Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1888-06-17
THE STRIKE Is NOT OFF.
A Circular Issued to Labor Organizations
and the Public.

A Circular Issued to Labor Organizations
and the Public.
The following circular, which explains
itself, was issued by the engineers, FIRE
men and switchmen of the c., B. & Q.
Road. The circular was handed the REG
IsTER by Chief Duffy, of the Brotherhood
Of Locomotive Engineers of this District,
with request that it be published:
To ALL LABOR ORGANIZATIONS AND THE
GENERAL PUBLIC-THE STRIKE IS Non
OFF-ALL ASKED OF You IS, READ
Both SIDES AND HEAR THE TRUTH
THE COMPANY TRYING TO DECEIVE
THE PUBLIC BY FALSE STATBMnNTs!
June 7, 1888.
We are DESTROYS OF again informing the
unwary public that the Burlington" has
once more, through the columns OF the
substituted press, declared the ''strike of, /"
and would lead the public TO believe that
they were once more handling freight and
stock consignments with the same dispatch
and safety that they did before the old
employees stepped out of their respective
places. Also, would they have the public
believe that the present employees were Of
the most skilled in their professions of en-
gineers, firemen and switchmen, all Of
which is gross insult 10 a people whose
only means of information is through the
columns of this same press.
q H. hou
and are at the present time, using their
financial and other influences to deceive
the travelling public and the shippers on
said road The leading papers of the
country, with few exceptions, have re-
fused to print one side of the story, and We
deem IL a duty we owe to the citizens Of
the country to have our side OF the ques-
ton placed in proper light.
At the beginning of the present trouble,
the company admitted that they could not
fill the places of their old employees with
competent men, and the old officers ex-
pected that large percentage Of the old
men would remain loyal to the company,
and when the company were surprised on
the morning of February 9th, by all their
employees stepping out of their respective
places, they then resorted to the only
means left them, and hired every one that
came to them; men that in all their
lives had never had any
experience on an engine; men
of drunken and vicious habits; men that
could not get employment in any honor
able position or under any circumstances
other than an emergency such as now ex-
ists on the Q. To subststiate these state
ments we are willing to court investiga-
ton, and have been counting such investi-
CATION ever since the strike commenced.
The investigations at Creston, Iowa, Auro.
ra, ILL.,, and other cities along the line Of
the O., have already proven the truth of
the charges we have made, nsmely-the
men employed by the c., B. Il Q. as en-
gineers are wholly incompetent and uuht-
ted for the positions they now hold, and
would not now be recognized by any other
railroad management. We further state
it is not aquestion of wages that is prompt
ing the Q. management in its warfare upon
the men formerly in its employ, as they
are now paying the new men wages that
far exceed the wages paid the old men.
Ia addition thereto, they are paying pilots
for each train the compensation Of first
class engineers. But the true animus OF
their warfare was tersely expressed by one
of the officials in Creston 1--WE have
broken up the Brotherhood, and we will
break up every other damned labor
orgsnizatio in the country" The strug-
gle is simply struggle between
corporate gteed on the one hand, striving
TO crush out the manly hopes Of all those
who labor for a living, and labor on the
other, seeking TO better its condition and
elevate the cause Of all those whose lot ii
is Ito earn their bread in the sweat of their
brow" and this, too without seeking to
take from capital any Of its Just rights, or
its legitimate profits. We wish the public
to understand that this is not altofether
ON account of wages, but with wages lower
than 90 per cent. of all the trunk lines OF
this country and tyrannical abuse from
the management of this road, which has
been eliminating since the management
has been in the hands of III. B. Stone, until
patience ceased to be virtue, and we
were obliged TO strike to preserve our
manhood. We know that the c. b. Il G.,
company cannot run the road with the
elias of men they now have, and that it ia
not safe for the public to patronizs this
scab road and trust their lives and prop
erty in their care. Aud as there are num-
erous competing lines that are first-class
roads, and doing business on the square,
aud employ trusty, competent men and
pay them fair wages for their
services, we would Respectfully
ask the travelling public and
seipoers to patronize such roads, and not
ride or ship over the G, B. & Q. system,
namely-the G, B. & @ proper, In
Illinois, Iowa and Nebraska; O. d l. /. Il.
re. B. &N. and Rock island and st.
Louis Division in Illinois; st. Louis,
Keokuk and Northwestern; Lanssy City.
Sc. Joe and Council Bluffs in Iowa and
Missouri; B. & NJ. r. in Nebraska and
Colorado; Hannibal and st. Joe in Mis-
souri,, and all branches connecting with
the same. We also ask that all labor or
Oanizations use their influence to
avoid their members and friends
from prtronizing the scab road, as
IL "a for the interest Of all laboring men,
"a we'll as all well-wishing citizens, that
such tyrsnts as II. B. Stone and c. E. Per
kins should be suppressed, never to rise
again. Such men rs they, that are not
willing TO leave so great q question to
BOARD of Arbitration, should rot have as
responsible positions rs they hold, and
were they in the right they would willing
" submit to arbitration.
To show that they are not doing pay
ing business, we give You the following
statement. which is taken from che Chicago
Herald of June 9th:
s.For the month of April, the gross earn
ings of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy
road were ST, 7OS. S44. against 81 l97, a9s
for April, 1887, q decrease OF $ssa 'ooS;
Operating expeuses.increased $26l. 1896, and
net earnings for the month were $l54 $50,
decrease of $755. $50. For the four
months ending April 80, the net earnings
were $S74. 15i, against 81, 266, Ss7 for the
corresponding period last year, decrease
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