The Press., 1886-06-17
tNew York Evening Post Thursday) A STRIKERS STORY.
HOW ONE THIRD AVENUE MAN FEELS.

HOW ONE THIRD AVENUE MAN FEELS
 Among tue old men who applied to the comrany this morning to be rcinstat' d, or At any rate given a chnnce on the extra list, was Joe Bannister, one of the oldest, best and most respectable drivers on the road. He was ol.e of the committee of three who carried the strikers written de- mand to the company two months ago. He pleaded so hard apd so freely confessed the folly he had been guilty of that he wss handed over 10 Mir, Lyons son to make his stat. ment for submission to the direct ors. Bannistcr was seen also by an Even ing Post Ieporter, to whom he made inc following statement:
 'sI am fifty-oue years old, married, and have eight children. have heen in the employ of the company over twenty years.
 l drove the first car on One Hundred and TwPni y-fifth street. and also drove the com pany's wellremembered pal, ce car for a year. l had very little to do with the strike and it's causes. | have been mem Der of the union since February 18th last, was almost the last man to go into it, was appointed member of the grievance com mittee by our Local No. 4,103, When it was first proposed to tie up to enforce the discharge of the seven non-union men Give drivers and two conductors) I opposed it from the start. I did not know the men scarcely, as they were on one road and ] was on the other, but I felt for their fami. lies, and should hate to be discharged for the same reason. did not attend the meeting the night the demand was drawn up for the discharge of those seven men and the remedying of other grievances, Il but went with two others as committee and delivered the letter to President Lyon. II Mir, Lyon said he would agree to arbitrate as to any grievances, but would never con- sent to the discharge of the men, Dr. Hall, another director, said he would take up the rails and sell them for old iron be- fore he would agree to any such demand. We reported back to Joseph O'DoDneli, chairman of the executive board O'Don- I nell said: Well, we're in for a big fight that'is just what expected. He got of his car and got excused for the day, and caIl'>d a mt citing of the local that night to order the tie-up. The next day the road was tied up. l have attended n few of the meetn gS only since the strike began. took no part in the dismissal of O'Don. nell, and did not approve of the election of Cullum in his place. There was 8 strong opposition to him among all the men, but the hot-headed ones gained their point. l cannot tell how it was that men from other roads came to be made mem- bers of the executive board of cur local. saw the folly of joining the union soon af. ter joined it, and only regret did not leave it, and ask the company to reinstate me weeks ago. received $62 from the union during the strike, the g. being re- ceived last week. know personally that there was strong objection to the general tie-up last Saturday on the part of the men on the Second and Fourth avenues, and also by the Brooklyn men. honest ly confess to being ashamed at being led of at my time of life and after being used So we'll as was by the Third avenue com- pany. think the strike was ill.advised
 and it is the last one will be found con
 nected with. know very little about the inside workings of the union. Three of uf , drivers kept together and did not go among the noisy ones on the avenue or partici. pate in any violence during the strike. Nc report was ever made of any money re
 ceived or paid during the strike. The boycott was put on by some person, but don't know by whom. It don't amount to two cents, though, as far as injuring tho Third avenue company goes. Our loca
 cannot leave their own district assembly and go into another one. One state might as we'll want to secede from the union. The large majority of the men joined the union within the last nine or ten months. There are hundred and more of good
 men, old drivers, as good as myself, who want to come back. and will never go out on another strike again if once they are reinstated. The men on the othel roads went back on Sunday morning with
 out waiting for any order from the union
 because they saw if they did not they
 would get the same dose we Third avenu' i men did" ...... E.... .......'.