The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-12-10
THE ROCK ISLAND STRIKE.
What is Said About 1t by a Member OF the Order
OF Telegraphers.

"What do you know about the striker"
asked All EAGLE reporter, last evening, OF
A. j. Apologize, who enjoys the distinc.
tion of being deputy grand chief telegra-
pher and member of the grand executive
committee of the Order of Railroad Tel
egraphers, the organization now measur-
ing swords with the management OF the
Grip" and being reliable, was sought
for the purpose of obtaining the correct
situation of affairs.
Lots" replied be. "a member of the
committee who waited on the general
manager at Chicago has just left my Office,
and together with advices from the grand
chief received by wire this morning, am
thoroughly posted on events so far" And
be proceeded TO detail the events leading
up TO the present denouement, AS follows:
Seeing all the other prominent lines in
the west being scheduled by the operators,
those of the Rock Island began to besUir
themselves, and headed by H. l.. Lyon,
who was stationed at the passenger depot
| here, information blanks were circulated
throughout the system, the divisions Of
! the order along the line took the matter
! up, appointed men to represent them and
! their territory, and Nov. 10 they met at
/ St Joseph, Mo-, where the schedule was
carefully prepared, and minimum sum
| of SIS per month asked for, in
| accordance with the arrangements
perfected with other roads. Dec. 1
| the committee called at the general
offices at Chicago, and was informed that
the officials were not in but would be the
| following Monday. On Monday the COM
mittee called, stated their errand and
were informed that if they came as plain,
everyday employees, his highness would
talk to them. but il they represented the
Order of Railroad Photographers in any
manner the conference was at an end
| Well, as they undoubtedly represented
this order the only one ever promulgated
that has helped the telegraph operator TO
rise from down-trodden insignifcance to
recognition by the railroad world, there
seemed nothing to do but retreat. He was
explained the situation, the wishes of the
employees they represented, and his ans
wer was, No sir, we do not intend to rec
ognize your order, neither do we intend in
future TO recognize any labor Organization
1.-The committee retired, consulted with
their chief, and the officials of the other
organizations and-quit. That is all so
far. The company officials keep on lying
about the situation, same as they did
about their intentions before the strike
They have waged two months war on
their helpless employees. bribing, threaten
ing, cOaxing, using every known method
to induce them to forsake their manhood
and their organization, with, l am glad to
say, Indifferent success.
The girl they sent here is relative of
the chief clerk in the general managers
Office, so she dare not quit if she wanted
to. a few imported scabs scattered
here and there over the system, and the
dispatchers, bribed by an increase of more
wages per month than tue poor operator
asked entire for his services, comprises
their working force, their statements to
contrary Notwithstanding. They dis !
charged seven of their most popular pas
senger conductors on this division today |
because they would not take orders from
scab operators. They are cutting out"
telegraph stations as fast as they can, leav- !
ing the rural towns for miles without |
telegraphic communication; they are pay |
ing off all the men who quit, and have !
none TO take their places. The trainmen |
will soon desert them, for has not the |
hOCh lSldUu roam Sdlu 10 The WOTIu, we |
will tolerate no railroad organizatons'
Talk about the despotism of Home
stead, there the majority of the OPP
pressed were Foreigners and low-classed,
Here they deal with the highest class of |
American intelligence. The telegraph |
operator upon whose skilled ear depends /
thousands of lives daily; whose chirogra-
ply on the train order must be as plain as
print; whose faculties must be trained to |
deal with the most startling emergencies, /
involving the safety of hundreds of people |
snd millions OF dollars worth of property. |
Yet they say to such men as these: You |
shall not have $40 per month for such ser
vice. Unless am greatly mistaken in
the people they have to deal with, the
Rock Island road will find they have made
a big mistake in refusing this request.
They have issued an order to their
agents to refuse freight for shipment. That
means, all over the system, loss of be-
tween $4,000 and sra, 600 per day. If. later
on, the union trainmen refuse orders from
scabs, that means loss in passenger and
express traffic during the holidays of as
much more per day. a short time of this
kind of (mis) management Will cause the
directors to make prompt change in the
managing department, for directors are
investors in a business sense. and the
Rock Island stock TOOK decided drop to-
day. So that all the present high officials
of the company will gain by this transac-
tion will be the contempt of their, former
employees and their own downfall.
THE Order of Railroad photographers
pays its men $50 month from the mo.
ment the strike is on. which is more than
the company pays good many of them.
We have about hundred thousand dol
lars on hand now, and can raise twice that
much in thirty days if necessary. so we
can rest easy in any case. We have sos out of
the 615 operators employed on the system
enrolled in our ranks Our cause is just
and will prevail"
PRESBYTERIAN MELTING.