Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-01-01
S0URED ON SWEENEY.
Local SWitchmen Score Their Grand
Master for Ignoring Them.
A TIE-UP is THREATENED To-Day.
Conference of Wire Men Brought to Sat-
isfactory Close.
NEW OIL TANKS FOR BUTLER COUNTY

There is every indication that the railroad
switchmen's difficulty is far from being
settled yet
1t will be remembered that when their de-
mands were presented two weeks ago the
new scale, providing for eIght-nour work
davs and various other things, was to take
effect January l. The time has expired,
and. although the men claim TO have pur-
sued the constitutional course, they have re-
ceived no salts factory reply from either the
railway companies or their own officials.
The matter has rested quietly, apparently,
until last night, when it broke out afresh,
and trouble of some sort is expected to-day.
There was meeting of the local Grievance
Committee last night, attended BY three
men from each road centering in the city.
The situation was discussed until nearly
midnight, and it WAS with the greatest diff
Guilty that the committee prevented the rad
Ical members from precipitating tle-up.
THEY WANT SWEENEY HERE
The men are considerably put out that
their Grand Master, Sweeney, is not here.
a. G. Carruthers, chairman of the General
Grievance Committee. was seen after the
meeting, and said: There is no excuse for
Mr. Sweeney's absence tonight He should
have been here to decide this matter one way
or another. If VIC were in the wrong we should
know IL But Mr.. Sweeney has simply and
absolutely ignored US, after we have followed
the law to the letter and laid our matter
before him. am opposed to the men taxing
tn matter in their own hands, and have had
to fight hard against IL all along but 1t looks
very much as though they will rot have much
regard for he Law now. and If strike does
occur l want the public TO understand that
bic"
Henry Lemon, another member of the com
mittee, said: 81 tell you if MIR. sweeney had
heard all that was said of him at the meeting
tonight, his ears would have burned. lie has
treated our men shamefully. We sent him a
copy of our grievances, the receipt of which he
never acknowledged / wrote to him, asking
him if he would come here to settle the diff
Guilty. and he ignored my letter. To-day we
teiegraphed, but got no reply.
AFRAID OF A STRIKE.
This action on Mr.. Sweeney's part, of course,
has set the men on edge, and it is hard TO say
what the outcome Will be. None of those " ho
have been prominent in the affair from the start
want to see 4 strike, but the majorityof the
others do, and it will not be surprising to see
them drop the law and take up the fight as y
matter of principle. The Grand Master has
placed us in the position of downright fools. We
presented 4 scale to take effect tomorrow, but
The demands have not been granted Accord
Ing to the constitution. he should have been
here TO settle the difficulty one way or an
other. II we work after making the demands
the people will laugh AZ uS, and if we refuse TO
work We render ourselves liable to expulsion
from our association"
These later developments were hardly eX-
pecced. The Baltimore and Ohio difficulty still
remains unsettled but the COMPANY had en-
tIrely overcome the effects of il and the only
Inconvenience they were experiencing was
ocCaSioued by the heavy snow, by which
all the roads were delayed 20 some extent.
in the men arc determined 10
take the matter in their own hands. as init
Inafed bv the men. nothing could prevent a
strike but the appearance of Mr.. Sweeney.
The men spoken tU were extremely cautious
NOT TO say anything that would impicate them
as promoters of strike. but they seemed
afraid that the feeling in favor of a iie-up was
becoming dangerously apparent. IF Z move is
made at ali it will be done to-day