Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1888-03-27
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BURLINGTON SWITCHMEN.

TIE ACTION A SURPRISE TO THE
TIE ROADS OFFICIALS.
The Are Out at Chicago, Galesburg. Au-
rora, ottumwa, and Omaha, and the
..p'' Paralysis Calls for q Statement by
the Company.
CHICAGO, March 26.--The suddenmoye
of the switchmen was a surprise to the
Burlington. Three weeks ago Manager
Stone anticipated trouble, but as none &C.
curredf his fears were quoted, and the
strikers were given the benefit of the
doubt. Mr.. Stone saw the whole import
of the delay Saturday morning, which
was to allow the road. to thoroughly
equip itself with new engineers, and
then play q trump card, and put the road
in almost as helpless q condition as it
was on the day after the Brotherhood
stepped out.
at was d surprise to us, = said General
Passenger Agent Morton. We had heard
rumors of such o move, but had placed
but little faith in them. In fact, some Of
the switchmen had emphatically declared
that were not going to strike. They have
no grievance. They have sent no
one here to complain of their grievance.
1 have heard that they struck on d plea
that they did not wish to endangert their
lives by working with incompetent en-
gineers, referring, of course, to the men
who havestaken the Brotherhood mems
49, = yIy111H - That So oil y,Nr,,aneas
There has not been an accident to q single.
s%witchman since the strike began, onaac-
count of the incompetency Of the new
engineers. The only cause Of their strik-
ing isstheirshope to assist the Brother
hood. They will do nothing of the sort.
It is the policy of this road to run it's own
business--to do as 1t deems to be in ac-
cordance with its.best interests. 1t will
continue to follow out that policy. 1t
will temporarily embarrass us. At
present we are only working our pas
senger service on this end of the line,
and unless the brakemen strike-a thing
we do not for q moment contemplate
there Will be no interruption of that de-
partment. Our freight business is at q
standstiM-S-that is, SO far as new business
is concerned. We are moving all
stock, however. This suspension will
continue until we secure new men to
take the strikers' places
Chairman Hoge said that, all the infor-
matfot he had regarding the s~switchnfen's
strike was what he had seen IN the
papers. He denied point bIsnk that
there was any combination between the
Brotherhood and the switchmen, and
said not q single dollar OF the Brother
hoods money would be used to support
the idle switchmen.
The chairman who presided over the
meeting Mt West Twelfth street Turner
hall, said: Forty switch engines are tied
up, which leaves 100 switchmen out.
We will not je~opa;dize are lives. Why,
half of the new engineers don't know
am : mere ahnnt an engine than the men
who never Saw one. The company's Of
ficials say THAT no fingers have been
smashed, or bones broken. Why, there
have been three or four Of the boys laid up
already. This strike was not ordered by
the ~Switchmen's Union We struck in
order 10 preserve ourselves
From Madison street to Western ave-
nue., along the Burlington road, Pipkerton
men can be seen dressed In citizens
clothes. At The headquarters of the
S~witchmen's Aid Association of North
America, it was stated that the only in
hSlluhVtoH pltSy uhu WAS IIuI8 WHHb WIS
stated in the morning papers. The
strike was not ordered by the association,
and the meeting held last week. was
not of the union, but of employees Of the
Burlington road. President Monaghan is
In Columbus, o., on business for the or
der.
The Rock island Answers the So"
CHICAGO, March 28--The Chicago,
Rock Island g Pacific railway fled in
Judge Gresham's court an answer to the
petition of the Burlington asking that
the former road be compelled to handle
q cars. The answer sets out dis.
tinctly that 1t was the purpose of the
Burlington company, by bringing about
q strike or its own line first, to absorb all
the engineers and iremen OF the United
States who were not members Of Stho
brotherhood, and thereby render it inn
possible for it's competitors to man their
roads; that its demand for interchange
of traffic with competing lines has not
been made In good faith, but for the ex-
press purpose OF bringing about a strike
On those lines, well knowing the places
OF the striking engineers and firemen
could not be supplied.
49,