The New York herald., 1870-01-14
PRINCE ERfE'S STRIKERS.
The Strike at an End and the
Prince Avenged.
The Cause of the MoveMent-The Erie
Machine Shops Desertedr-The Strikers
Paid Off and Discharged in Re
taliation- Workmen in
League with the Outs"

TAe strike OF the mechanics employed by the Erie
Halfway Company AZ Jersey City continued yester-
DAY and reached Its crisis Ia order that the public
may have correct information as TO the origin OF the
present difficulty between jim Jubilee Fisk and Com
pany on the one hand and their employees on the
other the following short history oil At VIII be FOUND
oprortune:-
ROW THE STRIKE CANE ABOUT
IL Will be remembered that similar dihicuity oc
CARED last fall IL WAS all about tue regularity or
nav day The workmen con paiaed that they suffered
great Inconvenience on account Oh the company
moi paying them regularly on tie days stipulated.
IL had been agreed aud PROMISED by the officers OF
the company years ago tnat the wages earned for
aonth should pe paid the men or before the i0th
day OF the succeeding month Bur this agreement
was but seldom kept by the company. ssnally tine
paymaster did not appear before the 18th and some-
sknes not before the 18th or 10th day of the sue
eeeding month, and the orkingmen, dependent
Rpon the regular receipt Of their hard wages
sor meeting Their little bills ut the butchers
The grocer's and the landlords, had their patience
rot only severely tried but were often put in want
and suffering together with their families. IL Is
asserted by the men thas the pay for March,
1865, not received by them until the 30 day or
Aor following and that similar, though not quite 30
naI, Instances Of nexcusabe delay we're rather the
rule than the exception
In tins regsiar succession OF irregular pay days
originated the strike of last iai which was general
ancrt, the operatives the whole line OF the Erie
Railway from Jersey City to Dunkirk and Bnnalo
and on tine luanch roads. The strike at that time
the part OF the operatives was managed by the
Executive COMMITTEE OF .1he Mutual Protective
Association 0f the Erie Railway Empoyesr
and this committee had conference with
Jay Gouh, the President OF the road;
Jim Fisk, its comptroller. aud L. d.
Rucker, generalt superintendent At this confer
ence, it is SAID b. those who pretend To know, Jim
Jubilee, Jr., was very emphatic IN his expressions
favoring The star vi taken by The striking working
men, one OF his declarations being reported az fol-
iows:--"Damn IL, when do work for anybody
want my pay when the work Ia done; that's all our
men want and they shall nave IT, so help ne God"
The result OF this conference WAS an agreement
signed by Jay Gould ;iDd dated October "a lsds con-
tanning tue following stipulation: -"ihls committee
agree TO make the Lay day the 18th. except Jersey
City when Is TO be paid on the l2th as heretofore,
with the understanding that II by any accident you
tJay Goudl otl Yer authorized official shall
rfy all the master methancs OF the facts with the
understanding that this shall not occur II 1t is
possible for the company 10 avoid IT," Though not
very lucid grammaticaity, shs agreement, signed by
Jay Gould, was understood to mean that In Jersey
City the men the workshops should be paid regu-
lariy their wages for the month on the 12th day Of
she succeeding month, and II the company by any
accident should be prevented from doing SO notice
OF the fact, together with full statement OF the
Cause, should be given 10 the men through tue mas
OTHER CAUSES or DIssArIsF ACTION.
But the company did not keep the terms Of this
agreement not even since October last. The pay vi
the men but rarely came teiore the 18th, yet The
The beginning Of the present month, how.
ever, another and in their opinion very serious
cause OF dissatisfaction was given the men. on the
a
year, the working hours per day were reduced from
ten to eight and corresponding reduction made IN
the pay, namely twenty per cent. Thesoperatves
believed they saw in this deep laid plan 10 reduce
wages generally: They knew new from personal on m expert
pany had not lessened for although the hours o work
were reduced, with corresponding subtraction OF
wages, new hands were engaged daily and hints were
numerous that the dsy's work woaid shortly again
be Increased TO ten hours, without any increase
OF pay. This exasperated lhe w0rkiBgLnen. TO IL
came still another cause OF complaint. There are
employed III the Erle Shops, IN Jersey City, some |
receive passes the road 10 reach the place
of their employment In the morning, ana return |
Withdrawn and the men received tickets for which |
they were charged twelve and half cents per day,
these various OF dissatisfaction workin. upon
the minds of the employees in tine shops came the
last pay day, as per agreement.
THE TWELFTH OF JANUARY.
The men, as a matter OF course, expected tleir
pay on tnaa a Insy wele =. Nv Work r ~ usual @ curing
up work again after the dinner hour mad expired.
About two O'Clock IN tue afternoon, seeing no pre-
parations to pay them, hearing nOtnlng OF the
rival OF the paymaster, the Executive Committee or
the association OF wOrklngmen employed by the
Erie Railway waited on Mr.. Henry j.. Brown, the
master mechanic, to inquire whether they were 70
be paid on that day. lie replied that he would
make inquiries ut the general ofice Of the company
corner OF TwenIythifd street and Eighth avenue in
this city. At three O'Clock ne received the following
RnsWer;--
BY telegraph from New York 70 Ii. t. EnowS:~
& s win ao pay a. % iso. on ia The s
aTangns for paymAstsr as Doremus is gone We hays
All win be paid tonight and tomorrow. l.. D. II.
A copy Of this despatch was al once commun
Gated TO Mr. George Keasey the President Of the Jer
sey City branch OF the association OF workingmen
who read II 10 the men in the shops short con-
ference followed, during which 1t was aacertaned-
at least so the men afilrm-that the statement in
the despatch. OF money having been sent lover the
Tney concluded that the promise Of payment
was mere shift to obtain delay, and about ten
repair shop, she blacksmith shop anu the machine
shop-about $50 in number-resolved to stop work,
and they immediately left; Of or this they informed
the only cause OF the delay was the absence OF Mr.
Doremus the paymaster. who was believed 10 be
master Of the motive power, who complained that
me men did not give the company tlme 70 prepare
Lhe Tune lists OF the employees were sent III BY the
10reIlen one or two days before the close OF the
Aboye) gives the company fourteen days. time,
suliclsnt TERM In the opinion OF the men, TO finish
ue roii Nothing, however, came oil these confer
Suces nlo ai the hands stopped work, as they Dad
Tesclyedto do.
WHAT WAS DONE YESTERDAY.
Al Will have been noticed by preceding state
Ueufsy all the artisans aud operatives OF the Erie
Railway aie united in Mutual Protective Assoca-
lion, with Headquarters at Binghamton. where the
PRESIDENT Mr.. DAVID Mason. resides Information |
was iMnedately sent hn on Wednesday evening |
oi lhe even1 that mad traDsplred IN Jersey CITY,
with the request that he might communicate with
the other branches or the association. A delegate !
was also sent o klnghamt0n 10 attend conven on |
nlileTrut branches
moned b. Telegraph, aud which was held yesterday.
At hall past seen O'Clock yesterday morning the |
strike nIt at the hall OF engine house No. l.
III Jersey CITY, rr. George keasiey presiding and
hir. EichaId Allen acting secretary, The pro-
Ceedings were quie ordery and peaceable, although
the determination vas evident that the men were
unanimous III maintaining their strike. A committee
was sent TO Dir. Brown, the master mechanic, 10
whether matters coun be arranged. and now but
they were told that al who did not return by eight