Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1890-07-03
And vet even in the tribune re.

And yet even in the Tribune re-
mort there Is a ring that does not
usually come from false alarms
IL was supposed that all our labor
a troubles were over, and everything
was going on smoothly. During the
mast week we had one of the worst
labor strikes yet inaugurated in this
D country. II was net question Of
! | wages, nor Of hours, nor of over
) time, but virtually an open attempt
on the part Of labor 10 control
and confscate the property which
employs this labor. The strike took
place on the illinois Central II. r., a
j system which extends from Du-
buque, Ia, 10 HcS Orleans. This
road is one of the most conservative
ly managed in the country. 1t has
always treated its employees as part
Of it, system and as human beings.
These employees were 50 literally
treated that they finally considered
themselves the owners and mana
gers. And, strHugU to say, v. T.
Barnum was the innocent cause Of
all the trouble. Baruum's circus,
when In travelling order, consists Of
ninety immense cars. On which are
over 1000 human beings, and i
large number Of animals. This cir
Gus was TO b. paOyed to Chica-
90 in three trains of sections
on special time. IL Is well known
that Eafnum u subject % disasters
by road As well az fire. tumbJ wss
killed in n wreck. The men APP
| Ointed 10y the trainmaster to take
the conduct Of Barnum's trains
were not considered by Mr.. Russell,
the road superintendent, IS cOmpe-
/ tent for the occasion. He counter
manded the trainmaster's order, and
appointed men on whom more re-
liability could be placed. The train
master got offended and resigned,
/ the trainmen demanded Mr.. Rus
sells discharge, This would not be
granted and they struck. In the
strike, switchmen, passenger con-
ductOrs and others Joined, and the
road came TO a stsudsiill.
The general manager REQUESTED
his men 10 formulate the charges
they had against Russell, and that
he would investigate, One Of these
charges was general obnoxious
ness, +" which was interpreted 10y the
strikers rs being unciyil and rude
in manners and disrOuTteOus in ac-
ton The departments Of railroad |
ing are organized for labor purposes !
each within Itself, and each with |
Its own "grievante committee. g."
The grievance COmriitlee OF the
trninmen's department stated tina.
Mr.. Russell always received them |
and their grievances cOdly, too much I
so for polite gentleman. IL appears |
that Mr.. Russell did not keep = big 1
bottle and 4 box Of cigars, and a
prairie OF plug tobacco fn- visitors,
and the trainmen considered this a
grievance ami wanted him dis
charged instanter. Another charge
was that Mr.. Russell used TO
go out on the road, see the men
at work, pay fare IN con-
ductors, and see that men on duty
did not spend half their time in
saloons. This vas called "spyirc''
and was not the business Of the man
who was responsible for the work.
Mr.. Russell showed that tie fares
he paid never appeared on the trip
reports, nor did the cash materialiEe
In the treasury Of the road. He
showed that he discharged men
who Were incompetent and negli-
gent, and unfit to he entrusted with
the safety Of life and property. On
the whole, when the charges and
counter-charges were published, il
was found that the strikers were in
a fair way 10 bring all LABOR organ
iZations into disreyute, and the
better class Of the strikers wanted |
to get down lightly.
The obnoxious Russell was not ,
discharged, but his obn0xiousness
has cost the road just 100000. /
Thousands OF dollars worth Of I
cocoa nuts, fruit and vege- {
!ables persisted, completely thrown :
away. When the whole matter is
iairly and impartially considered it !
viii be found that these strikers
were guilty OF anarchy . hundred
old more hideOus than that for
which Parsons was hanged. In ,
act these strikers Were guilty Of :
public outrage IL is well known :,
hat large percentage Of railway q
disasters ara preventive. 1t is :,
inOwn that they are largely due TO :
Irunkenness and neglect on the =
art Of train hands. In this city a !,
hort time ago it was shown that an !
ngineer was drunk while on duty, =
'nd through his drunkenness a .,
Of lives were sacrificed. :.
he engineer was indicted by a .,
rand jury, but nothing came Of Il. :,
{ a superintendent went around .,
nj saw this man drunk, and dis -
harged him, it would be ma lie Z y
lelsct for the grievance commit n
-ei" and the engineer would he II
while the superintendent T.
iould lie cautioned or discharged. ~
This strike goes 4 20 q way to \,
how on what ilimsy foundations :,
Ir iniustrialism rests. When -
lree persons, who constitute them -
Elves a grievance committee, ''can =,
ispend the working Of an immense :,
'stem embracing several thousand -
nplOyes. and wreck its oryaHiza-
persons. too, the most
ibid and unreasouing Of the order, -
r generally Il Is such men who are ID
lpointed, ON the ground that they az
-emen OF pluck-wheu such per ~
ms can do all this, then Il is time da
T sensible people tO think. The W
larchy Of IarSOns and Most is re- IN
'ectable compared to this. And, III
range to say, the newspapers hall az
ldorsed the strikers. some counsel IN
z the discharged OF Russell. The IN
,iicagO Tribune called Stuv- II
SAINT Fish, president OF the gu
al, an AnglO-nianiaC, 2 dude, -
III 80 ON. The fact j., Mr.. io'
ISM represents one of the most his ll
re OF American families, aud j. y
mself n thorough American. 1t gu
Is he who sat on Ward McAIIister ~
lew years ago. Then il was pu
arged that English money built y
Is road. Yes, it did, and England no
n; money here at time when one Tn
inbred dollars could not he found on
st OF the Allegheny Mountains. IN
was this road gave start to Chi IN
go and helped to make its million an
'es. This road pays seven Der
ut. OF its gross earnings within
? state to the treasury Of the State
Illinois. Yet this road and its fro
are abused to curry IA cal
with lot Of drunken rioters and Ui
archists. JuNIUs. lea
SIIcAGO, June 3Oth, 1899. Of
Al
Irateful Citizen-I was DELIGHTED fer
q IN