The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-04-26

he heard that the strikers were paid for striking
Next he discovered that all who joined
the strikers would be paid. This was
his platform. Ordinary people refused to
pay except for work sone The Knights of La
Dor expressed a willingness to pay those who
would not work. The tramps' millennium had
come. The fiery cross was carried from Maine
to California, and tie great army of tramps be-
gan It's march from all quarters TO ST. Louis and
other points on the Southwestern railroad sys-
tenn. The rendezvous, however, is St Louis
Detached bodies may picnic along the line, but
their real destination is St Louis. Here Is the
Doodle, and where the Doodle is will the tramp
be found. Jay Gould said labor was plentiful
The knights said he was mistaken, and that
without them he could not operate his railroads.
Skilled labor was scarce they claimed, and to prove
1t they promised to take as good care or all men
who refused to work for Gould as they would OF
their own members To make the promise good
they established numerous headquarters. Every
Headquarters has q committee. The duty OF
such committees is to keep the ranks of the
strikers solid and to entice to their side men who
have taken or seem about to take the places OF
strikers.
There are over fifty local assemblies in District
Assembly No. 101. and many more in District
Assemblies Nos. SO and IL. Each local assembly
has its committee. It keeps track of all strikers
in its bailiwick 1t numbers as pensioners all
who have refused to take employment from the
railroad company. Its reports of the situation
are made to the joint executive committee OF
the three assemblies, or to the general execu-
tive board Upon the latter all these committees
draw for assistance. They the strikers
gradually increasing in numbers. They con-
clude that the railroads must necessarily be
losing ground. But is this the case2 Not at all.
Unemployed labor. the sort that is anxious to
shovel snow in July and cut hay in January, is
marching on st. Louis not in solid phalanx, but
in open order, every man for himself These
summer snow-shovelers by the time they reach
st. Louis skilled mechanics They quickly
discover that machinists are in demand by
the railroads, and that the strikers are
uncommonly anxious to lodge and board
such craftsmen. , The tramps at once become
machinists and display an intense desire for
work. while they curse the lot that compels them
to take the places of strikers. But why do they
do sof inquiries striker The tie-counter
scratches his head and mutters that he's hard up
and must work or beg. The committeeman's
face brightens. He slaps the tramp on the back,
walks him off to a boarding house, tells the pro-
prietor that This friend is all right, and the
tramp, after good meal, falls asleep between
Sheets with smile on his face that cracks the
looking glass.
J. j. McGarry is striker who is continually
knocking about among the new recruits cas- we'll
as the old strikers When at work he swings a
hammer. Through the East he is digniied with
the title Of Judge Acknowledgements 1t was
presented to him by a facetlous reporter. The
Illness correspondent had long chat with Nc
Garry tonight "Our men," he said. ''cost
about a dollar day all round to keep. We
make contract for boarding single men. We
pay So 30 a week for their board and give them
dollar a week for washing and tobacco. Men
with families cost more. They cost from $3.50
to So or 80 a week. We have to pay their rent,
and that runs from $40 to $l2 month Then we
pay their grocery bills, and they sometimes want
a little something else. On the average the cost
is about dollar man per day. or course the
men who aren't Knights, but who are with US in
the strike. get taken care of just the same Its
wonderful how many of them there are he
added, musingly. "By Jove." he exclaimed as
it the idea had just occurred to him, Il believe
good many of them are tramps. They say
they are mechanics and out of work They need
a job. but they don't want to hurt the strikers.
Well, what can you doY You must take care of
them. One fellow came to me yesterday. He
was out of work, of course; didn't know the fix
we were in here. or wouldn't have come. he said.
We'll. what do you wantF said. He wanted
passage to Pttsburg. / took him to boarding
house. He wanted dollar or so to buy under
clothes Gave him that To morrow he'll come
for money for a shave he'll want to look decent.
They all do this They're always wanting some
thing, and the fellows who are worth the least
always want the most Men are coming to US
from all points for assistance. A few days ago
we were asked for help by man who said he
was De Soto striker. l asked him why he
didn't get help there. He said they had little
enough, and he didn't want to take the bite out
Of their mouth
"The army is swelling, thena"
EVERY day, every day. said McGarry. throw
ing his arms open if words failed to describe
its numbers. The strikers no longer care to say
how many Of them there are, but two weeks ago
one of the leaders said the strike had thrown
IL, 900 people out of work. The original strikers
have been joined by large numbers of men who do
not to work while the strike continues, or so
long as they paid for remaining idle. Some
of the original strikers have removed to other
places; some have returned to work. but these
are more than counter balanced by the new re-
cruits IF the number supported by Knights Of
Labor is put at 10000, and their support costs
a dollar apiece daily the contract for continuing
tha fight all summer is not a small matter.