The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1888-03-03
Current Events.


Engineers and the managers of the Chica
20, Burlington and Quincy X. II. 20. cul
minated on Monday at A a. m, when all
the Engineers and firemen of the system
from Chicago to Denver left their engines
putting complete embargo on all traffic,
passenger and freight. The company
manned few passenger trains with men
from the shops, general offices, &c, and on
Monday made show of running trains,
though 1t was "up grade" work. New
men, however, began to put In an appear
ance at once, and more and more trains
began running again. The chief source of
supply was the old Reading engineers,
largely Knights of Labor, who, when they
struck were displaced by Brotherhood
engineers. On Thursday there was no
ign of a compromise or settlement; but
the company was steadily adding to their
force, and passenger service on the main
lines was improving rapidly. There was
no trouble, save In Nebraska where, at
McCoOk, new men were taken from the
engines. The strikers as rule, however,
behaved very we'll, causing no interference
with the company or Its new hands.
The strike has two objects first, an In
crease of pay which would result from the
demanded change of method OF payment,
from a trip TO mileage basis of 3lSS cents
mile; and, second, that the classification
Of engineers by length of time 10 service
be abolished, and that all men doing the
same class of work have the same pay
As the company pays the mon longest In
Its service the highest wages, the men
claim that there Is discrimination In the
pay Of men doing the same kind of work,
and that older hands are supplanted To
make way for new ones, at lower wages,
thus keeping down the pay roll. The
latter was made 10 appear - the cause of
the strike, as no fault was found with the
pay. II was said, but developments since
me beginning Of the strike Indicates that
the bottom cause IL the wages question
Some demands are made touching the
rules relating 70 dlsmissals by the com
papy.
II seems difficult TO see In this strike the
usual conservative procedure Of the
Brotherhood, this being the first strike, we
believe, since Its Organization) The rules
Of the company on the subject seems to q
liyman to be ample TO protect the men,
for under them no engineer shall be dis
missed without just cause aud after full
hearing and investigation. The men ask,
however, that an employee shall be one Of
the board OF investigation, and that the
man shall be paid for lost time. The men
also demand less rigorous tests of qualiti
cations, and that the men, the members Of
the Brotherhood and their families shall
have free transportation on demand, all of
which are open to criticism. There are
other demands with which we are not 30
familiar; but these are their chief com.
plants, and they do not seem to make up a
good case for the engineers.
The senate committee of Mr.. SpOoner
has been investi eating postal telegraphy
Tue committee find tbat less than Iive per
cent of the people ever use the telegraph
certainly very few Of the labor organiza
I ons who ask for the governments pur.
rtiase of the lines. Their demands then,
would indicate wholesome contempt for
tue w. U. Co, and desire by the people
Ia see fair play between the company and
trose who do use the telegraph. The
committee also find, or nppeac 70 find, that
the cost OF using the telegraph Is much
i.rs In this country than In the old country
and that the government absorption Of the
American systems would add at least 10000
operators, 70 say nothing Of messenger
b ,ys, dc, to the civil service list.
A bill TO incorporate the Nicarauga Ca
nal Co., has passed the Senate. The pur-
p se Is TO dig an oceanic canal In Nlcaraui.
"a, De Lesseps' Panama ditch having
proved a gigantic failure.
The Boston House Market Club (protec.
tion) has had sugar tax reduction bill of.
tered In the House. II makes slight reduc-
tons and offers bounty OF 81 ton on
beet, cane or maple sugar manufactured In
this country. The experience of Ger
many and France ought TO be enough TO
kill this bounty" nonsense; for II Is moth
ing but another form of protection" and
ia the old world has already become an
enormously burdensome tax on the people.
A bounty there acts as tax on German or
Frenchmen, In order to give Euglishmen
ADD Russians cheap sugar!
'rhe Senate has spent large part of the
week debating dependent pension bill--a
bill 10 pension all soldiers of every Ameri-
cAn war who are incapaciiated from per
forming manual labor. A great amount of
literature has already been &C
The democrats on the ways and means