The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1877-02-28
The Striking Engine Drivers

These men made the MISTAKE Of supposing
that they were dealing only with the railroad
companies in whose employ they were, while in
fact they were dealing with the entire COM
munity. The Wamsutta cotton mills en-
ployes are now on a strike, but they are deal
ing only with the interests of that mapufactur-
ing company; the community at large is not at
all Inconvenience by it; all the social and
business interests of the couDtry go on as usual.
But strike Of the engine drivers on railway
affects the whole country and may be serious
disaster to most important interests in the re-
hottest parts of the Union and even in foreign
lands
Pecuniary transactions on vast scale are
constantly conducted through express compa-
MES and the mails, and the ruin of great COM
mercial or manufacturing or business houses of
any other Sort might be accomplished by the
failure to receive money, drafts, checks or bills
Of exchange on given day. Great numbers of
people travelling for pleasure or on business
with money enough only to pay their closely
calculated expenses might be and certainly
would be left far away from home, among
strangers, without any resources.
Great numbers of people are constantly trav-
cling on most important business, involving in :
teres,s of vast extent to many persons, to which
the arrival at stipulated point at a stated time
is absolutely necessary. Immense quantities of
produce and mercha ndise of every sort are con-
stantly on the road, the prompt delivery of
which is necessary to complete a transaction,
involving great amounts of money, involving
probably the solvency or bankruptcy of great
many people, not only in our own country but
In other lands as well. Immense contracts for
the purchase or delivery of merchandise of ev-
cry variety often turn upon the point-they
generally do-that the delivery should be on or
before day stated, and the failure in that par
ticular might, and probably would, vacate the
contract, involving many people and extensive
interests in great disaster.
A great extent of our country is supplied
with food brought long distances by rail. AT
present it is not deemed necessary to keep a
| large quantity on hand, because abundant sup
plies may be had from day to day. A strike
upon an important railway for a few days
would at once send up the prices, affecting very
| seriously the comfort of great number oil
people, especially of the poorer part of them.
| And if the strike should continue for an indefi
mite time, as strikes in cotton mills do. it might
involve great many people in extreme distress
| from want OF food. Vast numbers OF animals
for food are constantly upon the rails, and they
| can only be supplied with meat and drink al
| certain points and at considerable intervals; a
| strike upon railway would involve starvation
or great distress to oil those.
The late strike upon the Grand Trunk Rail-
| way involved interests of almost incalculable
extent OF the Allan line of steamers running
to this port, there will be generally four upoI
the ocean constantly, on the eastern and wes-
tern voyage and at least two in our harbor
loading and discharging CARGO and at least two
at Liverpool. All these depend upon thu
Grand Trunk Railway to take away this i'm
mense cargoes of goods destined for Canada
and the West, and to supply them with return
cargoes of Canadian and Western produce.
All this immense business involves innumera
BILE contracts for merchandise and produce t.
the amount of many millions of dollars, and
these connections extend through all Canada
and through all the Western States, ant
through England as we'll, and the goods ar,
constantly ON the move, from England through
all the West, and through all the West toward
England. The Grand Trunk strike stopped
all that.
| Very we'll, the engine drivers may say, wha
OF it? What are you going to do about it
just this must and will be done about 1t: So
eiety will protect itself from such warfare b,
the adoption of whatever rule of law that ma
be necessary The law cannot force any one Il
be an engine driver, but it can prevent any maj
from being an engine driver, except son sucl
conditions as may be required for the common
| welfare; that ia all n