Telegram-herald., 1890-09-08

B@&tt1asszo 24AaA 9~t-@ -
saarh ~ssssrs saI 0th1rs-
ispseaal carrsspsaasaes.l
Ns~ T0az. se2G A-fhs greatest
railroad s1rizs wAlch t1is oguntry ever
sas was that inanguratea on the leth q
July. 1871. Al CsEdan June19a. On tns
Baltimors and Ohio railroad The causes
wkicA I'D - it are aDpa-eEt enough
now. althcngh az the tine they were %
obscure as - make the sudden uprising.
Whlch swept thEeagh the eoun.Fy like \
dame. natter = ge1uiHe surprise 70
even the shEswdest Observers
The rate and freight w2rs between the
great railroads ADD rhs enormous water
ing ef ths stocks had psodnced t~o FAC
tors which called for decrease II the
operating expenses. The receipts wers
Less while ths capital on Whicn inter
eat w2s % Be paid was mOre. Tie vzrl-
Gus roads had reduced their expenses,
and the tiscoatenE ameng TIE men was
very great Ga the ilth q July the
baltimore aud Ohio anaomesl thu
usual redacuon-l0 per cent. --ana the
men protested On the lora the men
struck at Camden Junction and Martins
0arg. W Va. and within i've days the
tTalic u the middle and western states
was parAlyzed The governors % West
Virgins and Maryland appltsd % Presi-
dent Hayes for United States troops.
seaEing that their state volunteers we're
not sufficient 10 Quen the riots which
had followed the strikes. Within week
from the initial refusal % allow trains
B. move riots had taken place in Balti-
more, Pittsburg. Cincinnati, Cleveland.
Buffalo. Indianapolis. ST. Louis aad Chi
ago, and the National Guards had been
,rdered out in New York. New Jersey,
Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland. Indiana,
kentucky. Illinois. Michigan and Mis-
souri.
The commerce Of the country was
simply parslyzed. Not oaly were the
railroad men on strike, but labor unions
all over the land called their men our.
This was not all There were formi1-
able riots and much loss Of life and
property.
Pittsburg was the scene OF the worst
riots during the whole period Of disturb
anee. National Guardsrnen had been
sent from Philadelphis. and On their ar
rival found that the sympathy Of ell the
people was with the railroad men. ~
mass meeting OF the trades unions held
July 20 resolutions indorsing the strik-
ers were passed On the 3lst the riots
began. and the troops were driven into
the round house, where they made
stand. On the Fed fires were started and
burning coke trains were run against the
round house. The regiments thereupon
fought their way out and left the city.
The fires spread until in buildings alone
over s4,Co0. 900 worth Of property had
been destroyed. while the value of that
burned in the freight trains has never
been known.
Nothing hrt the remonstrance Of
Secretary Of State Evarts prevented the
president declaring the state of Pennsyl-
vania IN iusurrection aud calling for vol
unteers to invade 1t. The attitude Of the
railroad kings was Offset by the action Of
the executive committee of the Interna-
tionals in st. Louis, who dictated 70 the
mayor of that city and the governor Of
Missouri in a most lordly way, and for a
time actually had their commands
obeyed. From the Atlantic 70 the
Rocky mountains the railroads were
stopped and troops were on guard The
strike did not extend to the south nor to
the eastern states. but during its contin-
uance the middle and western states
were almost at the mercy of the strik-
ers.
II IVES practically killed by IFS own
friends The railroad men. who were
lighting for living rate of pay. and not
for the destruction OF the property Of
others. soon became tired Of the COM
munistic element, and the riots changed
public opinion. which had been at first
favorable 90 the strikers. Vigilance
committees were called into existence,
and they accom- plished what neither the
National Guard nor the regular troops
had been able 20. The citizens who be-
Eeved in law and order speedily separat-
ed themselves from the destructiOnists,
and the latter found at once what n small
proportion they really were. But the
strike while it lasted was n memorable
one. and tns losses in property were sim
ply frixhtful The wage earners gained
by Il. for t-s companies were taught So
verely that there was n point beyond
which they could not 20. On the other
hand the laboring men learned the dan
ger 70 them and their cause which ex-
isted in the ansrchistio element in so
ciety.
There were two strikes OF the shop
men on the Union Pacific railroad in
1854 On May Of that year notice was
posted in ali construction and repair
shops. and At prominent places on thecorn
pany's premises. giving notice Of a reduc-
ton in wages Of from 10 per cent. to 3
per cent, 20 tako effect az once. and IN
oluding al employees excepting engineers
and firemeu. With the exception OF
the brotherhoo1s of irgmen and enEi-
neers there Was An absence Of orxaBiEa-
ton on The road ~ that time. But the
shopuen quit work within three hours
after the posting q the notice. and they
were joined during the day By tho
switcbmen and t-ackmen.
Denver seemed - take me lead. and
the temporary organization which was
AZ once formed there wss recognized
By the employees st other points "a
the strikers spokesluen. A commi ttee
was dispatched to Omaha % consult with
The managers of the road. and AT freighr
trains were stopped The hitherto IN
ot-ani-ed usn HoclVed into the TEN
porarv unions. and within forty -eigh,