St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-04-03
SIMPLE JUSTICE ASKED.

A Sympathizer With the Brother
hood Takes a Contemporary to
Task.
To the Editor Of the Globe.
In looking over the Pioneer Press toiI
day notice an editorial intended to be
a cut upon the Brotherhood of Locomo-
tive Engineers, and as sympathlzer
with them in their present struggle for
justice and their rights crave space to
place before the public in a true light,
the facts of the case as | understand 1t.
According to the editorial in question
the wflele blame is laid upen the b. OF
l.. E. 1t is evident to the public. how
ever, that during the three weeks OF the
strike upon the 30" road no depreda-
tions were committed that could in any
way be ascribea to the B. of l.. E. In
spite of this fact your morning con-
temporary would try to make the broth
erhood appear in the same light
as the anarchists or communists
and would lead the public to believe
that they were a band of rioters and
marauders. There is not single item
in the editorial that does justice to the
laboring man. but all praise is given TO
the interests of the G.. b. q @. corpora
tons without any regard for the rights
of the employees. They say the striking
of the switchmeD and brakemen is due
to the failure of the brotherhood to
bring the Burlington system to terms.
Why does the Pioneer Press advocate
such theory without one atom OF evl-
dence in support OF it?
1t saws this trouble is not an un-
mix d misfortune: that this issue
should be made: the sharper it becomes
and the sooner it is ought out, the
sooner we shall learn whether the busi-
ness interests of 60,0o0,000 peop.e are or
are not to be constantly at the mercy OF
one discontinued employe.
The Pioneer Press seems to forget
that during the administration OF Abra-
ham Lincoln slavery was abolished In
this country. and in its editorial is de-
cidedly blind as to one side OF the queS-
ton and rather sarcastic regarding the
other.
Without cause there is no effect,
and had not the Brotherhood OF Loco
motive Engineers cause for the pres
ent strike they would not to-day be
engaged in the trouble with the 20"
system. Arbitration was tried and it
is evident that the engineers went more
than half way in their eDdeavorS to
prevent trouble. and if the manage
ment of the 20" system had been as
willing to serve their patrons (the pub
lic), the matter might have been ami
cabIy settled at the outset. But
no; after having put the public
to great inconvenience and themselves
to pecuniary loss, they try through the
columns of some newspaper hired for
the purpose to take away from the en-
gineers the sympathy of the great mass
of people who have and always Will be
with the worllingman in his struggle for
justice.
The paragraph in reference to the
water works of city being operated by
only special class OF trained employees
hardly suits the present situation, as, i'll
the first place, the engineers have in no
way interfered with the men taking the
strikers places, nor have they in any
way tempered with the property of the
company. In fact all the destruction OF
rolling stock, ETC., has been caused by,
the incompetency of the new employees.
So that the tale of old employees damag-
ing property should be slightly changed
and made to read, suppose the new
men through inability should destroy
water carts and kill horses, ETC., what
would the council of such city do?
In dealing with this strike the engi-
neers have shown themselves to be
peaceful and law-abiding citizens, and l
hardly think it fair that in a matter of
this kind anything should be used in the
newspapers in the way of editorials ex-
eept facts. Suppositions go for naught,
and the Pioneer Press, if it wished, has
every facility for obtaining bottom facts
and does not require to advance any
theory in support of either its opinion or
that of any one else. All that is wanted
is justice, and the engineers, being hui
man, expect it, and wish to be placed in
a true light before the general public.
j. C.. Rowan.