Wichita eagle., 1888-02-26
THE BURLINGTON STRIKERS.

CHICAGO, Feb. 25.-General Manager
Stone, of the Burlington. made the follow
ing statement this afternoon in regard to
the probability of an engineers strike on
their road: 1.-The Chicago Burlington &,
Quincy has told its men that they would
pay on its main line from Chicago to Coun-
Gil Bluffs and its main line from Chicago
to Kansas City via Quincy, as much as
other roads are paying for similar services.
but to ask it to pay as much on its side
lines and branches where the work
is light as it does on it's main
line, where the traffic is heavy and where
greater amount of labor and ability is
required of an engineer, is unreasonable
and unfair; and not at all in accordance
with true business principles Mr.. Stone
claims that any parallel between the Alton
and the Burlington, as a whole, in the
matter of wages is unfair. The Alton, he
says, is, virtually, all main line, which is
not the case with the Burlington.
In connection with the threatened
strike, there are reports that the Knights
of Labor are waiting for just such
an opportunity to CRAFTY an old
grudge against the Brotherhood, and the
fact that the engineer Knights on the
Reading system are idle may give them
the chance. In 1877 there was strike of
the brotherhood of Engineers on the
Reading The organization was not as
powerful at that time as it is at present.
Its men worked together with the knights
OF Labor engineers, and when thew
went out the Knights l1remained at
work and the strike WAS lost
When the present Reading strike COM
menced there were only a few of the
knights there who worked on it in 1877.
But 1t was at once noiSed about that the
brotherhood would furnish all the men
necessary to run the Reading and defeat
the knights, and thus get even with them
tor their otfense of ten years ago knights
OF Labor in this city now claim that there
are some brotherhood engineers working
on the Reading. Chief Arthur de-
mes this statement He says that
no men went to work in place of
the striking knights with the knowledge
ana consent of the officers of the Brother
hood. However, an impression exists that
they did, and an officer of District Assem-
bly, No. "A of the knights of Labor in this
city, said that he would not be surprised
II the knights of Labor engineers of the
Reading railroad should decide to con-
tlnue the fight with the Brotherhood and
attempt to defeat it by taking the place of
the strikers on the Burlington road. This,
at present, is one of the dangerous ele-
mente TO tho success of the strike to the
brotherhood of Engineers as viewed by
the engineers and firemen.
Mr.. Arthur was asked if he had consid-
cred this contingency.
Hardly" ne said, that is none of our
business. We shall simply quit work. We
use no violence, and shall not prevent
other men from taking our places. If the |
company concludes to hire that class of |
men 1t Is their own business not ours
are the Knights of Labor engineers an !
inferior class of menu
don't want to say that. don't know |
much about them. You may draw YOUR
own conclusions from what [ have said |
We have the right TO leave our work when |
ever we want to: The rest is for the COM |
panY to decide VII