, 1888-03-06
BURLINGTON STRIKE.
A Meeting of the Grievance
Committees
The Men Still Firm in Their
Demands.
Chief Arthur Says He is In
the Fight to Win.
The Burlington strike.
TRAINS RUNNING REGULARLY.

day before the strike began. Early this
morning a notice was posted in the con-
ductors room which showed that all
trains would run to day on schedule time
except three through trains, which have
been abandoned. All engines. both in
and out, were manned by new men, none
OF the officers of the road acting as me-
chanlcs on any of them. About 100 men
were being examined as engineers at the
offices OF the company this morning.
They were mostly men who arrived from
the East yesterday, To-day freight is be-
ing received for all points east of the
Mississippi river, and tomorrow it will
be received for points up to Missouri.
MEETING oFTHE GRIEVANCE COMMITTEES.
Chief Engineer Arthur's headquarters
presented a lively scene this morning.
The room was crowded with members of
the grievance committees of the various
Western and Northwestern railroads, rep.
rcsenting both the engineers and fire
mems organizations. They had come
from as far as New Mexico in responding
to the calls of Chief Arthur to the Bur
l%ington strike. All seemed in hearty ac-
cord with each other. At 10 a. IN. the
meeting was opened by Arthur. None
attended other than the grand officers and
the chairmen of the grievance committees.
The proceedings of the meeting were of
the most secret character. 1t was ex-
pected that deliberations would last posi-
bly, all day.
1t turns out that the number of roads
represented at the meeting this morning
Is much larger than the public was led to
suppose. The following is a complete
list of the roads represented: Alton,
Rock Island. Missouri Pacific, Wabash,
Burlington. Cedar Rapids & Northern,
Union Pacific, Wisconsin Central, st.
Paul, Baltimore & Ohio, Chicago, Bur
l%ington & Northern, Louisville, New Al
bany & Chicago, Illinois Central. New
York, Chicago & st. Louis, Chicago,
Burlington & Quincy, Atchison, Topeka
Il Santa Fe, Chicago x Northwestern,
Minnesota x Northwestern, Chicago 4
Eastern Illinois. Chicago & Atlantic, st.
Paul, Minneapolis & Manitoba, and the
Chicago 4 Grand Trunk.
The morning session lasted until 100
this afternoon, when an adjournment
was taken until . so. None of the mem
bers would give any details of the delibe-
r%ations, but the chairman of one of the
principal grievance committees said:
You can say this; the session was of the
uIJob hal lhOulOuS udluTC. Tucn one OF
the delegates announced himself as stand
ing shoulder-to- shoulder with the Bur
lington men in the fight"
1t is impossible to say how long the
meeting will last.
Though Chief Engineer Arthur and
Grand Master Sargent utterly refused to
permit any questioning concerning what
had been going on in the meeting, it was
learned from one who occupies a position
OF Importance in the committee what had
transpired.
In the first place" said he to an As
soclated Press reporter, 'Chief Arthur
called the heads of the grievance commit
tees together for the purpose ofascertain-
ing how the engineers and tiremen of the
roads centerlng in Chicago felt toward the
Burlington men. He wanted to be sure
OF his position before he took any further
steps regarding the Burlington manage
ment. When the meeting opened the
chief requested a full report from each
chairman and asked them not to blind
him by giving exaggerated reports, but to
simply say whether or not the men on
other lines were willing to back him if he
sill fought the cause of the Burlington
men. One by one the chairmen reported
and it is a fact that all replies we're of the
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
separated and the confident air of the
chief engineer and grand master this
evening"
Did the chief issue many orders to
his subordinates or indicate any line of
action for the future?'
"No, sir, he did not. He thanked
them for their loyalty and told them to go
to their various divisions and report to the
men that he was in the fight to win, and
If they stood firm to the pledge given at
to-day's meeting he would win the Bur-
lington fight and 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 n congress
sional investigation of the strike as per
Congressman Whites resolution to-day.
None Of them would see a reporter in re-
ference to the matter.
TIE BRAKEMEN FIRM
The fact hat delegates from the Brake
mems Brotherhood were present at the
meeting Of the grievance committee to, day
indicated one object of the conference.
All the engineers who could be induced
to talk said the brakemen were with the
strikers.
Mr.. O'Brien of the press committee
when asked if a strike was contemplated
on the Northwestern road, said the utmost
good feeling existed between the officials
and engincmen of that road. A strike on
the Northwestern had not been discussed,
that is, as a division matter. 1t is the
intention Of the engineers, he said, to con
fine the strike, if possible, to the Rurling
ton system.
What about the strike on the Burling
ton & Northern"
THE grievance committee on that
road" replied 0'Brien, has reported
thnI Ihnu hnun nrnnninnl inIn lhn mnIIhr