Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1888-03-06

ught, and that IN short order
Alter the meeting, it was announced
that the public mass meeting called by the
eug'neers aud tiremen for tomorrow night
has r,en indefinitely postponed No rca-
son Tor the pOstponement was given.
QUINCY, LII, March 5.-There was no
decided change in the situation here to-
day. The c. &. & Q had three switch
engines at work in the yards
and three freight trains arrived
from the west over the Hannibal and
IT. Joe and two have been sent over the
Chicago main line. Al! passenger traits are
running nearly on time and are carrying a
large number Of passengers.
GALEsBURG, Ill March The Bur
lington to-day on this division resumed a
considerable share of its business. All
way freight and passenger trains are run
ning ON the branches.
EXCITING RUMORs FROM OMAHA.
AuOmaha dispatch says It was report
ed here last night by members OF the
Brotherhood that all engineers on lines
parallel to or doing busiuess in the same
territory as the Burlington Will leave their
posts of duty to-day. Ii is not known
what hour has been set for the strike to
begin, but everything is said to be in read
intSs for it west OF the Missouri river in
Nebraska This order takes in the Union
Pacific, Missouri Pacific, Northwestern,
Rock Island and the ST. Joseph and Grand
Island The Brotherhood held L meeting
yesterday afternoon in Council Bluffs,
which lasted from two until seven o'clock,
and a number OF cipher dispatches were
received from Chief Arthur and read. 1t
is claimed that the Union Pacific engineers
are ordered out for the reason that this
road has been receiving Denver traffic from
the Burlington road here, and carrying it
through to destination In order to leave
the yards at Omaha aud Council Rlulis in
fairly good shape the switchmtn will not
| stop work until Tuesday.
The rum0r has created considerable ex
| Citement The hotels are full of travelling
men, who came in Saturday to remain over
Sunday, aud many ol them expected to 20
out last night, but they concluded to await
| developments Engineer Robinson, OF the
| MON Pacific, who took out the overland
passenger train, said I'VE have been or
| dcrcd to leave our engines to day; may
! may not be back before Saturday
Chairman HOgue when shown the Oma-
ha dispatch, denied that it WAS true, and
said Chief Arthur has no authority to
call the men out lie can only sanction
or discourage such move. The men
themselves strike, and only lor grievance.
/ Their Grievance Committees are here now,
and OF course any such action a4 a strikg
on their part iust at this moment is alb
surd,"
/ MYSTERIOUS CONFERENCE or ENGINEERS
The Tibme to-day says a change in
the attitude OF the strikers, rs suiden as
/ it is neXplicdble, has occurred An
through the latter part Of last week every
man from the chief down t. the humblesE
fireman talked fight and threatened a gen
! eral tle-up Of the western system Of roads
Last night everybody talked peace and felt
confident that the necessity would not arise
| for the calling out Of other roads to bring
! the % road into submission. Either the
/ strikers are about to cry quits and suuen-
/ der, or they are carefully cOncealIDg their
eal designs.
| The Chicago and Northwestern engineers
held two meetings yesterday, at which
/ there vas large attendance The pro
] o
/ talk before and after the meeting point to
! but one conclusion the Chicago and
/ Northwestern engineers refused TO agree
/ to strike in case the road would not agree
| to abolish classification, as the leaders OF
| the Chicago, Burlington ami Quincy
| had designed aud expected they would.
! II Ia certain that a committee Of Ell
gjneers waited upon the officers of
| the Northwestern yesterday morning. !
| What transpired is unknown, but from
that time up to five o'clock yesterday |
afternoon, every committeeman and eugih |
eer delegated with authority gaye i, to hr |
understood that the Chicago and NlTth !
western would be tied up Monday, unless
the classification system was abolished. |
/ When the special meeting had adjourned !
aud it, proceedings had been impaired to !
the assembled engineers AT the Grand p. |
clhc a wOndrOus change took place Roar. |
ing lions became a. sucking doves, and
where grim-y isaged Wal had stalked, sweet
gentle peace reighed instead"
THE EFFECT or \ GENERAL TIE.UP.
Referring to the possibility of a general |
strike being ordered on Western railroads |
saYs. 1T is probable that the Chic8go |
aud Northwestern, the Chicago, Rock |
Island anI P,cGC, the Chicago, Milwaukee |
and St. Paul, the Chicago and Alton, the |
Wisconsin Central, the Illinois Central,
the Wabash, the Chicago, st .
Paul and Kansas City and all of he branch
and leased lines OF the above named rail
roads would be involved Roughly rsti-
mated this will embrace ab0ut % 600
miles Of road, and will complete
ly clos, the channels of commuui-
cation between Chicago aad the West.
1t will lay complete embargo on the
NJrthA est, cut of communication 10 Com-
Gil Bluffs Omaha and Upper Missouri ryer
points, except Ivy cirruitous routes, and TO
"a paftill degree the same thing to the
Southwest 1t will destroy express busI-
mesa paralyze trade, suspend the operation
Of all mining and manufacturing indus
tries, and transform busy hives of industry
into centers Of idlene-s and stagnatiOn, and
this in territory Of over y thousand miles
'quarC.
"Whcu il is remembered that these
roads penetrate to the Canadian boundary
on tie north. to the Rnrkg Mountains OF
the west. and to ihs Indian Territory ON
the south. tha scope OF their operations
and the magnitude ot the interest they
serve can be better cUmprchended. More
than this, it would cut oil the great north
eru and middle tginsCantnental routes,
reducing them to local roads at once, the
consequence being that the great interior
basin from Utah to Oregon would suffer
,quaiiy with the Mississippi and Missouri
river valleys.
1T is not only trade aud commerce
which would suffer. Labor, both skilled
aud common, would feel the effects, and
most disastrously. The general managers
Of the railroads named freely state that in
case of strike upon their lines there is
only one course for them to pursue shut ,
down the shops and freight houses, dis ,
charge the workers, and await the end. .
Cessation of operations would mean the t
immediate discharge of four-flths uf the
number. This would throw out OF work {
% Oo0 men, ard according TO the average ,,