $300 to certain men connected with the train organizations on the Pennsylvania Railroad : We desire to submit the following so that there shall be no misunderstanding in this matter: When the strike was declared at Pittsburgh in May, 1911, the company was fearful lest some of the members of the transportation brotherhoods might join the strikers. Accordingly, the general chairman of each of the four brotherhoods, Messrs. A. I. Kaufman, general chairman B. L. F. & E.; William Park, general chairman B. of L. E.; J. B. Hendricks, general chairman O. R. C.; and E. V. Kapp, general chairman B. of R. T., were requested by the general manager to go to Pittsburgh and see that the members of their brotherhoods lived up to the agreements with the company and remain at work, with the distinct understanding that the men should not be asked to do any work other than that which they always had performed in the positions they held. These men did this, and their efforts were successful in preventing any of the members of their organizations from leaving the service of the railroad company. After the strike was over, as each of these general chairmen had occasion to come to the office of Mr. Johnson, who was chairman of the labor board, in the performance of their duties as general chairmen, he thanked them for the very efficient service, they had rendered the company and the organizations, and told them the company desired to show some appreciation of their work, and accordingly they were each given $300 which they were told could be used toward defraying their expenses, or any other purpose they might choose. Nothing was asked of these men in return. What was done was entirely in keeping with the action of the company toward a large number of other employees, as set forth on page 14 of the history of labor troubles on the Pennsylvania Railroad, a copy of which has been filed with your commission. Yours. very truly, S. C. LONG, General Manager Pennsylvania Railroad Co. STATEMENT OF MR. W. G. LEE. [General offices Grand Lodge Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen.] Mr. JOHN H. CRANDALL, Secretary Shorthand Reporting Co., CLEVELAND, OHIO, May 8, 1915. Room 720, Shoreham Hotel, Washington, D. C. DEAR SIR: I am in receipt of your communication of the 6th advising me that, at the direction of Commissioner Aishton, of the United States Commission on Industrial Relations, you inclose extract from the testimony of one W. H. Pierce before the commission, for which I thank you. I do not believe it will be either possible or necessary for me to appear before the commission to refute any statement made by Mr. Pierce, but would be very glad to have you hand this communication to Commissioner Aishton if you care to do so. As stated by Mr. Pierce to the commission, I attended a joint union meeting November 30, 1913, at Harrisburg, Pa., held under the auspices of the local lodges of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen, Order of Railway Conductors, and Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen. There were present at the meeting something over 1,000 members of the four organizations named, all of whom heard my statement referred to by Mr. Pierce. At that meeting Pierce attempted to have a resolution passed before the meeting was really organized permitting mem bers of the Brotherhood of Federated Railway Employees not affiliated with either of the four transportation organizations to be admitted to the meeting. The chairman ruled that only members of the four organizaions would be permitted to remain in the hall, and as a result of this ruling Mr. Pierce left the stage and stood during the greater portion of the meeting in the rear of the hall. I was reliably informed that Pierce was a self-appointed president of the organization known as the Brotherhood of Federated Railway Employees, and that he had repeatedly in public made the statement that he was supported or backed by the four transportation organizations. I said to those present that while my sympathies were with the unorganized employees the organization I had the honor to represent could only lend its moral support to them until properly organized in one of the various organizations already in existence, such as the carmen, shopmen, freight handlers, maintenance-of-way employees, etc. I stated plainly that I did not propose to antagonize bona fide labor organizations affiliated with the American Federation of Labor by even encouraging Pierce to admit to membership employees eligible to the organizations above referred to; that in order to secure the support of the transportation organizations it would be necessary for him to secure authority from the chief executives of the carmen, shopmen, maintenance-of-way men, and other crafts to admit to membership in the Brotherhood of Federated Railway Employees those classes, and that if such authority was secured or permission given for these classes to affiliate with the Pierce organization I would be only too glad, in conjunction with other officers of the transportation organizations, to join in any honorable attempt to assist them. I made it plain to all concerned that under no circumstances could either of the transportation organizations be expected to strike in sympathy with any class of employees. To prove conclusively the foregoing let me call your attention to the fact that the strike inaugurated by Pierce and his followers took effect at noon, May 7, 1914, and that under date of December 8, 1913, the attached circular of instructions was mailed to all lodges and divisions of the engineers, conductors, firemen, and trainmen on the Pennsylvania system over the signatures of the chief executives of those organizations, and particular attention is called to the last two paragraphs of the circular referred to, which deal entirely with the Pierce organization. It must appear strange that in view of the fact that all lodges of the four transportation organizations on the Pennsylvania system had such instructions in their possession they did not know the position of their chief executives several months later when the strike referred to, called by Pierce, became effective. I also attach hereto special circular No. 20,1 under date of April 15, 1914, dealing with an illegal strike on the Monongahela division of the P. R. R., which clearly defines the position of the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen. The policy of the brotherhood is so well known, and so much literature has been sent out over the signature of the chief executive clearly defining such policy, that it seems unreasonable to suppose that even Pierce, who was, and I understand is, a member of the B. of L. F. & E., would not know the position that would be taken in case of a strike such as the one under consideration. Accusations made against the undersigned by Pierce are unworthy of answer, and I learned many years ago that it is useless to attempt to lock the door against a liar or defamer. Nothing, in my opinion, has injured labor organizations more than men of the character of W. H. Pierce, whose only object seems to be to live without work and to deceive or impose as far as possible upon his fellow workers. If it were deemed necessary or advisable I have no doubt of my ability to place on the stand several hundred members of the four transportation organizations who attended the meeting of November 30 at Harrisburg, and who would corroborate the foregoing statement made by me at that meeting. Tranking you for furnishing me the information, I am, W. G. LEE, President. Will the commission be kind enough to wire me date I could appear before it a few moments? 1 Submitted in printed form. LEE. |