CIRCULAR LETTER. BROTHERHOOD OF RAILWAY CLERKS. TO OFFICERS AND MEMBERS OF LODGES: Kansas City, Mo., June 23, 1908. The Toledo Convention adopted amendments to Art. 5, Constitution of the Grand Lodge, that eliminates the fee for a charter application, changes the rate of admission for new members of lodges to $3.00 each, instead of $4.00 as now, and changes the per capita tax for the Grand Lodge, on members of lodges, from $1.25 each six months to 75 cents every three months. These changes are made to become effective July 1, next. All members in good standing on June 30, of local lodges will pay the usual rate of per capita tax, $1.25, to the Grand Lodge and this will entitle them to membership cards good to January 1, 1909; beginning with the latter date all members of local lodges, both new and old, are to pay 75 cents per capita tax to the Grand Lodge every three months. All new members admitted after July 1 at $3.00, will have to pay 75 cents per capita tax to the Grand Lodge on October 1. No change was made in the fee for attached membership to the Grand Lodge; that rate still remains $3.25 and pays all dues to the Grand Lodge for the semi-annual term during which such members are admitted. Of the $3.00 rate of admission to local lodges $2.25 is for the Grand Lodge, the local lodge will retain the remaining 75 cents for the local treasury; and the $3.00 includes per capita tax for the quarterly term in which a candidate is admitted to membership. A quarterly term is provided for in place of the present semi-annual term and this includes the issuing of a quarterly password for each quarterly term. The fact that the above changes become effective on July 1 makes it necessary that you should be advised by circular letter at once. A more full report of the actions of the convention will be published in the July number of The Railway Clerk and a complete report will be issued in pamphlet form just as soon as it is possible to do so; this will probably be in about 30 to 45 days. The convention was a most harmonious and successful one. It was the largest convention ever held by the brotherhood and was composed of members possessing more ability, intelligence and self-respect and endowed with higher aspirations than has characterized any previous convention of the organization. It was a convention of which the members of the organization may justly feel proud; and the enthusiasm, deep interest and determination of purpose manifested by all in attendance should stimu late every member of the brotherhood to renewed zeal and effort to build up the organization and to gain the benefits we seek. The Grand Lodge will now make special effort to complete organization to an effective basis upon several lines where the work is furthest advanced and help the members employed thereon to gain contracts with their respective companies before the end of this year; all possible assistance will also be rendered to our members in other localities. In order to carry on this work to the best advantage all lodges must in turn help the Grand Lodge cheerfully and promptly by remitting per capita tax for the ensuing term without delay; and where greater effort upon the part of the Grand Lodge or its representatives than can be consistently given to any particular line is desired by the members thereupon, funds should be raised for assisting the Grand Lodge to meet the attendant expenses of such special effort. Notwithstanding the business depression the sentiment of the public, of all politicians and leading publicists and of wage-earners is favorable to organization; only a few railway officials are opposed. Let us all exert our utmost endeavors, to not only maintain our present organized strength but to increase it, and as rapidly as possible, and thus show these railway officials that, like the employes in the other departments of the service, railway clerks know their rights and are determined that the railway companies of this country shall also recognize and concede them to us. Other matters of business transacted by the Toledo Convention that will interest you most greatly, are as follows: All of the old officers were re-elected with the exceptions of Second Vice Grand President and one member of the Grand Executive Board; Brother Chas. J. Curtin, of Albany Lodge No. 87, was elected as Second Vice Grand President and Brother Joseph Mead was elected as a member of the Grand Executive Board in place of Brother Ike Gimble. The Benefit Association, as established by Brother Riley, was approved and adopted. Provision was made for the increasing of the salaries of organizers, depending upon ability, faithfulness, success and length of service, at the discretion of the Grand President and upon approval by the Grand Executive Board, to $100.00 per month. The time of holding the next convention was set for the third Monday in April, 1910, and New Orleans was chosen for it. Sincerely and fraternally, TO ALL LODGES: SPECIAL NOTICE. BROTHERHOOD OF RAILWAY CLERKS. Kansas City, Mo., June 23, 1908. At the Convention just closed, a stringent law was enacted to prohibit lodges from entering into contracts for the publication of Books, Shippers' Guides, Souvenir Programmes, etc. This law provides that no Lodge shall enter into any such contract unless the approval of the Grand President and the Grand Executive Board has first been secured, and provides for the disciplining of any lodge that violates this law, by the revoking of its