Telegram-herald., 1891-03-09
MEN MADE MAD.
Cable EmPioyes Consume . Night Die
cussiBs oFieSanees

Grievances oil the Valley City Street
Railway Company have been ranking
n the breasts OF the employees of the
company for tao years. and they culml-
mated on Saturday night last. Up TO 8
O'Clock sunday morning. there was a
grave question whether or not sunday
ears would ee run. Central Union
Labor hall was u scene of excited
humanity all night long. At one time,
general strike seemed certain, bat
every conductor and grlpman was at
ms post yesterday morning, and the IN
ference is that the conclusions set out
al the end of this article were those
really adopted.
The employees of the cable company
have long chafed under what they
have thought 10 be Oppressive rules.
Whether or not their conclusions are
lust, they attribute almost all their
grievances 10 the personal peculiarlties
of B. :. Hanchet, the secretary OF the
company. There IS no general question
OF wages, although some of the men
or the horse car service of the cid com
psny's lines are watching their pay
rolls with great anxiety. But they say
that Mr.. Hanchet IS 4 tyrant, WITH a
disposition TO play his favorlte part all
hours OF the day, and all days OF the
month. That the men believe their
own story Is evlnced by the fact that
they were wiling TO devote the entire
time the company leaves them from
eleven at night To SIX IN the morning,
between the Saturday and the Sunday
runs, To tell the story over and over to
themselves; for no outsiders were per-
mltted To listen 10 their sacred sex
perence."
The story as they told it to them
selves, and as overheard by reporter,
is that Mr.. Hanchet loses no opportun-
lty 10 make the men feel their position
as persons subordinate to man by the
name OF Hanchet. One man who
trembled when he made the request
that his name be not mentioned, said:
"Do not mention me, but | have been
under TINS man two years, and the best
thing know OF him is that he mas made
life seem very degraded to Inc because
M name was not Hanchet. His whole
object seems 10 be To keep the men as
sociated with him in a position where
they must look upwards TO see Han
chet."
Coming to the specific grievances of
the men as they were revealed IN the
speeches OF Saturday night, 1t may be
said that the men complain:
First, That Secretary Hanchet is
wholly unworthy to have the superior
position of lot OF men.
Second, There Is proposed change
in the time and payment of wages
wholly Gistasteful to the employees of
the company.
Third, The order that all creditors of
the men first present their bills 10 the
company, and that the amounts of all
claims be taken out of the wages of the
men.
"A man is no more than dog" said
q conductor, yesterday, "that will
permit 4 tl.lrd party, even though that
party be a great man ike Hanchet. to
act as aud tor of all MS accounts, with
out the right to be heard. You NAV
tell Mr.. III. and the company that this
rule won't work, and the system will
be tied up. sure, II they insist on It,"
Fourth, The men We're Oocked a
quarter of day when the cable
stopped, and are never allowed extra
pay for long hours.
Fifth, James Paul. the president Of
the union, was laid off for no better rea-
son than that he was the president of
the union.
Sixth, Hanchet makes men leave
their registers with him at meal times,
when the former practice was other
wise.
There are various other grievances,
but they are nothing more than dupli-
cations of the above IN many ways. The
men say they will not submit TO the
tyranny OF this man Hanchet, and
the company must take notice
of the situation. An immediate
strike has been avoided by the wiser
and more conservative heads OF the
union. Demands have already been
formulated. and will ne presented to
the company respectfully. The future
action of the men llcs wholly in the
policy that will be pursued by the CON-
pany.