The engineers have, indeed, succeeded in forming a real
Brotherhood--a "feudal" brotherhood an opposing lawyer once
called them--reestablishing the medieval guild-paternalism so
that each member is responsible for every other and all are
responsible for each. They therefore merge themselves through
self-discipline into a powerful unity for enforcing their demands
and fulfilling their obligations.
The supreme authority of the Brotherhood is the Convention, which
is composed of delegates from the local subdivisions. In the
interim between conventions, the authorized leader of the
organization is the Grand Chief Engineer, whose decrees are final
unless reversed by the Convention. This authority places a heavy
responsibility upon him, but the Brotherhood has been singularly
fortunate in its choice of chiefs. Since 1873 there have been
only two. The first of these was P. M. Arthur, a sturdy Scot,
born in 1831 and brought to America in boyhood. He learned the
blacksmith and machinist trades but soon took to railroading, in
which he rose rapidly from the humblest place to the position of
engineer on the New York Central lines. He became one of the
charter members of the Brotherhood in 1863 and was active in its
affairs from the first. In 1873 the union became involved in a
bitter dispute with the Pennsylvania Railroad, and Arthur, whose
prompt and energetic action had already designated him as the
natural leader of the Brotherhood, was elected to the
chieftainship.
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