, 1873-12-04
Railroad laborers.

them for wages for three or four months
past, the Company being in default tc
the contractor to much larger amount
Under the direction of Capt. Ainsworth
ths work was taken out of the hands OF
the contractor, other hands procured al
Portland, and the work resumed without
any provision being made for paying
the provisions workmeu. Under these
circumstances the men thrown out oi
employment, and kept out of the wages
due them, resolved taks possession
Of the track and hold it until they were
paid, in part or in full. These men
have the sympathies and will have the
support, if necessary, of ninc-tentns Of
the community, and tn. Railroad Com
pany will find to their cost that it will
never pay to run a railroad through an
enemy's country. Gen. Sprague has
asked the Governor for military aid to
assist him in dsfrauding the laborers,
with what successive are not informed.
The men have also addressed to the
Governor the following statement of
their case:
40 TACOMA, November 26, 1873.
To His Excellency E. P. FERRY,
Governor of Washington Territory:
We, the undersigned, your fellow-
citizens, pray your Excellency to permit
"a to present to you statement OF our
grievances: We were employed as Ia
borers the greater portion of last sum-
rer and fall in constructing that portion
of the Northern Pacific Railroad lying
between Tenino and Tacoma. the same
being within your jurisdiction; and said
Railroad Company have withheld our
pay from month to month, ON various
pretences; and now that the work of
grading is completed. the Engineers III
charge of the work do openly declare
that said Company do not intend to pay
us for our labor; and the money due us
is our only dependence for support the
coming winter, many of us having FAM
lilies who are now actually s0Eering for
the necessaries of life, and we find It
impossible to obtain work, owing to SC
large q number of men being thrown out
of employment, and have not the means
70 procure transportation to other places
where labor might be obtained.
Therefore, having called meeting,
and after due delibsration, have resolved
to join forces and dispute the possession
ct said road bed with said Company.
The grade and road bed was made by
or labor, and in common justice be~
long to us until that labor is paid for.
The Company. seeks to deprive us OF
eur own by force and fraud. We but
oppose force in defence of our lights,
without resort to aggressive violsn
We are law abiding citizens, opposed to
mob law in any form, and only act in
this matter as dire necessity compels as
the only available resort for the main
tainance of our rights.
The agents of the Railroad Company
tell us it is useless for us to 60 to law
with them; which, alas, is too true; for
We have not the means to employ coun-
sel or pay the costs of bringing suit. and
if we had any hope of success in that
direction, before it could be brought to
. successful issue we would have to ems
dure untold suffering, as we are now
actually suffering for the necessaries of
life.
Being IN all over four hundred men
thrown out of employment without re-
esiSing cent of the wages due, there
fore we do pray your E1cellency to for
bear with us in taking the steps we have
decided upon to recover that which
rrightfully belongs to US, as said Compa-
my will doubtless apply to your Excel
1ency for a military force. under pre-
tcnee of quelliny mob, but in reality
to enable them by force to carry out
their hellish design. that of robbing the
spoor man to encrease the wealth of the
wealthy.
We are respectfully,
Your most obedient servants,
]. Kerns, G. Mcdonnell, Thos. Con-
way. VIM. Lorming. Silas Gilmore, W.
d. Phillips, Walter Hughes, NJ. Powers,
J. Hall, J. B. Graham, James Garrin,
J.-A. Beal, E. Matthews, J. Oglesby.. P.
S. Wilkes, J. Holly, Joseph Carter, L.
II. Tindall. Jared Irwin, William B.
Moore, Barney Moore. VIM. Moore, Jo-
seph Thompson. James Ferguson. E. E.
Coy, Jack Halstead, John Woods, H,
A.yJackson, ". A. Nickles. Isaac Will
son, John Graham, john Fitzgerald,
Jehn W. Larry, R. A. Scott, W. G. CAL
houn, J. Maxwell, L. J. Rowley, Peter
Irving, A. E. welch, Thomas Graham
Edward Minlin, L. Wellington, Frank
Cayanaugh. John Graham, Frank John
son, 1. Peterson, ]. D. Kirk, John ].
Allen.
The foregoing is plain, simple, un-
colored statement of facts. The remedy
which the signers openly and frankly
propose for a manifsstly fagrant wrong
is neither riotous, violent or mob law.
By law they are entitled to a lien upon
the work created by their own labor;
they but seek to retain possession OF the
work of their own hands until they are
paid for their labor, while the agents of
Company seek to deprive them of that
possession by fraud and force, and thus
compel them to seek legal redress which
they have robbed them OF the means OF
r..o;,o The IabOrerg are demanding