Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1893-02-08
RAILROAD TROUBLE IMPENDING.

The ChicsgO switchmen VIII Make
Break Without Consulting tie Unions.
CHICAGO, February Ga morning
paper to-day contains the following:
Ozark shadows of an impending
strike are lowering as Nightmares over
many, if not all, the railroad lines en-
tering Chicago. On authority from
several reliable sources, it seems more
than probable that within ten days a
hurculean attempt will be made to tie
up every locomotive and car in the city
and paralyze the traffic Of many thouS-
andS of miles of track.
$50 apprehensive are tho officials OF
one of the eastern trunk lines become
that il is reliably reported they are re-
fuSing to receive east-bound traffic from
western lines. Starting with the unor-
gained switchmen the diSatIectiOn has
spread until il is claimed the various
branches OF unorganized employees will
unite in one of the most determined
strikes ever known in railroad annals.
THE Switchmen Of Chicago have de-
cided to demand an advance of five
cents an hour in their present pay, and
10 strike if they do not getit. This i'm
portant action was taken yesterday at a
meeting of committees representing the
twenty-seven railroad yards in this city.
The new scale demands 30 TO 30
cents per hour reSpitively for day help
ers ana foremen, aud 80 aud 40 cents
per hour respectively for helpers and
foremen working at night.
The demand will be made on the
several roads centering here as soon as
petitions can be circulated among the
men in the respective yards and ma
jority of the signatures secured.
"The peculiar features OF the move
ment is that the regular organizations
of the switchmen are entirely ignored
in the new move, and that il is a con-
certed move on the part Of the men.
One of the men, who is prominent in
the new move, said; This is not a
new thing by any means, but We have
been very careful that our aims and
objects should not become generally
known. 1t has been seriously cOnsid-
cred ever since the failure Of the Buff
falo strike. After that affair the men
got to talking among themselves,
that their organizations were
Nures owing TO the way they
e conducted. Strike after strike
b proved to be failure through
mi. understanding and mistakes of the
head men Of our organizations, and it
became general talk among the men
that the only way by which the road
men could ever improve their condition
would be by popular uprising. We
have concluded to make an effort on
our own account without the guidance
or assistance Of the unions at all. l
don't mean to say that individual mem
bers Of the unions will not support US;
on the contrary, they will help
US, but they will not go into
the movement as members Of the
unions, nor will they go out Of it when
ordered to do so by the officials of the
unions. In other words, if it becomes
necessary for Us 10 strike il will not be
done by order Of the union officers, nor
will their mandate be effective in de-
! claring such strike off. The rank and
| file OF the men are heartily sick Of the
way strikes have been managed. and
and they propose to try hand at the
problem in a more democratic way in
the future. We have had little too
much union in one direction aud not
enough in the other. There is no
lack Of officials drawing salaries, while
a great majority OF the men engaged in
the various lines are kept out Of the
unions because of the arbitrary ruling s
aud fines imposed by these well paid Of
| ficials. The men agree to a man that
wages generally are too low, and they
also express a willingness to go iRto a
popular movement TO secure the same
and never give up until they secure
| it,"