charter-thus nullifying such contract. This law also makes it mandatory upon the Grand Officers to prosecute to the full extent of the law any person or persons who use the name of the Brotherhood or of "The Railway Clerk" without proper authority. It is the intent of this law to prohibit lodges from entering into any contract whatever, through which advertising will be solicited or any money or moneys solcited or accepted from the general public in behalf of any lodge without first securing the approval of the Grand President and the Grand Executive Board to the entering into such contract. An emergency clause was attached making this law effective at once. In explanation of the above legislation, mention is made of the fact that many Lodges have, in the past, innocently entered into contracts with parties of doubtful integrity and honesty, for the publication of Shippers' Guides, Souvenir Programmes, etc., receiving a comparatively small amount for the use of the name of the Brotherhood in furtherance of the schemes of advertising fakers who have secured advertising from business men and others for insertion in such publications, by representing that the proceeds were to go to the Local Lodge, under whose name the publication was issued, when in reality such lodge received no part of them. In some instances such contracts have permitted those securing them to solicit donations from the public for the benefit of "the Sick Fund of the Brotherhood of Railway Clerks." Thousands of dollars have been collected from business men and others in this manner, no part of which went to a lodge or was used for the benefit of members of the Brotherhood. In some cities of the country, the name of the Brotherhood has thus been prostituted before the general public to its discredit and injury. And this evil, menacing the good name of the Organization, has called for prompt and decisive measures upon the part of the delegates who represented you at the Toledo Convention; with the result that the law above referred to was enacted and is now in effect. Each local secretary is hereby instructed to read this circular at two or more meetings of his lodge so that all members thereof may become familiar with the action of the convention in regard to this matter. If any Lodge is now under contract with any person or persons whereby the latter are authorized to solicit advertising, donations or subscriptions for or on behalf of the local lodge or the Brotherhood or in the name of either, the Grand President must be at once advised fully in regard thereto, giving names of all parties to and conditions of the contract; a copy of the contract will be the best form of advice. This must be given immediate attention in order to avoid serious complications, as the instructions of the convention are mandatory upon the Grand Lodge officials and prosecutions will surely follow any infraction of this law. No honest, legitimate plan for increasing the revenue of a local lodge will be interfered with, but the good name of the Brotherhood of Railway Clerks must not be further bartered away for a few paltry dollars and injury to our cause and reputation be thus permitted; and all members are requested and urged to co-operate with the Grand Lodge in the enforcement of this law and the preservation of the fair name of the Brotherhood. Attest: WILBUR BRAGGINS, Grand President. R. E. FISHER, Grand Secretary-Treasurer Local secretaries will please sign the following acknowledgement and mail to R. E. Fisher, Grand Secretary-Treasurer: Special Circular, advising local lodges that the Toledo Convention enacted a law prohibiting local lodges from entering into contracts for the issuing of Souvenir Programmes, Special Editions of The Railway Clerk and similar advertising schemes, without first securing the approval of the Grand President and Grand Executive Board, has been received. made, there will always be some who will protest that it is too high, and any admission that it is so will result in losing a possible good member who has not yet fully learned the necessity for and value of thorough organization. 0 As an evidence that favors must be given for campaign contributions, we quote the following from the "Wall Street News": "Mr. Bonaparte, the attorney general of the United States, showed himself a true sportsman last August when he intimated that there was a big covey of trusts yet to be gunned for, and that only a very poor marksman could fail to bring down a big pag. but I am not so sure that he is liv ing up to his reputation when he begins shooting in the very midst of the closed season. With the conventions only a few weeks off he surely should have waited. He may land the game all right, but this cannot be a source of much satisfaction to his friends, who may regard his full bag as only a small offset to empty campaign coffers." No wonder the politicians at Washington refuse to pass a bill that will make it necessary to publish campaign contributions as soon as they are received. AN EXAMPLE OF ORGANIZATION. The Railway Clerks of an Eastern city recently organized under the banner of the B. of R. C. An accurate account of errors made has been kept in the offices in which these clerks are employed for some years past, and they averaged about five hundred per month. The first month after these Clerks were organized the number dropped to seventy-five. This is due to the fact that the organized clerk is ever ready and willing to assist his brother