St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-01-17
OFFICIALS PREPARED.
The Backbone of the Strike Said
to BE Broken


to Be Broken.
MILWAUKEE, Wis.,, Jan. 16.-JuSt
seventy-two operators and station agents
employed on the lines of the Chicago,
Milwaukee & st. Paul system quit
work to-day, and the strike which
Chief Thurston, of the Order of Railway
Teiegraphers has heralded in so many
bulletins. was very much a fizzle. Gen
eraI Manager Earring came up from
Chicago, and spent the day at General
Superintendent Collins Office. The
officials OF the road were prepared for
any emergency, and at every station
where an operator quit work another
man was waiting to take his place, so
that the telegraphic business of the
road suffered no delay of any conSe-
quence.
1t was not strike at all. in the usual
sense of the word. The men rendered
their designations Wednesday, to take
effect at z O'Clock this morning. All of
those who resigned did not go out, for
some of them repented and wired to
headquarters. resembling their regigna-
lions. In Wisconsin not single
man stopped work. and more than
half of those who did so we're employed
on divisions in the state of Iowa. This
is partly due to the personal influence
of Thurston, whose home is at VintOu,
10. On the Sioux City and Dakota di-
vision one man gave up his position,
and, as the division is long one, he
must have felt little lonely. The fol-
lowing official statement was made to-
day OH behalf OF the company:
"The men involved in this affair
Il II \ 4.
ceived by the Misrepresentation of the
Order of Railway Telegraphers. There
has been 10 general reduction of sala-
ries, but simply an equalization, because
operators and station men at certain
points were being paid more in pro-
portion to the amount OF work
required of them than at others.
The officers of the company knew
of no dissatisfaction among the men
until they learned that the officers of
the 0. L. T. were securing the sigma
lures of operators and station men TO a
remonstrance. The o. K. Il. officers
misrepresented the situation. and CON
cealed from the men that clause in the
remonstrance stating that their resigna-
lions would be rendered unless their de
mandS were complied with. Seventy
two men quit work, including those dis
charged for making trouble. or this
number were employed on divisions in
Illinois. 16 in Minnesota, in Dakota
and 10 id Iowa"
1t was stated that of the forty-six Iowa
men who went out thirty-four were EN-
ployed on the Council Bluffs division
At some of the Iowa stations the wires
were tempered with by making ground
connections, leaving switches open. and
otherwise, but no serious delay resulted
from this. The press committee at
strikers headquarters admits this AFTER
noon that so far the strike has failed to
tie up the business of the road, and that
it can continue to run on schedule
time. The committee. however, ex-
presses belief that more men will re-
sign. The latest estimates are that the
total designations number less than
seventy-fve.
HASTINGS, Mimi, Jan. 16.-The oper-
ators at the depot have resigned and
went out last night. New men have
taken their places. The depot is
guarded by two Stalwart ''eopper5" from
the Union depot. st. Paul, and the Mil
waukee depot, Minneapolis, but their
services are not required.