Omaha daily bee., 1888-03-08
PREPARED FOR A APARALYzER
All Brotherhood Men Given the Op-
tion to Strike.
THE CRISIS WILL COME TO-DAY.
Many Roads Will Probably BE Affected
Mr.. Kimball Says the Union
Pacific Must Handle Bur.
lingtOn Cars.
Support Of the Entire brotherhood

lingtOn Cars.
Support of the Entire Brothe rhood.
CHICAGO, March 7-The full support of the
entire Brotherhood Of Locomotive Engineers
and Firemen has been pledged to their mem
bers on any and all roads throughout the
United States who deem it necessary to
strike and formally decide to do so oin order
to uphold their brethren on the Chicago, Bur-
lington & Quincy This information was
obtained this evening on the best Of author
ity, and was verified through another source.
1t can also be stated upon authority that
general meetings of the local grievance COM
mittees of various roads eldto-day were in
each case convened for the purpose Of dis.
cussing the advisabilty Of strike on that
particular road, and IL such radical step
was not considered essential the object was
to decide what measures in lieu thereof
should be adopted The sanction of the gen.
eral executive of the brotherhood thus
given IN advance to men who strike
at at the % conference % % Of the General prieyanee
committee Of the brotherhood held here Mon
day. It no longer rests with Chiefs Arthur
and Sargent to say that the men on any road,
should they strike, will be backed up by the
DrOtneTnOOu as aWUOlc. lne IHeu On any
single railroad system, or half dozen sys-
tens, have it now absolutely in their power,
not only to say whether they shall strike. but
also when they shall strike, with the whole
might OF the brotherhood behind them. That
the men are not disposed to use with undue
haste the weapons in their grasp may be
partly inferred from the fact that although
several meetings were held to-day, each
clothed. with complete authority to declare a
strik, affecting q vast stretch of territory no
such declaration had been made up to this
evening. At least two meetings of the
kind mentioned are known. to have
been held in this city to-day. Others are
said to have been convened at Rock Island,
Omaha and Kansas City. One meeting in
Chicago was composed Of delegates from
every brotherhood lodge having members in
the employ of the Chicago & Northwestern
railway. About thirty delegates were pres
ent. The meeting was held in McCoy's hotel.
Little is known of the proceedings beyond a
rumor that the delegates manifested extreme
reluctance to strike except as last resort.
Both the Northwestern and St. Paul men will
be again in session Tomorrow.
A prominent railroad official said this even
ing that he understood the grievance COM
mittees of several roads will each formulate
company by which they are employed, asking
for the intervention of the general managers
of the various roads asa body to, help the
Burlington strike to settlement. 1t is
rumored tonight that meeting of the gen
eral managers entering the city will be held
uation. Marvin Hughitt, president of the
Chicago & Northwestern company, is cred
tied with being the leading spirit
in the movement to bring about
Of outside roads a knowledge of this fact is
limited to be one of the causesof the reluot
ance of the Chicago & Northwestern grev
ance committee to-day TO adopt hostile
policy
Among the many rumors flying about to
night which could not be hunted down to @
veritication or denial was one that the
strikers had telegraphed to the inter-sta
commerce commission asking that body tc
take official cognizance of the strike, andth
dispatches had been sent to- Governor Oglesby
requesting him to formally call the matter tc
the attention of the Illinois state railroad
commission.
Must Handle Burlington Cars.
Thomas l.. Kimball, assistant vice presi
dent of the Union Pacific railroad, yesterday
evening issued letter to the employees of the
road in regard to that roads relation to the
Burlington strike. Appended is the letter il
full, together with citations of the law ant
kilograms of Charles Francis Adams, the
president, and L. J. Potter, the vice presi
dent:
Company: Whatever may have been the
liability of this company at common law il
respect to the receipt of freight
from from, connecting ga lines, its pI9ssIt pr9esen
under the provisions of the act of congress,
approved February 4, 1887, and commonly
known as the interstate commerce law
Section 8 of that article is as follows:
"That it shall be un lawful for any common
carrier subject to the provisions of this act t.
nlyan duo hi
preference or advantage to any particular
person, company, firm, corporation or local
ity, or any particular description of traffic il
any respect whatsoever, or to subject any
particular person, company, firm, corporation
or locality, or any particular description O.
traffic, OF any undue or unreasonable preju
dice or disadvantage in any respect whatso
cver.n
Under this section this company has no dis
erection. 1t is absolutely bound to treat al
connecting lines alike, to receive all freigh
rendered to it by them. and to transport i
over its own lines, without discrimination, il
the ordinary and usual manner A refusa
on the part of this company to obey the act o
congress by accepting freight rendered to i
by the Burlington system would subject it
/, to forfeiture of its charter in case tn,
| government saw fit to prosecute it for the
same: 2 to criminal action against the cor
pocration, or any of its officers, participating
alalhng' actiss taissis'mg or aequiesc,ns I'll IL
SuCH W SulJ 10
| damages from the Burlington road; an(
| fourth, to a suit for damages by every in
| dividual shipper of any class or species O.
| freight shipped over the Burlington to
| point either upon or beyond our line. From
| this situation there Is absolutely no escape
| This company cannot refuse to obey this law
| either for purposes of its own commercial
| advantage, or out of any desire to aid any
| particular body of men in contest between
| them and the Burlington management. Tn,
| duty of the company is so clear, the conse
| quences of its failure to obey the law 81
| serious, that it does not seem as if any person
| or organization could ask it so to do.
| IT, therefore, it is demanded of this com
pany that it shall violate and defy the law o
the United States, that its officers shall 81
act as to become criminals subject to prose
| cution and punishment, that it shall incur
forfeiture of its charter and submit itself I,
| ruinous litigation, IL must unhesitatingly de
cline so to do. Its position is one of stric
neutrality. Should the Burlington compan,
ask it to discharge all brotherhood engineers
and not TO permit its engines Il
be run bv them, it would b'
an unwarrantable interference witt
| the management of this company, and woul(
be promptly declined Upon the same ground
and for reasons which leave the company n,
alternative, it is impossible for it to compl.
| with any request which may be made of /
1 h. - al.-lx 1.....l at...N ...1