Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1885-03-13
Labor Strikes.


senior vice-president Of the Missouri Pacific
. in an interview on the strike, said the mail
question in this strike Is one of personal lib
erty or whether the hatred of the men wht
are not satisfied with their position as en-.
ployees, shall be allowed to prevent othel
, men who have no expressed cause of dissat
, isfaction from continuing work. Out o.
$4,000 employees Of the Southwestern and
Wabash systems, not 1000 are directly af.
fected by the reduction Of wages, which is
alleged to be the reason for this strike, and
/ am morally certain that of this 1000 at
least 500 would 60 to work tomorrow il
they were not restrained by their BULLDOG
ing co-employees. The reduction made is
in regard to the men employed in the ma
chine shops and round-houses, and some
Of the coal shute men. The train
service hands have not been
reduced. The reductions have been princi-
pally in Texas. where they may be said, in a
general way, to range from to 10 per cent,
but still leaving the wages at which other
men following q like means Of livelihood
have heretofore cotton along very comforta-
bly,. In Arkansas, Louisiana and Kansas
the reductions are not so great, but the
Texas roads were not more than paying ex-
penses and fixed charges as a rule and some
OF them were not doing this in these de-
pressed times. 1t was simply question of
whether a given sum of money al
lotted for expenditures to repair
rolling stock and keep up round houses
should be SO distributed US to give employ
mcnt to large or small number of men,
and it was decided to keep as many men as
possible during the dark winter days. The
hours were limited by reason of the short
ness of daylight, and the shopmen worked
but five days in the week Of nine hours each
or week Of forty-fve hours. This time
rule prevailed in all the shops in Kansas and
Missouri, but on the 18th of last month the
schedule time was Iaised to six days of ten
hours, giving fifteen hours more earning
time each week, or from four to six
days extra pay in each month. Some
ten days since both Mr.. Hoxie and myself
were in Texas visiting the different places
where these troubles have since occurred,
and the men, if they had complaints. had
full opportunity to present them, but no
complaints were made. We heard of no
grievances except on the sixty days notice.
This agreement has been lived up to, and
understand, and believe, that our train SER
vice men are anxious and willing to work if
they can only be permitted to do SO. Capt.
Hayes further said that the paymaster
stood ready to pay off all hands who
proper notice had voluntarily dropped IL cir
position on the company's rolls. The fact
that some Of the strikers had refused to ac-
cept their pay checks did not place them on
any better footing. Discharged men refus-
ing their wages did not by that refusal con-
stitute themselves employees but simply as
sumed the relation of creditors. Returning
to his original proposition that men who
wanted to work should be allowed to do so,
he said that so far as repairs TO roll
ing stock were concerned the
railroad had now in good shape three
times the amount CT rolling stock that was
required for the present volume of business.
the repairs could be done by contract if
necessary and the public need not suffer il
the laws were properly enforced and the
railroad company enabled to run lis trains
as it had the right to do.
Nothing new in the strike here this morn
ing and committee from Sedaia have
called on the men in the Missouri Pacific
shops, but it is understood got little if any
satisfaction 1t is stated that the men in the
Missouri Pacific shops here have
decided not to go out The
militia companies, which left here yester
day, are still resting between Jefferson City
and Sedalia. Negotiations for compro-
mise between the road and the men are
going on.
PIrTsBURG, Pa, March 1.-THE River
and Coal Exchange held a meeting this
morning, and by a unanimous vote agreed
to stand together against the striking coal
miners. The members were all pledged not
to pay the advance demanded by the
strikers. This covers nearly every mine on
the Monongahela river.
ST. LOUIS, March ia Moberly special
to the Post-Dispatch says: No new devel-
opments here. The men are determined
and believe they will win. The shops have
been idle since the beginning of the strike.
The executive committee of the strikers are
receiving kilograms giving information of
the the situation at other points.
A Jefferson City special to the Post-Ds
patch says: Adjutant General Jamison re-
turned here from Sedalia this morning. He
reports the strikers at Sedalia all quiet and
orderly, and apprehends no disturbance. He
will not say all danger has passed, and he
cannot say what may occur. The strikers
are all citizens of Sedalia, many owning
houses and property and the destruction of
property would necessarily involve Il
loss to them. He met the leaders of the
strike, who said they would only accept II
restoration of former wages. A written
promise was given him, signed by the exec
utivc committee of strikers, that trains be
allowed to run.
The militia from this place are now in
camp at Centerville, awaiting ordess from
the governor. This morning committee of
citizens and strikers from Scdslia arrived,
and waited on Gov. Marmaduke. He made
an appointment for IL o'clock, when con-
ference was held. The committee assured
the governor Of the orderly condition of
affairs at Sedalia, and the utter uselessness of
an armed force, and requested that the mill
tia be ordered back to st. Louis. The
governor replied that unless there was
urgent necessity the troops need not be sent
to Sedalia, but that the law must not be
violated, and that trains must be allowed to
run; and, further, that ne intended to keep
! the militia on hand at close call until mat
tiers had been satisfactorily adjusted, and
there was no fear of disturbance.
| A Centretown, NO., special to the Post
Dispatch says: The militia is here awaiting
orders. The situation is unchanged. Ne
gotiations for an amicable settlement have
practically failed. The troops will probably
90 to Sedalia in few hours. No freight
trains from the west have passed here to-
day.
A Sedalia special to the Post-Dispatch
says: The situation remains materially I'M
changed. Superintendent Hager requested
the mayor this morning to swear in Pinker-
tons detectives, but the mayor refused on
the ground that the law required one years
residence before they could act IA officers.
The superintendent sent for the executive
committee Of the strikers this morning and
asked if they had not violated the contract
made last night, to allow freight trains TO
run. They replied they had not,
as that promise was made with
the understanding that freights
were to be run if the men could be found to
run them. Three attempts were made last
night to take out trains and several times
this morning, all of which failed on accoun,
of the men employed leaving the trains. The
committee of citizen and strikers who went
to jefferson City have not yet returned.
ST. LOUIS, No., March ia special
! from Atchison, Kas., to the Post-Dispatch
says: The situation is unchanged. Passen-
ger and mail trains are not molested. No
| unvamapf of freight trains on the Pacific.