Wichita eagle., 1888-03-25
said complaint been actual
by desire to secure

ed by a desire to secure
an adjustment which would have
| imposed upon it the regulations and rates
of compensation paid by its competitors
for like service; that instead of seeking or
permitting practicable adjustment, it
determined to use the disaffection of it's
own employees to coerce its competitors
into acquesienee in its system for the crea-
ton of great western railway trust, and
in the execution Of such purpose delayed a
final answer to their demands and
requests until it had completed
its arrangements to secure the services of
all OF the engineers and firemen who were
not members of said union or brotherhood
ana who were then out of employment
intending to force strikes on the lines of
It's competitors, after it had absorbed the
entire supply of skilled labor not con-
trollcd by the organizations mentioned;
that when the strike was inaugu-
rated the complainant executed its
plans for controlling the supply of
skilled labor with great energy and
promptness; that as soon as it was appar
ent that no railway having any consonsid-
cradle mileage could secure engineers and
firemen outside said unions and brother
hOodS-a condition provoked by the action
OF the complalnant-no member thereof
would remain in the service of any railway
operated west of the city of Chicago if it
required him to manage engines which
hauled cars to and from the railway of the
complainant, it manifested a liberality
rarely exhibited in she history of it's re-
lations with its neighbors, by insisting
that they Gts competitors) receive from it,
for transportation traffic, much of which
was destined to points which could be
reached with reasonable directness by
longer haulS over its own line, some of
which was destined to points on
its own system and some for delivery
to other railways which, at the time,
were refusing to receive cars which came
from complalnant's railways: that the
traffic which has been interchanged be-
tween the complainant's and defendants
lines before the commencement of the
recent disturbances has been quite small
in amount; that the officers of the defen-
dant as well as the officers of the
principal lines operated west
wardly from Chicago, having reason
to believe that any attempt to exchange
traffic with the complainant, in the time
of the existing condition of feeling, would
result in their being unable to operate
their railway or to procure the services of
any engineer or tiremen by whom their en-
jine could be moved, and believing further
that the offers made by the complainant
were made for the purpose of bringing about
such result, resolved to decline to exchange
traffic with it until it should become prac-
ticable to do SO; that they did so decline
until satisfied that such exchange of traffic
would not result in stopping the operation
of their railways; that late on Thursday,
the 22nd day of the current month,
the defendant completed arrangements
which enabled it to resume its former
relations with the complainant that
on Friday, the day following, early in the
day it issued orders directing that such re-
lations be resumed on Saturday morning;
that the issuance of such order was made
known to the managing officer of
one of the railways which constitute the
complainants system before the filing of
the complainants bill and before this defen-
dant was notified that at o'clock in the
afternoon of the day following an applica-
ton would be made to the court for an
order commanding 1t to do that which it
had directed should be done before such
application could be heard. And this de-
PENDANT further answering says that it adj
mits that it is duty as common
for all without dissemination, and alleges
that it is now, and ever has been, willing
to perform such duty, but it denies that it
is under any obligation, legal
it knows IS impossible, especially
when such attempt could benefit no one
and would result in great injury to con-
siderable portion of the population of sew
eral states and thousands of stockholders,
and especially does it deny that it is its
duty to make such an attempt with a
knowledge of the results which would fol
low when it is demanded by competitor
for the purpose of paralyzing its railway,
demoralizing the business of several states,
and of forcing it and others into a cOmbi-
nation prohibited by the laws of the United
States.