St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-07-02
Indiana Workingmen After
Harrison's Record on Their
Union Orders.
AS a Railroad Attorney He Is
Accused of Corporation
Sympathies.
In Defense His Friends Will
Lay the Blame on Judge
Gresham.
The Dispute Liable to Lead
to, an Enormous Party
Schism.


INDIANAPOLIS, July 1.-The Ia Dor
leaders in this state are arraying them
selves pretty solidly against Gen. Har-
rison. The hostility of this element
dates back to the railroad strike
of 1877. and became conspicuous
during the session of the legis-
lature which elected Judge Turpie
to the United States senate. Three
Republican members of labor leaningS
then refused to vote for Harrison on ac-
count of his alleged antipathy to Knight
of Labor and trade union organizations,
and it was not until TurpIe had received
seventy-siX votes that they supported
their own party's nominee. Harri-
sons record on the Chinese ques-
ton and his denunciation of strikes
and strikers are now being hunted
up, and his enemies propose to
make the best use possible of all the
material that can be found. The gen.
erals friends, however, ARE by no means
Inactive. They propose, if possible, to
put the Odium of the railway strike
busin ess on Gresham, and to find eX-
cuSes for the Republican candidates at
titude toward the Mongolians. This
will prove a difficult task. The circum-
stances attending the outbreak of 1877
are too well remembered here. Soon
after the destruction of large amount
of property at Pittsburg the citizens of
Indianapolis became much alarmed. AS
the railroad employees were restless, it
was thought the part of prudence to
prepare against any emergency that
might arise.
A SPECIAL PATROL
was organized, and it was but shortly
afterward that the employees deserted
their trains i'll this city and became
demonstrative toward all who attempted
to supply their, places. Freight traffic
was at standstill, and, though the
mails were permitted to pass, passen
gers were taken from the trains by
force and others were not allowed to
get aboard. A committee, composed of
Judge Gresham. Gen. Harrison, Gov.
Porter and others, was appointed at a
meeting of citizens. Harrison was ap-
pointed captain of one of the companies
6f the Indiana legion and placed in
charge of II men. As member of the
committee and as an officer he did all in
his power to prevent the destruction
OF property. A committee of strikers
asked an audience with the citizens
committee for the purpose of making a
statement of grievances and they were
permitted to appear. During the joint
session Harrison addressed the strikers
and said, in so many words, that they
had no right while breaking the law to
| appear before committee of law abid-
ing citizens with an appeal for redress.
| AS usual in speaking he was very
earnest, and the strikers were so Of
fon6nH nyrh hic hot thax 1nff
| the room in a body. They were, how
ever, induced to return and the confer
ence was continued, Gov. Porter and
| others discussing the situation and ad-
| viSing moderation. The Ohio & Missis-
| sippi railroad was at this time in the
| hands of receiver, and Gen. Harrison
| was
THE RECEIVERS ATTORNEY.
The road being thus under the pro-
! lection of the federal court, and several
| of the trains having been interfered
| with i'll the southern part of Indiana,
| warrants were issued and four strikers
were arrested and brought here for trial.
Three of them pleaded guilty, but man
! named Reeves declared that he was
| innocent and was placed on trial. AS
| the attorney of the receiver of the road,
| Harrison examined the witnesses for
| the government and croSS-eXamined the
witnesses for the defense. thus continu-
ing in the trial the activity which he
had manifested as member of the citi-
| ZenS' committee and as captain of a
company of state militia organized for
the purpose of putting down the strike.
! Reeves was acquitted, but the
three who pleaded guilty and twelve
| others who had been arrested for in ter
ference with other lines were convicted
! and sent to different county jailS to
serve a period of three months. Harri-
| son acted as prosecutor, and in this re-
! Spect changed his relations completely
| from the other members of the commit
tee. Judge Gresham was on the bench
| at the time, but he refused to preside,
saying that he had taken an active part
as citizen and he would not sit in judg-
ment upon those arrested for fear that
he could not separate what he had heard
and personally knew of their acts from
the evidence that might be adduced on
| the trial. Porter, another member of
the committee, volunteered to defend
the strikers as soon as they were ar
rested, and did appear in the eases, and
| even where pleas of guilty had been en-
tered he argued that the men were
| IGNORANT OF THE LAW,
had no intention of violating it, and
| that it should be an extenuatiOn of the
| offenee that the period in which the acts
| complained of were committed was one
of extraordinary excitement, and calcu-
lated to lead even conservative men be-
| y0nd those limits of prudence which
| would characterize them under ordi-
nary circumstances. Some of the labor
leaders say that Harrison advocated the
shooting down of the strikers, and in a
public speech declared that the men
| were getting as much wages as they de-
served. His friends deny this, and al
lege that it was Judge Gresham, who, as
! member of the committee, advocated
| extreme measures, and when Harrison
| opposed harshness either of word or
act insinuated ''that possibly the gen.
| tleman might have some fear of bull
| let's" 1t is asserted in this connection
| also that Harrison has resented the in
sinuation, and from that day to this he
and Judge Gresham have not been on
| terms of friendly intimacy. Of course.
such statements have provoked heated
/ replies from the friends of Gresham,
| and some of these join with Harrison's
political opponents and with the labor
lights in attributing to Harrison more,
perhaps, than he ever said or did. What
ever may be the merits of the contro-
versy, it is destined to be prominent
! in the campaign, and an effort is now
on foot to get, in the shape of affldavits,
all the testimony Obtainable with refer
ence to HarriSon'S connection with the
Istrike.