Connecticut western news., 1877-03-09
OUR BOSTON LETTER. No. s.

The strike of the engineers of the Boston & Maine Railroad still continues. Neither side gives any evidence of weakening, but on the contrary, each party professes the strongest faith in its own ultimate triumph. The officials of the road are determined in their decision not to be dictated to by their employees, and feeling that they have right and justice on their side, they will fight 1t to the bitter end. The road loses heavily by the strike. But few trains have been run, for passengers and freight have been Ut 8 stand still. The Eastern. and the Boston & Lowell Railroads have been doing 8 largely increased business in consequence, and they have no fault to find with the strike. However the new engineers foi the B. & M. are becoming accustomed to their routes and are running now with comparative safety to the patrons of the road. There is strong and determined op
 position to be met with in all points along the road. Numerous meetings have been held; infiamatory speeches have been
 
 made ; bombastic resolutions have been read and carried. Of course this does much to irritate the populace. and keeps alive the spirit of opposition. Now that there is a calm in the fitful storm that followed in the wake of the strike, think ing men who at first sympathized with the strikers, are not disposed to take 90 favora. ble view of their course, and censure is now heard from those who short tinae ago were bitter in their denupciation of the management of the road. The officials are commended for the bold stand they took and for having so bravely endured the op- position of the whole community. In. stead of being local affair with but mo. mentary influence, the strike has assumed almost gigantic proportions, and is now of importance to every capitalist and laborer i; more, 1t is matter that will influence soci. ety and the future prosperity of our institu. tions, for when labor combines and arrays itself in direct antsgonism to capital, there will be corresponding combination ot capital, and an aggressive warfare will be waged, 10 the destruction of peace and good order, and the retardation of the con summation of that principle of true free. dom, Equality to all." On the other hand the strikers are confident of victory. MT Arthur, their chief, is a man of positive convictions, and he assures the public he will stand by his men unfllnchingly and te the end. At present the engineers spenc their time in their headquarters on Hano vcr street. smoking and conversing witt those who are interested enough in them tt visit them. They claim they have beer misunderstood, and that they have not ha< common justice done them. They espe cially blame Supt. Furber and Master Me chanic Smith. They claim they were no heard when they petitioned for an increas, Of pay, and that they had been abused ane even maltreated. There is no question but they have suffered at the hands of th, road. It is governed by management i'll natured, penurious and fault. finding. Ex- actions have been placed upon the IT en that were almost of the nature of indignl- nitles, but that does not pa.liate their cr.m. for claim it is crime for men to endan ger the lives of citizens by their own ire. action. Bv the strike, men were placed 1T charge of the engines, who were really in competent to run locomotive, and nt better could be obtained outside of tn, Brotherhood. This much good has beer the result of the strike, viz A bill has beer introduced by Charles Francis Adams jr. Railroad Commissioner of Massachusetts relating to railroad employees strikes is rather an enactment comprising five sep arate bills. Bill No. relates to abandon mcnt of trains No. ?, to obstructing en zines etc. No. 3, to carelessness or neg. feet No. 4, to interference with employ ces 7; No. 5, to connecting roads. In eacl of these bills the specifications are emphat ic and plain, and breach of them is con- sidered crime, and the offender is liabl, to fine and imprisonment. It will proba- bly, become law, and will, if 1t does, dea death blow to the Brotherhood in Massa- chusetts. ALLEN.