Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1888-03-08
THE c. 3. & Q. STRIKE.

pect of Any Thing Like Arbitration-Re-
Inducements Arriving From the East
and Gradually Manning tho Trains
More En- Route.
CHICAGO, March L-Powderly's mani
festo, Chief Arthur's expression of opin.
ion concerning arbitration and the head
way made by the company as resuie OF
the lncursion of new hands were the
chief features of the Burling ton imbroglio
yesterday. AS for the first, the reception
which it encountered was any thing but
compli mentary to the invalid grand mas
ter workman of the noble army of
Knights. 1t was almos. more than a
newspaper man dared to breach the SUBJ
Ject in the presence of Chief Arthur. A
bare reference to it was enough to cause
a knitting of the brows, a gritting of
the teeth, followed by sharp, peremptory
notice from the head of the Engineers
Brotherhood to the effect that he didn't
want to hear it mentioned, and wouldn't
discuss it.
Chief Sergeant, of the Firemen's Broth
erhood, was little more conservative,
and candidly confessed that, read in the
proper light, the letter was all right. and
that Powderly meant we'll; but down at
the hall on Fourteenth street, where the
strikers assemble to discuss the situation,
a very different view was entertained.
F1guratively speaking, both Powderly, his
letter and the Knights of Labor were
ripped up the back.
ats a diplomatic letter." said one gray.
haired, grizzl ed engineer; diplomatic in
the sense that it stabs US in the back and
offers US the hand of friendship at the
same time. To my mind, he simply mops
the floor with US. All the grievances
VIII ich the knights have against our or
i1cf poh in VII "a
guage. and then a demand is made for the
exercise of Christian charity and forbear-
ance. If that isn't tearing open the
wounds and then commisera tin g 18th our
condition, then I can't understd III plain
English. The pen that wrote thA letter
was dipped in gall, and the animosity is
so transparent that he may read who
runs"
This is an indication of the general con-
census of opinion expressed by the strik-
ers. 1t is very certain that the antagon-
istic relations already in existence be-
tween the Brotherhood and the Knights
are not likely to be modified as the result
of the Scranton letter. Chief Arthur's
statement that he would be willing to
submit the case of the men to board of
arbitration composed of practical railroad
men, provided proposition TO that effect
municated to the railroad officials by the
United Press. Apparently it took them
by surprise, although, according to the
chief, they had known all along that the
representatives of the men were willing
to submit their cause to the judgment of
an unbiased tribunal At any rate it
furnished justification for prolonged
conference between President Perkins,
General Manager Stone, General Passen.
ger Agent Morton and representative of
the legal department, and it was several
hours later when the following was issued
as the reply of the company:
In reply to the suggestion that the road
should make proposition to arbitrate, Presi-
dent Perkins says: unfortunately there is
nothing to arbitrate, because the demands
made upon Nc are of such a nature as to make
it impossible. We must control our property,
and not submit TO any body questions
which relate to the best exercise of the skill
and experience of the management in the con-
duct of the road. No other questions are in
volyed, because the managers have offered in
their answer to the demands to adjust and
eQualize wages and they are ready to take that
question up at any time"
This reply was generally accepted
among the men an ultimatum that the
company was disposed to fight to the Bit
ter end; that no hope for a compromise
remained, and that nothing now remained
for the Brotherhood but a prolonged
strike or unconditional surrender.
The thirty or more engineers that ar
rived here from the East Monday night
were taken to the general offices of the
railroad at an early hour yesterday morn
ing and put through an exhaustive ex-
amin alton. According to the officials,
one and all came off with flying colors,
and were at once dispatched to various
points on the system where their serv-
ices were most needed. How the road
Jared during the day, from the officials
standpoint, can best be told in the lam
guage of Mr.. Morton:
1--WE sent out eighteen suburb ban trains
each way" he ST aid, last night, against
four on Monday and nine yesterday,
while our a. M, 1920 p. m, and $50 p. m.
mail trains went through as though moth
ing unusual had occurred. The early
morning and late night trains, both of
which have but little passenger patron
age, were abandoned. The incoming
through trains arrived in good shape.
From superintendent Holdridge of the
Burli ngton 6 Missouri in Nebraska, with
headquarters at Omaha, we have dis
patch say ing that he is clearing up what
freight there is now on the lines of most
of his divisions, aud that he expects to
move all freight offered tomorrow. Su-
pernteRdent Duggan, at Creston, Ia,
wires us that he sent this afternoon two
trights west and one south. Reports from
the South are to the effect that the pros
poets are good for the prompt movement
of both freight and passenger traffic. We
are not yet at liberty to assert that the
back bone. of the strike is broken, but
do think that we have both feet On its
spinal column, and that the column is
slowly giving way.
A large number of dispatches were re-
ceived at the offices of the company dur.
ing the day Offering the services of fire.
men. To all replies were returned that the
road had more than it would need. Other
dispatches stated that a batch of seventy
engineers from New York, New England,
and Michigan; another
bacth of forty from Pennsyl vania, and
third batch of thirty-five from New York
would be here tomorrow.
Summed up, the third day of the great
est strike in the history of the twin
brotherhoods of engineers and firemen
closed with the company satisfied with
the Roadway it had made and sanguine
as to the future, and with it's ex-employes
good natured and confident that in their
game of waiting and watching they hold
the trump card.
How 1t Looks at Quincy.