Huntsville gazette., 1888-04-07
THE RAILROAD STRIKE.

| Most OF the Corresponding Lines Handling
80" Freight-The Rock Island, However
| Flatly Refuses to Exchange Business
Interest Centering in the Michigan Cen
trail and Its Men.
| CHICAGO, April "a report was indus.
ulously circulated last evening-and OBJ.
| tained SO much credence that it was pub
lished III extra editions of the afternoon
papers-that the Burlington officials hat
at last decided to effect compromise
with their striking employees. Inquire:
at the general Offices of the company
however, developed the fact that the re
port was simply canard, and one Of the
| general officers, after a conference witt
| General Manager Stone, said that the lat
ter would appreciate the action if the
| United Press wonld state once for all thai
no compromise could or would be effect
ed, even if the present condition Of AFFAIR."
existed until doomsday.
| ''Our position" he said, sis precisely
the same as it was two weeks ago. The
places of all the striking engineers an6
firemen are filed. They are no longer
our employees, and if they gave up the
battle unconditionally tomorrow, very
few of the number could be given EN-.
ployment. Hence there is nothing to
!
that we may be allowed to carry on our
| business without molestation, and that
the other roads viii transact such busi-
ness with US as they arc compelled to I'M
der the law, and as they did before we
filled the places Of our striking employees
with new men. We have ample facilities
for moving both our freight and passen-
ger traffic, and al we ask Is to be lei
alone"
The most sensational event Of the day
was the absolute and unqualified refusal
on the part of the Rock Island to accept
any cars from thc 'Q", During the after
noon train was made up for transfer to
the Rock Island tracks, and one of the
20" officials notified the management Of
the competing line Of the fact, at the same
time requesting reply. None came.
Then the Burlington attorney, Frank
Collier, sent similar message. This alsc
was ignored, For time thereafter both
the telegraph and the telephone from the
Burlington headquarters were kept red
hot with messages, demanding what the
| Rock Island intended to do, but all the
messages were received with stolid indif-
ference. Finally, a demand was made for
d reply in writing, and 1t was met with a
|
made for {, verbal reply, and the messen-
ger got it. 1t was to the effect that the
Rock Island management absolutely re-
fused to take any Burling trainton.
There the matter rested for the night,
and what the Burlington intends to do In
the matter its representatives decline to
state, but it is pretty well undertood that
it will 20 into court this morning, and
tnxx
ed in the direction Of compelling the Rock
Island to fulfill its obligations as COM
mon carrier.
The Lake Shore and Chicago & Allan
tic roads met the issue squarely during
the day. and Burlington cars were rum
bling over their tracks last night. The
former accepted an east-bound train and
turned over one bound for the West, while
the Chicago & Atlantic took a heavily
loaded train for Eastern points. In neith-
er case were any objections raised by the
employees.
No cars were offered to the Wabash,
but Mr.. Ryler, the right-hand man of Re
ceiver McNulta, who is now in New York,
informed United Press representative
that the road would receive and transport
any thing that the Burlington offered.
\ -
spoke in the same strain.
All interest now centers on the action Of
the Michigan Central men, who held a
meeting last night. The train Of twelve
cars transferred from the 20" yesterday
noon is still in the Michigan Central
Yards, and the men have until seven
O'Clock this morning to decide whether or
not they will let it-and as many more as
| off tn itc
were told by the division superintendent
to go home and talk the matter over with
their wives; but the women were conspic-
uous in last nights meeting by their alb
sence. Should the men refuse to handle
20" freight, and strike this morning, the
company has hundred engineers, fire.
men and switchmen, brought here yester-
day morning from Detroit and Jackson,
who will at once go to work.
The company has formally accepted the
bill for the transferred cars, and General
Superintendent E. G. Brown is determined
that they shall go out. The determined
attitude Of the Lake Shore and Michigan
Central roads is the more significant in
view Of the fact that both are Vanderbilt
roads, and it has relieved tendency to-
ward a tension of feeling which was
. cGGdUbu Ill Illt udy Dy uAO pdblico-
ton of reported interview with Chaun
cey Depew, in which, while apparently
non committal he eulogized Chief Ar
thur in terms which seemed to indicate
that he had some sympathy with the strik-
ing element.
The position Of the Rock Island was
clearly defined last evening by Division
Superintendent Chamberlain. In an in
terview that official said:
cit is true that we have returned ver-
bal answer to the Burlington to the effect
that we will not touch their cars. What is
more, we have issued a written general
order to our employees not to have any
thing to do with them. We have made W
our minds that we won't have any trouble
with tn c 90 folks, and we will keep out OF
it by refusing to handle their cars. We
know our position, and the 'Q' people
know it. We will let their cars alone.
What will they do about it,"
"We will show them what we will dc
aboutit, said Attorney Collier last night
..We will 60 into court and see who vii
win"
The meeting of the st. Paul men, which
commenced at ten O'Clock yesterday
morning. lasted off and on, all day