The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-03-17
THEY HAVE NOTHING TO SAY
indianapolis Engineers Are Unwilling
TO Talk About the Santa Fe Strike.
Some of Them Repeat the Declaration that
There Is No Intention of Stopping Opera
tions on Any of the indianapolis Roads.

Until yesterday the Indianapolis locomotive
engineers talked freely of the c.. B. & Q strike,
but the news of the going out of the men the
Santa Fe, which reached them yesterday morn
ing. for some unknown reason completely sealed
their mouths. and the men who were willing TO
say anything at all yesterday were very scarce.
It is quite evident that the strike on the Santa
Fe road has made radical change in the situa-
tion bat what the outcome VII be, 60 far as the
Indianapolis roads are concerned, is only spec
ulation The engineers are holding them elves
IN readiness for anything, and a great many, il
not a majority of them. are Expecting to be
called out at any time. An engineer who is in
position to know said last evening that the
strike would certainly become general sThe
engineers will not permit themselves Ito be
whipped" said he. and beieve-the strike on
the Santa Fe road was ordered because the c.,
B. & O. had gone far enough to show that it
was failure. The reason for choosing the
Santa Fe road to begin the ak
tension was because it's lines are
widely scattered, and not intimately connected
with each other, or with other roads. AS the
road is situated it will be difficult for it to keep
trains moving, or transport men to their Finci-
pal points. The idea undoubtedly is to carry
the strike from one road to another until the
know that there not enough non brother
hood engineers TO operate all the roads of the
country aud if they carry out their plan they
are bound to win in the end" "a
IF there is any trouble coming wa do not
know anything about it" said c., l.. st. l.. %
c., engineer last night. $50 far AS l know
there is not dissatisfied man on the road; but
still presume we are liable to be called of II
the the striking roads deem it neces-
sary." Another engineer of the same road said
that if any trouble did come it would be within
dav two but he saw reason why any
should be feared.
If there are any engineers who run into the
city that dc not desire strike it is those of the
Vandalia An officer of the road said last night
that he doubted very much whether or not the
would go out if they were ordered to do so.
They acknowledge that they could not have
been better treated said he, land they fear
that if they should be called out they may never
again get to doing well they are now.
President McKeen knows personally nearly
many of them ont of his own pockets. During
the last two years know OF him helping two or
three men to buy homes and he never. expects
to get back the money he gave them
In this connection il may be said that, so far
can be learned. the engineers on none of the
Indianapolis roads desire to see the strike ex-
tended any further. While expression of
opinion regarding the merits of the Santa Fe
strike cannot be obtained, the indications are
that the men here do not approve of It, and
their silence Is attributed to that fact When
the c., B. & @ strike came on they talked free
~ of it. and believed that the men had a just
cause, but persistent effort does not induce one
word to be said in favor of the Santa Fee move
ment. 4gs-
The officers Of the various roads centering
here unite in saying that if the strike is to be-
come general they would like to il inaugu-
rated on their lines at once, that the trouble
may be speedily settled in some way. AS 1t is
now being managed business is partially par
alyzed aud the future is too uncertain to war
rant entering into agreements :