Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1877-07-22
The Railroad Riots:


The railroad strike, which has been widen
ing in its area since the first demonstration
at Martinsburg on Monday, reached the point
OF an insurrection In Baltimore last night,
resulting in a conflict between the Maryland
militia and the rioters, In which ten or more
persons were killed and many wounded As
usual in these affairs the persons killed were
not the rioters, but the innocent bystanders;
but spectators of this class, who stand look
ing on in en-mOuthed wonder when col
lision is impending between armed men,
never seem to understand that bullets will
not disseminate between the just and I'M
just; anG consequently no great amount of
sympathy need be expended upon the victims
who pay the penalty of lingering through
morbid curiosity in a mob-infested street
The sudden rise and the tigerish fury of the
riOtOus element shows that the mob spirit
which has had such terrible sway in Balti-
more on many occasions in the past still
sxists to a certain extent, and that very
little encouragement on the part of public
sentiment, and very little vacillation on the
part OF the authorities will serve to reinstate
1t in the most dangerous form. But the
substantial elements OF Baltimore citizen
ship are evidently impressed with the neces-
SHY Tor promptly suppressing mob law In
the business interest of the city, if for no
other reason. These interests have already
suffered materially by the weeks strike
especially the cattle, grain, provision.
petroleum, coal and coal oil traffic. Ii is
matter, also demanding the consideration
OF working men and poor people, that this
interruption TO cattle, grain and provision
transportation means higher prices to them
for all these articles of food. The strikers at
Martinsburg and elsewhere, who hold the
cattle trains, and allow the poor animals
TO perish Of hunger and thirst, are making
the price of meat higher TO hungry men, wo-
men and children in Washington and Balti-
more, who have hardly the means to pur-
chase meat at the present prices. In short,
riotous strikes of this sort, interrupting traf-
hc and business generally, always work the
most disastrously upon the poor and the Ia
boring men in whose names they are insti-
tuted.
Widespread as are the present strikes,
and formidable as the demonstrations of the
strikers are for the moment, there can prob
ably be but one result-the strikers must
ultimately succumb. The reduction in
wages made by the railroad companies,
though onerous upon the freight employees,
whose pay IL small at best. is apparently ne.
cessitated by the prostratiOn OF railroad bu-
siness, and hard as the terms may be the
employees will have to accept until better
times what the companies can afford to pay
them- AT the same time, the railroad com
panies should take pains to thoughtfully su-
pervice their scale of reduction, In order that
no special hardships should be made to fall
upon any class OF employees. According to
the statement Of our intelligsnt Baltimore
correspondent 10 would seem that the fire
men upon the Baltimore and Ohio road have
a just complaint of special grievance in the
manner in which their small pay has been
reduced.