The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1889-04-25
STREET CAR STRIKE.
Not . Horse Car Running In St. Psul or Mime.
suolis...A Thousand Men Standing ont.

" y Wa A~SA~s0 ~ ~AAn
apolis-.A Thousand Men Standing ont. .
The street car drivers of St. Paul and
Minneapolis, numbering over q thousand
men, are out on a strike, and no q ear is
running, except on the cable lines Of St. Paul.
The street car company reduced the wages oil
drivers from seventeen cents to fifteen cents
an hour, and in addition thereto demanded
that the men should sign a paper pledging
themselves not to join any labor union or
association. The sympathies of the public
seem to be almost entirely on the part of the
men.
IN MINNEAPOLIS.
The company and the police attempted to
run the cars, and while doing SO, this incident
occurred:
As this car, the third one, pulled out from
the barn. and the second one, which made
the round trip, moved away from the barn, q
black hat and a plush cloak. stepped from
the outside of the crowd and quickly mount
ed the car. She bad hardly taken a standing
position beside the stout young fellow who
drove before she began her mission. She
was Mrs. McCurdy, the young wife OF a
driver who was among the strikers, but who
was not at the barn al the time his wife
boarded the car. The lady paid no attention
to any one but the driver. She stood close to
him. and she used her right hand in gesture.
I can in here to ask you not TO drive this
Car. Will you not leave and be an honorable
man? ~n- ..
The driver announced that if he left the
car somebody else would gladly take his
place.
Il appeal to you, young man, as a wife and
mother. If you have any respect for honest
~workingmen, who are simply asking what is
$3.50 - A. 40 ~ ~ nrxr ~ n "a -
you not to work against these men. I beg of
you in the name Of humanity not to work in the
place Of a man who Is striking To- keep himself
from starvation. Lam the wife OF . striker. Ny
company, and what he got was hardly enough to
keep his little family. II YOU have one spark Of
manhood. If you have . wife and children whom
man who is trying to crush the men. I am go
ing to stay with you and keep you company. I
don't know that this is just the taing for a lady
myself and not say anything that is wrong or
u%nladylike. But I do hope my appeal will
touch a tender spot in you and that YOU will not
continue to drive
The lady's earnestness attracted much at
tention along the avenue. She continued to
petition the driver until Eighth street was
reached. She looked into the face OF the
driver, but saw no sympathetic responses,
and after her effort she appeared to feel dis
c%ouraged. She turned to a PIONEER PRESS
EcpOIUCI duu dShOO u VuC10 was u COuAuCLOx
On the Car. The conductor was pointed out,
and Mrs. McCurdy stepped down upon the
side platform and reached from post to post
as she passed to the rear of the Car.
Are you the CONDUCTOR" she asked in a sor-
Yes, I am, " replied the silent, stoical man who
faced the front and leaned against the near rail-
well. sir, I beg Of you not to work in the
places OF the strikers. 1t Is a strike for justice
upon the part Of the poor men who have been
trying to support families upon low wages. Will
you not heed my appeal2 Have you no honor?
Have you no respect for homer"
II have no argument to make with YOU" re-
piled the conductor, whose name is w. F. La
Dieu. and who did not appear to be in the least
affected by the womans appeal;
you can have no she quickly re-
position to offer"
What will you take and let me alone? I will
give you SO cents II you will keep quiet" said
Il am not to be bought off. said Mrs. McCur-
dy. Il would not work against my fellows for
$4,000. certainly would not work for S. OF
"This is q free country" continued La Dieu.
and men can do as they please. I have been
around a good deal. INC there are thousands Of
men who would be glad to take this place."
Il suppose there are, " said the lady.
Il am instructed to collect fares, said the con-
duotor. and it you are going to ride you will
have to pay"
Il have q nickel that 1 will give for the priv.
lege of riding with so unusual a sort Of man,
and she pulled out her slender pocketbook.
A reporter paid the !ady's fare, and she
turned to the scribe and said:
THANK you, sir. I cannot touch this mans
heart. I am the wife of a man who has driven
for about five months. We live upstairs al
PALS Fifth avenue south. I have not always
been In poor circumstances. We lost all by fire
university for five years. He is capable Of filling
Amos any position, but had to accept a position
as driver.
The woman stood up while the Car made
the trip to First avenue north anu return.
She felt that her work had not been a sue.
cess, and "a she left the car at the barn she
looked discouraged. A few gentlemen
handed her a small sum Of money as she
started for home.
The street Car men are confident that they
will win the fight, and the meeting which
they held at the united labor headquarteri
on East Seventh street last evening was of
most enthusiastic character. j. A. Johnson
Of the Brotherhood Of Carpenters, presided
and numerous speeches were made by the
striking drivers, urging all to stand together
and success was assured. The committee
that waited on President Lowry reported
their chilly reception, stating that he abso-
lutely refused their proposition to sub
NIT the question to arbitration. Having
failed to secure a settlement of the difficulty
in this peaceable manner, they were com.
PEELED to take more extreme measures und
order the men to quit work during the after.
noon. This step was taken as a last resort
their desire being to avoid any inconvenience
to the public. When a fair offer of arbitra-
ton was declined in the most decided man
ner, nothing else could be done. Miss Eva
Mcdonald, Of the Minneapolis Trades and
Labor assembly, was present, and urged the
strikers 70 stand firm and their cause would
triumph. She declared that the reports that
the strikers in Minneapolis had been the
cause OF the trouble there we're false, as all
the disturbance wa caused by outsiders, who
are always ready to a advantage Of such
occasions to make trouble.
h trades and labor assembly held
meeting at the same hour in an adjoining
hall, President James Coughlin in the chair,
and after listening to q statement OF the case
made by the officers Of the street car mems
union, passed the following resolutions:
peapoiis and St. Paul reduced the wages Of itf
employees to a point that affords them scarcely 9
bare subsistence; and
Whereas, Said reduction does not appear t
affect the high salaries OF officials or omce'em
Whereas, The excuse given for the action OF
ing The past year have been too small, while dur.
Ing the winter of 1878 they could just pay ex-
penses. when IL cost them $4,000 per month
to keep the snow off the tracks, according tt
the statement of one of the officials a. the time
ana In the financial statement Of the company
published in yesterdays papers they show thai
the entire Minneapolis system is bonded To-
three times its actual cost. thereby proving
themselves guilty Of the most fragrant crimlna
conspiracy: aud ~. ~ ~t9t',H#S &@t ~ 81
Whereas, The ompany entered into q con.
tract with their Minneapolis employees ON MAY
l3, 1888, to continue one year from date, every
provision of which has been fagrantly violated
by the company, and they now insist on EN-
ployes signing an iron-clad agreement to tn,
effect that they will renounce all allegiance tt
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