The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-08-23
Conferences Of Heads Of Railway Orders to Be
Held This Week, from Which Much Is
Expected but Little May Result.
Sargent Emphatically Declares the Fire
men Will Not Be Ordered Out Alone.
Unless All Other Organizations Quit His Men
Will Remain at Work-The Strike Likely
to Be Declared OF Within Few Days



Wants All Other Railway Employees to As
sist the Striking switchmen.
BUFFALO. Aug. 22.-For ten days Grand
Master Sweeney, of the switchmen's order.
has been in this city seeking to encourage
the strikers and planning for the welfare
of the five hundred men who were formerly
the movers of freight traffic in the various
railroad yards hereabouts. He has seen
the companies secure new forces, and he
has witnessed the almost entire restoI alton
of conditions as they were before his fol-
lowers quit work. He has now asked the
heads of all the other labor organizations
allied with the switchmen in railroad
work to meet him here. Already Mr..
Sargent is here. and the others are
expected tomorrow and next day. Mr..
Sweeney will lay the circumstances of the
recent swltchmen's strike In this city be-
fore his colleagues for the purpose. it is
fair to presume, of securing. if he can. their
consent to strike of the men represented
by each of the executive heads who will sit
in conference with Mr.. Sweeney. Thatthe
swltchmen's leader would be able to influ-
ence the firemen to strike was a hope
which, if entertained By Mr.. Sweeney, was
to-day promptly set at rest by Mr. Sargent's
statement that he would never consent to
the withdrawal of his men from their occu-
pations unless joined by the men,
bers OF other railway organizations.
With this position as an early pre-
cedent in the conference situation of
the leaders. 1t Is not an unfair assumption
that other executive heads will take the
same position. If this shall prove to be
true, then all must 60 out or none will Quit.
The trend of fair judgment leads to g. con-
viction that there will be no concerted
abandonment of work by the organizations
to be represented in the conferences. Mr.
Arthur. of the engineers, has not as yet re-
sponded to Mr.. Sweeney's invitation, and,
while he may attend without previous
notice of his intention to do so. it may not
be regarded as surprising should Mr.. Arthur
be represented through q communication
rather than in person.
Well-Informed persons here. when ap-
prised of Mr.. Sargents ultimatum to Mr..
Sweeney, concluded without hesitation
that no positive result will grow out of the
meeting which Mr. Sweeney has called. 1t
is thought to be q fair inference from MIR.
Sweeney's action that he has reached the
limit of his power locally, and that he has.
by summoning his colleagues evidenced q
conscious weakness of his own position as
related Co the recent complications in the
railway field hero. in brief, Mr. Sweeney,
by his action, is regarded as having called
for help. He Will have the courtesy of
counsel, but the consensus of opinion Is
that neither he nor his followers will be
aided by any sympathetic strike among the
engineers, the tiremen. the conductors the
trainmen or by the Order of Telegraphers.
The arrival of the executive heads invited
will be suoh that no conference can poss
bly, occur before next Wednesday, while
the likelihood is that the frat session will
not be held before Thursday. Meantime
there is an interregnum In which specula-
tion may be expected as to whether Mr.
Sweeney, left to his own resources. will
order out other swltchmen West or East. or
both; or whether he will announce officially
and formally the defeat OF his men who
ten days ago were employed as switchmen
in the Buffalo yards.
About fifty men. who have acted as
switchmen for the Western New York d
Pennsylvania Company, this afternoon
ceased work because they were required to
handle freight from the Central This
statement in fact constitutes the length and
breadth of incidents save that half hun
dred are added to the five hundred men
who recently were eswitchmen, but who are
now out of employment There are renewed
iutimatlons that the switchmen of the
mum Der of idle men.
After all the talk of withdraw al of troops,
1t may be as we'll TO state that no troops
Will be Withdrawn until they will have
made improbable any attack upon the
present switchmen in the city by those Who
were formerly occupied such. Sporadic
cases of abuse and outrage will arise to be
recorded. but such will be incidents only
to situation which is now secure, unless,
perchance. Mr.. Sweeney's conference
should result IN the birth of new conan der.
ations or new complications.