Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1888-03-07
The Men on All Other Roads Will Sup
port the Burlington Strikers.
The Brotherhood Perfectly Willing t,
Submit to Congressional Inquiry.
&. p. A. Morton Thinks the Backbone
of the Strike Broken.
The New York Brotherhood Issue a
Statement to the Public.

gent, of the Brotherhood, was shown a re
port OF the proceedings in the House o
Representatives, in which Mr.. White, of In
diana, proposed to send Congressional
committee to investigate the Burlington
railroad strike. "You can say for me, "
said Sargent, that we are perfectly willing
that committee composed OF practical
railroad men should examine and pass
upon our demands at any time. We have
been ready at all times to meet the officials
of the c.. B. & @. road and settle our griev-
ances in an amicable way. We are not ask
ing them to pay any more wages than is
paid by all the lines running out OF Chicago.
We are perfectly willing to have Congress
sional committee examine into the subject
and see if they can bring about
a settlement. This strike is not of
| our seeking, but we know that the demands
OF the men are just and we can readily con-
| vince any intelligent man OF that fact and
| would the Burlington officials to-day ac-
cede to our demands, which are namely:
3 cents per mile passenger service, cents
per mile freight service; 60 per cent. of
above rates to fremen, the wheels OF the
| entire system would be moving in twelve
hours" Chief Arthur said: II heartily
endorse sargent's words
AS TO OTHER ROADS.
The fact that delegates from the Brake
mems Brotherhood were present at the
meeting OF the grievance committee to-day
indicated one object OF the conference. All
engineers who could be induced to talk said
the brakemen were with the strikers. Mr..
O'Brien, of the press committee, when asked
%,,1- foI
western road, replied that the utmost good
feeling exists between the officials and engi-
neers of that road. The strike on the
Northwestern had not been discussed, that
is, as q division matter. 1t is the intention
OF the engineers, he said, to confne the
strike, if possible, to the Burlington
system"
What about the strike on the Burlington
& Northern?"
"The grievance committee on that road,
rc;.lied O'Brien, ''has reported that they
have examined into the matter and find
no grievance exists there. The officials of
the Burlington & Northern have undertaken
to be perfectly neutral in the matter.
He SPEAKS FOR THE COMPANY.
General Passenger Agent Morton, speak
ing OF the company this afternoon said he
was of opinion the backbone OF the strike
was broken. I'VE are running a sufficient
number of passenger trains" said he, ito
accommodate all business and our freight
traffic has nearly assumed it's normal con-
dition. We have taken all the engineers
and fremen we can handle and have in |
structed our eastern agents not to send US
any more men unless they happen to be |
thoroughly competent eng ineers. In the
event OF a strike on the Burlington &
NJ 4 hat Mill N
bly, take the men we cannot use ourselves"
HELD IN ABEYANCE.
About o'clock this afternoon General
Manager Harris, OF the c., B. & NJ, called
at Chief Arthur's private room. Mr.. Harris |
is maIager of the road on which the strike !
was ordered to occur at O'Clock this even |
ing. The road extends from Savannah, |
Ills, to Minneapolis, MINI. Chief Arthur
came from a grievance committee meeting |
to meet MIR. Harris. Mr.. Harris requested |
Mr.. Arthur's assistance in avertipg the !
threatened strike. To this Mr.. Arthur re- |
piled that he bad not been consulted by the |
men about striking, and therefore if
they struck it was their own fight. |
He said he could not interfere either |
for or against either side. This made it |
necessary for Mr.. Harris. to discuss the diff |
committee OF the road was called in from
the general meeting and talk was had. An
hours discussion resulted in an order to
the men not to strike and the whole mat |
ter is held in allegiance until the chairman
of the committee can reach home and have
talk.
THE GRIEVANCE COMMITTEE MEETING.
Though Chief Engineer Arthur and Grand
Master Sargent utterly refused to permit
any questioning concerning what had been
going on in the M citing, it was learned from
one who occupied Ii position OF Importance
on the committee what had transpired.
I'm the first place." said he, Chief Ar
mittees together for the purpose of ascer-
tanning how the engineers and fire
men of roads centering in Chicago
felt toward the Burlington men.
He wanted to be SURE Of his position before
he took any further steps regarding the
Burlington management. When the meet
ing opened the Chief requested full and
free report from each Chairman. He asked
them not to blind him by giving exagger
ated reports, but to simply say whether or
not the men on other lines were
WILLING TO BACK HIM UP
if he still fought the cause OF the Burlington
men, One by one the chairmen reported,
and it is the fact that all reports were OF
t|o same tenor-allegiance to the chief and
moral and monetary support to the fullest
degree. This accounts for the universal
good humor of the delegates when they sep
arated and the confident air OF the chief en-
gineer and grand master this evening"
Lid the chief issue any order to his
subordinates, or indicate any line OF action
for the future?"
mo sir, he did not. He thanked them
for their loyalty, told them to 60 to their
various divisions, report to the men that
he was in the fight to win, and il they stood
firm to the pledge given in to-day's meet
ing, he would win the Burlington fight, and
that in short order"
An attempt was made this evening to
obtain an expression of opinion from the
officers OF the Burlington road as to whether
they were in favor OF a congressional in
vestigation OF the strike as per Congress
man Whites resolution in the House to-
day. None of them would see a reporter
in reference to the matter.