St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-10-16
THE sTKlKE IN sT. PAUL.

THE STRIKE IN ST. PAUL.
St. Paul Switchmen Quietly Leave
Their Work, in obedience to the
Union.
About II o'clock yesterday morning a
committee of st. Paul switchmen visited
the general offices of the various roads and
made formal demand for all increase of
wages. and insisted that they should be
given reply by noon. The wages per
month asked for were: Night foremeD $50,
day foremen SIS, night switchmen $40. day
switchmen S65. 1t was also asked that
twenty-Six days, ten hours day, be consid
cred a month, instead of thirty days, that
the men had been working heretofore, and
that extra time be paid for at the rate OF rs
cents an hour.
The committee acknowledged that they
were giving the roads but little time to de-
eide, but they said that they were
forced to the act by the union
of which they were members. At
noon the committee called at the
offices again and were told that it was im
possible for the roads to accede to their de-
mands at once, but if they would return to
work the matter would be taken under
| immediate consideration and they should
receive all the benefit it was possible to
give them. The men went to dinner but
failed to show up in the yards. Up to last
night this refusal of the men TO work had
not interfeTed seriously with the business.
The Duluth road employed fresh hands and
put them to work and the Northern Pacific
yards were all right The switchmen on
the Sioux City division of the Omaha road
remained at their posts and said they
should not leave unless they
WE'RE DRIVEN AWAY
and the neil in the union depot yards had
not gone out up to a late hour last night.
The general superintendent of the Omaha
| and Manitoba and Minnesota & Northwest
ern roads went to Minneapolis in the after
noon to hold conference with the commit
tee appointed by the labor unions to meet
them. The men are orderly and avoid the
destruction of perishable goods by delay as
far as possible. On the Omaha road in
Minneapolis the strikers hung up freight
train, and taking the way bills, selected all
cars loaded with perishable goods, and
making up train of them sent them out,
and held the other traffic. The Manitoba
road Yesterday afternoon issued large red
placards and posted them in conspicuous
places. They warned all persons against
interfering the employees of the st. Paul,
Minneapolis d. Manitoba railroad company
and called attention TO sections Al, 446
and 400 of the penal code, stating
the penalty for acts of violence
and destruction of property. 1t was the
| general impression among Tie officials that
the end was not yet and trouble of more
serious nature would result before the mat
ter was settled. One prominent official
who stands at the head of one of the largest
railroad corporations represented in the
city, said that there was something at the
bottom Of the whole affair that he could
not understand. The trouble began by
anonymous letters being sent around to the
railroad officials asking that the wages OF
switchmen be raised. Of course no atten-
ton had been paid to these communications
and
| NO DIRECT DEMAND
had been made until about noon yesterday.
| The men, he insisted. had taken the wrong
course. Ii they had appointed committee
at first and held consultation
with the officials of the different
roads, undoubtedly an understanding would
have been reached satisfactory to both par
ties. but the Switehmeu had taken the
matter entirely into their own HANDS and
they would find that the railroad corpora
tions could be cOaXed, but they could not be
cOerced. He thought every possible means
should be taken to prevent interference
with the commerce of the city and avoid
such disastrous blow to trade and traffic
as was suffered in st. Louis and from which
that city had not yet recovered.
In the Northern Pacific yard men left
their work VINO had been with the road
fourteen years and had never made COM
plant. The only reason that they gave for
| ont thot thaN hod hoon or1ar
to do so by the union. General Manager
Cakes, of that road. said: I'VE shall put
force Of men to work and keep Our trains
moving at all odds"
OMAHA, WEST DIVISION.
On the West division of the Omaha road
thirteen men are employed. They remained
at work yesterday afternoon until about
o'clock. AT that hour committee of twenty
five from Minneapolis and st. Paul went to
them and asked them to support the union,
and strike. The thirteen are union men
and they quit work. The committee then
went away. They had beel away but
short time when the men returned and took
their engines. They were assured by the
superintendent that they would receive all
the benefits of the strike, if there were any,
if they continued at work. The night force
went to work as usual. A squad of police was
on hand to see that they were not mOlested.
Mayor Rice was visited yesterday afternoon
by Superintendent Spencer, of the Omaha
road, who explained that the switchmen in
the yard at the foot of Chestnut street had
struck. and as he feared damage would be
done, asked for police protection. Chief
Clark was notified by the mayor and de-
tail under command of Lieut.. Morgan was
sent to the scene. A tour of the yard at 5
o'clock found everything quiet. and all but
four OF the police were ordered back to the
station The men at the Omaha yard in
East ST. Paul quit work at noon, but at
tempted no violence. A Transfer train was
made up about o'clock by freight copduc-