clerk to avoid making errors. Yet some railroad officials oppose organization of their clerical forces. INCONSISTENCY. On a certain railroad line the superintendents and agents organized under the name of "The Superintendents and Agents' Association." One of their first acts was to say to the clerks, "You shall not organize." Does this not seem a little bit inconsistent? Saying to the clerks that they shall not do what they themselves have done-organization among one class of employes for the purpose of preventing organization among Frank W. Pell; last known address, I. & G. N. Annex, Palestine, Tex. See April, 1906, Clerk. R. S. Price; last known address, Memphis, Tenn. See April, 1906, Clerk. R. H. Munn; last heard from at El Paso, Tex. See May, 1906, Clerk. Juan Conchola; last known address, Aguascalientes, Mex. See November, 1906, Clerk. C. C. Evans; last known address, care L. & N. R. R., Cincinnati, O. See May, 1907, Clerk. Arthur J. Peebles; last heard from at Houston, Tex., where he was "scabbing" during the S. P. strike in 1906. See August, 1907, Clerk. Harry B. or Harry W. Howard; last heard from at Texarkana, Tex. See January, 1907, Clerk. J. E. Alejandro (pronounced Olliehuntro); last heard from, went south from Pittsburg, Kas. See March, 1908, Clerk. (Later: See correspondence department, April issue, Dallas No. 45.) A. L. Beebe, last known address, 10 West 104th st., New York City. See March, 1908, Clerk. If we are ever in doubt what to do it is a good rule to ask ourselves what we shall wish on the morrow we had done.-Drummond. Carlylse: No honestly exerted force can be utterly lost. Humboldt: Nobility of nature consists in doing good for the good's sake. Miscellaneous. TALKS ON LABOR. An Address Delivered at Chicago on May 1, by Samuel Gompers. (Continued from June Issue.) I am going to ask the ladies and gentlemen who, living in the year of about 1890, and a few years before, had an opportunity of knowing the state of mind of the people of our country, whether they do not remember the agitation that went on upon the subject of trusts and the combinations of wealth. To you, then, I appeal, whether it was not true at that period the people were alarmed at the great strides of the modern corporations. Corporations that by reason, perhaps, of their mute development, unrestricted and unchecked by any sort of power, were throttling the people, were preying upon them and their vital interests until, from one end to the other of our country, there went forth a demand that the trusts must be controlled and curbed. I ask any man or woman within the range of my voice whether during that period they ever heard one word, or any reference at all, suggesting that the organizations of the men and women who worked for wages should be included in a law for controlling and curbing trusts? The very suggestion is repugnant to the ideas and the notions which obtained at that time. In 1890 and since that time a law known as the Sherman anti-trust law has been in existence. Under the decision of the Supreme Court of the United States, recently rendered in the case of the hatters -that is, this Loewe Hat Company, of Danbury, Conn., against Martin Lawlor's and others of the hatters' union-no one doubted but the Supreme Court of the United States would decide that the labor organizations and the labor men could not and ought not to have been included under the Sherman anti-trust law. I might say just parenthetically about the hatters' case that you are not now permitted to boycott the Loewe hats, but I want to call your attention to the fact that there is no law compelling you to wear a Loewe hat, nor has any judge issued a mandamus compelling you to buy a Loewe hat. That applies equally to Mr. Van Cleave's stoves and ranges. And, by the way, I don't know why you should buy any of that sort of stuff. I won't; but that is a matter to which we can refer more particularly in our organizations. We do not want to take up the time of this meeting by a discussion of that sort of thing. The Supreme Court of the United States held that the Hatters' Union of Danbury, Conn., can be sued in threefold damages by this employer, Loewe, who claims he suffered a loss of $240,000. That does not make much difference to a few hatters, or a few printers, or a few men in the building trades a mere bagatelle of $240,000 -because we can easily pool our issues and make up that amount, but these men are also in danger of being prosecuted and sent to jail for any term not exceeding a year and to be fined the sum of $5,000 each. Apart from the fact that this decision applies to the hatters, it also applies to every man and woman who belongs to a labor organization. I have heard it claimed several times since the decision has been rendered that it does not affect the labor organizations. My friends, I think it is in Shakespeare's "Merchant of Venice" where Shylock makes the remark, "You might as well take from me my life as take from me the means whereby I live." Under this decision of the Supreme Court and under its other decisions rendered in the recent past, they might as well dissolve and destroy the organizations of labor as to enforce these decisions. After all, there is a spirit of justice inherent in the breast of every man. This spirit is not confined to the union men alone, but deep down in the hearts of the men and women of our country is that innate desire for justice which resents any attempt to deprive the organizations of la |