Daily Kennebec journal., 1877-07-24
The Railroad strike.

The strike which began on the Bilti-
m ore and Ohio Railroad. with the stop
ping of trafns at Mariinsburg in West
yirginiahasassumed gigantic proportions,
eansing loss Of life and immense destruc-
tionqof property, and impeding and dam
aging business disastrously. The strike
was inaugurated to resist the reduction of
wages of employees OF The road ten per
scent !, notice having been previously given
by the managers OF the proposed reduo-
. tion and The time when ii would take ef
feet. The first movement of the strikers
slwass ut Martinsburg, where trains were
detained and some violence ensued. From
that point it extended eastward to Balti-
more aud westward to the Pittsburg and
Fort Wayne Road and to the western di-
vision Of the Pennsylvania Railroad, while
other roads in The West manifest signs of
insurrection. A noticeable feature Of the
strike is that 1T seems to enlist a consider
able support from the people other than
railroad employ ees IN. the localities where
it exists. At Baltimore and Pittsburg the
rioling assumed the, proportions Of re-
bellion. .io The State troops of Maryland
were Assaulted in Baltimore by the mob,
= and in self defence the soldiers fired into
the mob with deadly effect. Aid from the
United States government has been in
yoked BY the State authorities of Pennsyl-
vania,, Maryland and West Virginia and
been rendered. Without the government
soldiers and marines stationed in and abou;
Baltimore that city would have been at the
mercy of the mob. Home Rule in this
case would have proved. lo. be the rule of
the MOB
The most disastrous effects of the strike
appear at Pittsburg, in the large number
. Of killed and wounded. and the immense
destruction of property. That city is the
focus of a large laboring population,
miners and others, who sympathize with
the strikers and made common cause with
themgin their lawless and desperate eff
forts todestroy. the property of the rail-
roads centering there, and make pande-
monium of the city, Fortunately Penn
sylvania has we n organized and consid-
erable body Of militia, which was imme-
.diately sent to, the scene OF danger. and
whiehfhough unwissly commanded and
stooolats 10 preve Mt the damage done will
we presume prove sufficient to .quell the
riot and restore peace. .o.. " -
81 The course ,oi the strikers has been
such as to admit of no justification or de-
fence. osThe railroad company among
whose employees the strike originated
fell compelled by the pressure Of the
times to reduce the wages of Its hands
OF this due notice was given the latter,
SO that they could have time to accept the
reduced wages or find employment else
where. 1t was their right to leave If the
wages were not satisfactory But they
determined they would neither work for
what was offered them, nor would they al
low any other persons to run the trains
who were willing to work at the reduced
wages, and Sc, they beat and drove away
every man who. was disposed to accept
the terms OF the company, and endeavored
by other uniawfal measures eliminating
in riot andSbloodshed. to The extent we
have seen 70 coerce the railroad managers
into compliance vs. ith their demands.
THE end Of this as might have been
foreseen by the rioters from The beginning
Will be LLe ppression Of the strikers and
cQnsequent distress, to themselves and
km}lies They will be. the greatest 'suf-
ferers 10 The end. They have been led