Locomotive Engineers and Firemen on Sunday Work.
THE following statements by locomotive engineers and firemen, regarding their attitude toward the movement for the suppression of Sunday work, are published in The Defender, the organ of the “New England Sabbath Protective League.” They certainly do not sustain the impression generally sought to be given by agitators for Sunday enforcement, that railway employees are all anxious for the success of the Sunday enforcement crusade:— “There is a certain amount of Sunday work that is necessary; for example, the transportation of perishable goods, and probably a majority of the men would prefer to work Sunday and obtain the pay for it; but there has been so much Sunday work lately that many are getting a little tired of it. Theoretically, no man having conscientious scruples against Sunday work is required to work, but there is an unexpressed feeling that it would not do a man any particular good if he205absolutely refused to run his locomotive on Sunday. No vote declaring the wishes of the engineers’ union on this subject has ever been passed, to my knowledge.” “(Locomotive Engineers.)” “The majority it is believed are opposed to working on Sundays, although no vote, to my knowledge, has ever been taken in the union. Still there are many firemen who wish to work, usually men who have families, while the single men, as a rule, would prefer to have the day to themselves rather than get the pay for working. It may be doubted whether legislation is necessary or practicable to restrict Sunday work. No satisfactory legislation concerning railroad Sunday labor has yet been proposed. The companies and the men can best adjust differences, there are so many varying conditions existing which require special arrangements. Some trains must be run Sundays to meet the public demand.”