Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-02-27
place about 200 Knights of Labor
strikers ?" asked the reporter.


strikers ?" asked the reporter.
eyes, they most certainly did,"
"And do you not think that but for
the action on the part of the Brother
hood that the strike inaugurated by
the Knights would have proven a
success ?"
"There is very little doubt on that
point. The same thing has just ap-
peared in the Reading strike, as every
one who reads the newspapers knows.
Just as soon as the strike was declared
the Brotherhood began filling the
vacancies. These actions on the part
of the Brotherhood do not naturally
tend to cement them and the Knights.
Tit for tat is the game that the people
of our day like to indulge in, and l
do not see why the Knights should be
exceptions. If the locomotive en-
gineers in our body see fit to accept
positions on the Chicago, Burlington
and Quincy Railroad, they most
certainly are entitled to do as they
please. 1t is a matter resting
entirely in their hands and with
which we as body have nothing to
do. The adoption OF retaliatory meas
ures is nothing and honestly admil
that would be surprised if they were
brought into use by the Knights.
Thus far, however, no action that !
know OF has been taken by the Chi
cago Knights"
dispatches from Reading state
that the knights there are being rap
idly and readily engaged by Burling-
ton people. Is that SOP"
"Well, am not surprised at least
and now since that is the case you
may look out for similar order of
things here"
THE SITUATION IN THE EVENING.
The managers of the strike were
the coolest men in the town to-day,
and at seasonable hour this evening
retired to their rooms. The officers
OF the railroad company were acting
with equal deliberation. During all
the weeks of negotiations Mr.. Stone
had not been idle. An agent OF his
road went to Reading, Pennsylvania
and employed all the train men he
could who had been recently thrown
out of employment by the strike on
the Philadelphia and Reading lines.
Other points were reached by tele-
graph offering work to idle engineers
Every man in the shops who could
manage an engine was ordered to be
ready to go out with one. Applicants
for jobs got them in hurry. Early
this evening officers of the road said
that they had enough men
to run the trains each way. The COM
pany has been running twenty-six
such trains daily. If the strike as
sumes the proportions that now seem
probable, about II 900 men will be in
volved. This number includes en-
ployes that will be thrown out of
employment by the striking firemen.
POLICY OF THE STRIKERS.
The strike is not likely to involve
any of the other roads, in the opinion
of Mr.. Arthur and Mr.. Sargent, though
they expressed an opinion on the con-
tingency that some other company
might endeavor to aid the Burlington.
"It is purely our own affair."" said
Sargent. ono other road is con-
cerned, and 10 others except engineers
and firemen. The brakemen and
switchmen will remain neutral. We
have not asked them TO help us, and
will not. If we are to be beaten, we
propose to stand it alone"
When told Of Mr.. Stones final de.
termination not to yield to the en-
pleyes Mr.. Arthur's face was clouded
for a moment. He said that he was
sorry, as he hated to see the strike.
but under the circumstances no other
course could be taken. The men ON
the entire system were unanimous for
| it. He had told them of all the diff
culties they would have to encounter,
and they decided 10 go into it, and the
order will do the best it can for them.
When asked if the company can get
enough good men, Mr.. Arthur said ::
SIT cannot. 1t may employ some men
who were expelled for drunkenness
or stealing, but will such men be safe
Can the road afford to put
passenger trains in charge OF such
men? 1t will not be long until these
men get them into a bigger trouble
than we now are in by striking for
more wages. You see how it is on the
Reading Road"
"What is the trouble between the
Reading Road, the Knights OF Labor
engineers and the Brotherhood"
"There is none that l know of. 1
deny the assertion that sent men to
take the places of those now on a
strike on that road. did not send a
man there. l did not know that any
Brotherhood engineer had gone to
work for that road"
"Have you heard OF any Reading
men coming hereY'
"I have not; l told our men, though,
that they might expect them. They
discussed this view OF the situation
and decided to go out. If the COM
pany can get other. engineers to fill
their places our boys must acknowl-
edge defeat"
REVIEW OF THE AFFAIR.
The strike promises to be the most
remarkable ever known, for it is the
only single labor organization in ex-
istence that has been pitted against
the largest railroad corporation in the
West, and one of the largest in mile
age and wealth in the world. Should
the strike be of long continuance, it is
probable that in addition to the 1400
men directly effected, a great
majority of the employees of the
company will be thrown out OF work.
Two thousand five hundred members
of the Engineers brotherhood
through out the country are called
upon to contribute their savings and
the industries Of the vast section of
the country tributary to the road are
subjected to partial paralysis for the
reaching effects of the strike can be
inferred from the fact that the road
has 5000 miles of main and leased
lines gridironing the States of Illinois,
Iowa, Missouri and Nebraska. From
Chicago it reaches to Denver, Colo,
,vov 10An v,,sIao and %a Ghouarno