Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1892-08-25
Master Workman Sweeney Asks all
Organizations Allied With Switch
men to Meet Him.
Sargent Already on Hand-Fifty OMIT
Because Required to Handle
Central Freight.
Renewed Indications that Grand
Trunk Men May GO 0ut-Gen-
erai Account.

Buffalo, Aug p Master Workman
Sweeney, Of the Swi!chmen's order, has
now asked the heads of all other LABOR
organizations allied with the switchmen
IN railroad work to meet him here. A.
ready Sargent is here and others are ex-
pected tomorrow and next day.
Fair judgment leads TO the conviction
that there will be no concerted abandon
ment Of work By the organizations to be
represented in the conference. No con.
ference can possibly occur before Wednes-
day, while there is likelihood that the
first session will not be held before Thurs
day.
In the meantime speculation may be
expected as to whether Sweeney will order
out other switchmen west or east, or both.
or whether he will announce officially and
formally the defeat Of his men.
About fifty men who acted as switch
men for the Western New York & Penn
sylvania railroad this afternoon ceased 20
work because they were required to handle
freight from the Central.
There are renewed indications that tha
| swltchmen of the Grand Trunk may add
themselves to tbs strikers
Earlier.
BUFFALO, n. Y, Aug 22.-The an
hounced coming of Mr. Sargent at the
request of Mr.. Sweeney, together with
the collateral possibilities of Mr.. Sar-
gents presence here, constitutes to-
day the chief element in the railway
situation in this city.
The fremen of the local organiza-
ton here have passed the point where
the enthusiasm of sympathy might
have taken them out on strike. The
power over them of a conservative
minority at their meeting on Friday
night prevented their going out at that
time independent of the order at
large. During every hour since
that time the fremen, who are in a
position to know exactly what the
companies are doing in freight traffic,
have observed a steady increase in the
movement of freight, and conviction
has been forced upon them that 1 strike
no longer prevails with the employ
ment OF the railroad interest here.
Conservative counsel, steadily main
talned, has convinced the fremen that
their impulse of. last week to d sympa-
thetic strike has been, for themselves,
wisely rcpressed. They stand ready,
however, to add the strength of their
numbers to those of the men now idle
who ten days ago were the switchmen
of the roads here involved.
Concisely, Mr.. Sargent will inform
Mr.. Sweeney that, while he assumes
the switchmen's cause to be just and
while they have his sympathy, he (Mr.
SARGENT will not call an isolated strike
of the firemen in this locality, but if
the time has come when labor must as
sert itself and the other allied orders
will come out he is willing then to
place his men in the column SO arrayed
against the railways.
So the day opens here and the ques-
ton now is presented whether or not
there shall be general strike in this
city of all organized labor employed in
railroad work-namely, the Brother
hood of Locomotive Engineers, the
Brotherhood of Railway Trainmen, the
Brotherhood of Railway Conductors
and the Order of Railway photographers.