St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-10-15
The Switchmen's Strike Still in Progress,
But No New Development
As Yet.
Workmen Stand Out Firmly, But Have
Resorted to Few Acts Of
Violence.
A Crisis Rapidly Approach1nS---1 ne
Yards Filled and Everybody
Kicks.
IT. Paul Switchmen Threaten TO 90
On a Strike in Day
or Two,

month on wages WAS SoLNOo o"'iS -.
morning upon Supt. Sullivan at the Mime
,ota Transfer. He refused to grant it. as
expected. and the switchmeu Immediately
walked out of the yard, The situation has,
of course, hourly become more aggravated
The Milwaukee has, by using its passenger
conductors and brakemen as SWltchmen, sue
ceeded in keeping its trains moving Al
the Omaha yard a few of the trains were
moved. some of the depot men doing
The switching. At the Manitoba and
MINNEAPOLIS g. st. Louis yards scarcely
ANYTHING was done in the way of moving
freight Conferences were generally held
bv the men with the officials. AT the Man
ltoba about forty men held conference
with Supt. Smith. Here an offer TO com
promise upon raise of SIS per month. it is
understood, was made but not accepted,
the men not seeing why they should be
OFFERED LESS WAGES
for the some work performed by other men
at other polpts. A conference was held by
the MINNEAPOLIS & St. houis men with Vice
President TrueSdell, and the same offer to
on So raise was made. Com
mittees were also sent to consult the mana
gers of the Northern Pacific and Omaha at
St. Paul. The situation throughout the
Tlav was not at all startling. The strikers
abstained generally from visiting the yards
and attended meetings. The Milwaukee
road has its force of uniformed policemen
Oh hand. who are gathered from the
different divisions of the road. The switch
ing was done by about twenty conductors
from different points, three assistant yard
masters and a few brakemen. There were
also several of the old Swltchmen EN-
ployed in the lower yard. The company
evidently feared that an attempt would be
made to capture the engines and had the
policemen constantly on hand.
WHAT IS EXPECTED.
The sWitchmen assert most emphatlcally
that they will not resort to violence and 90
not consider it necessary to carry their
point. They feel confident that their claim
: lust. and that other railroad men sympa-
thizing with them will not undertake to de-
feat them by taking their places. The
laws of none of the unions compel members
10 work at any other trade than their own
% belp the railroads out. Thus con-
iuctor cannot be compelled to serve as
brakeman or switchman. The switch
men. at their meeting last night, decided
anon the following address to the public:
To the Citizens of Minneapolis: The
switchmen of the different railroad yards are
making peaceable and honorable efforts to
prevail upon the aforesaid railroad COM
pauies to adopt the Chicago scale of wages.
The railroad managers claim they were not
notified. We will say for the benefit OF the
public that they were waited upon several
weeks ago ty an intelligent committee OF the
Trades and Labor assembly of the city,
and receiving no satisfaction, they, the
switchmen. took the matter in their own
l. hot fnou xCi
pursuance of their present policy of dignity,
good order and SOBER intelligent action in the
future. They take this means of placing
their grievance before an intelligent public:
The above explanation was adopted
unanimously for publication by the switch
men of the various roads at their meeting
last night. The switchmen, feeling CRATE
full for the encouragement and sympathy
they have received from the business men.
also passed the following resolution OF
thanks: Ssh
To the Millers. Merchants, Shippers and
Citizens of Minneapolis: Be it resolved, That
vote of thanks be given to the above for
the sympathy and kindly attitude shown
towards them in their just efforts for recog
milton from the different railroads centering
In this city
THE RAILROAD SIDE.
l hardly think the GLOBE has treated the
railroads exactly fair" said Vice President
Truesdale last evening. 1--WE do mot con-
slider that notice was served on us. True.
4 notice was served, but it came through
the Trades and Labor assembly.
Now, we do not hire the Trades
and Labor assembly, and the men
we employ never came near US. We have
tried to treat our men literally as well as
Justly. The claim that the wages asked
are uniformly paid at other points is I'M
true. The Chicago prices are paid only at
that place, st. Louis, Kansas City, and
perhaps at Denver. New York, Buffalo.
Cincinnati Cleveland, Toledo and other
railroad centers pay less prices than we do
here. So do not see how it can be said
we are paying less prices than elsewhere.
THE BUSINESS MEN.
The millers, lumbermen and business
men generally are beginning to feel the an
of the freight traffic The Galaxy, North
western, Standard and Petit mills shut
down yesterday, and others will doubtless
find it necessary to follow suit to-day.
THE SITUATION
last night was unchanged. The switch
men made no attempt at interference, and
did not cOngregate in large numbers about
the railroad yards. Small groups at the
Milwaukee and Minneapolis & St Louis
depOts were composed chiefly of idlers and
curioSity-Seekers, and not of switchmen.
The Milwaukee officials were especially
alarmed and were prepared to resist an at
tempt to capture engines at any hour. The
Northern Pacific officials also applied Tor
police protection and finally induced Act
ing Mayor Clough to summon the entire
force to be in readiness for action. This
morning all of the roads will make more or
less determined efforts to start their cars.
The Minneapolis q st. Louis has engaged
a force of special policemen to guard their
yards, and expect to have the switching
done by the depot men and brakemen. The
attitude of the railroads can
be understood as meaning that the
demand of the men will not
be granted, and that no effort at CON-
promise will be made until it is found that
it is impossible to move freight otherwise.
The men evince a disposition to stand by
each other. and when asked by the Mime
apolis & st. Louis if-they would go to work
if their demands were acceded to. replied
that they would, but that they would handle
only the freight of such other roads as make
similar concessions.
ENGINES KILLED"
Strikers appeared at the East Minneapo-
lis junction at the Manitoba yard about
midnight, stopped a freight tram, took pos
session CT the engine, and after switching
the cars killed the engine. An engine
was also ''killed' in the Northern Pacific
yard, and two Minneapolis & st. Louis
engines were killed and placed in the round
house. The police were called for, and the
two patrol wagons carried squad of police
to the Northern Pacific yard. There was
no appearance of the strikers and the police
returned to Headquarters, where the night
and d.a,- fc,rnnc d,,tr-