St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-10-24
INDIGNANT STRIKERS.
Lying Statements Promulgated by an
Evening Paper for Political
Effect.
The Characters of True Men Villifed to
Make the Apparent FalsehOOd
Stick.
The Origin of the Strike Told by the
Men Cards OF
Denial.
Undetermined Methods That VIII
React Upon Guilty Heads Be-
fore Long.
Tho strikers On their Ear.

The switchmenS strike at Minneapolis is
at an end. The men generally returned to
work Yesterday and by Monday all will be
at work again. with the exception of those
the railroad companies have singled out for
''black-lsting. Some of the companies
are disposed to treat the men with consid-
Grafton. 1t is stated that the Omaha has
voluntarily offered its men an increase of
S., and will furnish the night crews with
an extra man, so as to make the work less
exaeting.
The Evening Journal with its usual men,
dacity, last night printed an alleged review
of the strike. in which for political pur-
poses it is made to appear: First, that the
strike was ordered and manipulated by
three men; second, that it was sustained
by subscriptions given by prominent Demo
Gratis. For this purpose a pretended inter
view with a Milwaukee Switchman is fur
nlShed as support for the superstructure
OF lies and miSStatementS that is erected
thereon. A delegation of indignant
switchmen called upon the GLOBE last
night to correct this willful perviSiOn of the
truth. Their story of the strike is sub
stantially as follows;
There had been general dissatisfaction
among the switchmeu in regard to the wages
paid them, the feeling being that they were
not sufficiently paid for their hard and haz-
Rrdous work, and further, that they should
receive the same scale of wages paid by the
same roads at other places The union men
were the first to agitate the matter and bring
1t before the Trades and Labor assembly. A
meeting was held Tuesday, Oct. II, Of union
and non union men. At this meeting Fl.
Gross presided. and E. C. La Sale Off CT
ated as recording secretary, both of
whom were Milwaukee men. At this
meeting it was decided to send committees
from each road to their own superintendent.
1t was supposed that this would be done, but
the next morning the men at the Minneap-
oils & ST. Louis stopped work and went to the
other yards. So that the origin of the strike
cannot be laid to any three men. AS a matter
of fact. neither Behee nor Kennedy was at
the meeting of the night before, and were
not with the St.Louis men when they went out
Another point upon which contradiction is
desired by the switchmen is that the statement
that these men took upon themselves the au-
thority to call a special meeting of all the
switchmen in the city the night before the
men went out, and at this meeting they sue
ceeded in electing themselves president, sec
rotary and treasurer respectively" Not only
is it true that they did not call the meeting,
but they were not elected officers until
Thursday night, and Kennedy was not
elected to any Office. In regard to the money
raised Kennedy and Walker were authorized
TO solicit subscriptions, and money was col
lected from lis business men and citizens.
who desired to see the switchmen win the
strike.
The following cards of denial in this con-
nection have been handed in for publica-
ton:
1t seems the unf1edged gosling reporters of
the Evening Journal have published the
testimony of irresponsible persons in regard
~1,1 -=r1 Cf.il- 1Tf1Fai I
substantially false, not in one particular, but
in all OF them. The strike was brought to
focus, it is claimed by that contemplate
sheet, by ''thr9e men, Frank Kennedy, one
Walker and one. Beebe~'' This is a lie. They
did not call q special meeting the night be-
fore the strike as is claimed. 1t was called
by the union and not one of these men was
elected to any office. Furthermore, Kennedy
was not present at that meeting,
for he was at home attending to
a sick child and these men did not urge
strike in any manner whatever. There was
but one unknown man there who did urge it.
They did not go TO the st. Louis yards, as is
claimed. and order the men out, for they had
no authority to do so. The men at these
yards went out of their own free will, some
of whom were the first back, to their shame.
These men did sUicit subscriptions and were
authorized to help the striking switchmen in
general who were assembled at Turner hall
on the 18th inst. The money raised was to
be used for the benefit of switcnmen who
must either work or starve, so as to lessen
the necessity of interfering in any way with
men who because of poverty must work.
They were thereby doing the railroad COM
pany benefit instead of an injury.
I make this correction simply in justice to
the men who have been so shamefully mis-
represented to the public. 6. P. LONG.
1 wish to say to the public that am the
man referred to in last nights Journal
as ''Walker." My name is James H.
Walker. l was employed by the Northern
Pacific road at the time of the strike. l have
collected money from the citizens of Mime
apolis to aid US in our STRIKE it is true, but l
have vouchers for every cent OF it, and was
authorized to make the collections. The
subscriptions mentioned in the Journal are
incorrectly given, and are only three out of
lis citizens VINO contributed to our help. l
would like to know the name of the Journals
informant % who furnished it with the
statement that is a lie from beginning to
end. JAMES 81. WALKER,
Secretary of the United Switchmen of Min
neapolis and St. Paul.
l wish to say that the statement in last
evenings Journal in reference to my con-
nection with the strike is simply tissue of
falsehoods. Instead of my being one of the
instigators of the strike, l worked ali night
Tuesday in the Omaha yard, and knew moth
ing of it until Wednesday noon, wnen the strike
had been in progress over six hours. Thursday
] was elected chairman in the place of Mr..
Anderson, who was sick, and [ served the
boys to the best of my ability and received no
benefit and never collected one cent. In regard
to the statement that / have mo business
/ have been railroadng twelve years, and at
the time of the strike was working in the
Omaha yards. l was to go to work to-
night, but suppose have lost
my job by staying out in order
to correct the attack made upon my name by
the Journal. The St. Louis and Milwaukee
men were the first to start the strike and the
first to go back. Now they are trying like
towards to saddle the blame upon good and
true men. l did not declare the strike Off
these men took it in their own hands, but a
sensible man knows when he is beaten.
CHARLES E. BEBEE.
Among the switchmen last night intense
Indignation prevailed against the dastardly
course of the Journal, which, in order to
make it appear that the strike was started by
three men who might have been controlled by
politicians it undertakes to blacken the char
acter of three men whom it appears, had little
TODD with the strike until il was well under way
and whose actions thereafter were authorized
by the switchmen. The snimous of the Jour
nal is further shown in the fact that it prints
the names of three Democrats as contribu-
tors to the strikers fund, land largely exagger-
ates the amounts given, and omits to say that
there were lis other persons, Republicans
and Democrats, who also contributed.
PARTLY OVER.
The CO-OperauVe COOpers to Assist
the JOurneymcn TO stand Ont.