The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-11-19
ENTIRE RAILWAY
SYSTEM TIED UP.
A General Strike on the Lehigh
Valley.
EIGHTEEN HUNDRED MEN.
The Company Refused to Negotiate
With Committee.
Employees Claim That the omcers of the
Road Have Broken Their Promises
and Refuse to Make


| Philadelphia, Nov. 1S.-A general
strike has been ordered on the entire
system of the Lehigh Valley railroad
at 10 o'clock tonight. The immediate
cause is the company's refusal to recog-
! nize any committee or body of men
as representative of employees of the
road. The men had a certain list OF
grievances to present, and the officers
of the road refused to treat with them.
The general committee sitting in the
Brigham House, this city, then sent a
delegation to wait upon Vice-President
Voorhees, this evening, as last re-
sort at recognition, and falling to Sc
cure it, ordered strike of all the en-
ployees. AT 1920 the road began to
tie up and not a wheel is expected to
be moving on any part of the system
by daylight. Eighteen hundred and
ten men will be idle at day-break.
The strike was not unlocked for by
the employees or officials OF the COM
pany, Vice. President Voorhees, sat in
his Office tonight, patiently awaiting
the Intelligence he knew would come.
He thought the men would strike at Z
o'clock, but when that hour passed
and no intelligence was received he
said '12 o'clock" and remarked that
the men were very considerate indeed
Voorhees, has had great deal of
practical experience in handling
strikes. He was identified with the
New York Central when the knights
of Labor tied that road UP.
Chairman Wilkins, of the strikers,
said: 1--WE hope to succeed, and it lies
with the men themselves. They are
in earnest and volunteered to stop
work. The company has abrogated its
agreement with us, made last August.
If the officers will simply live up to
what they agreed to, no further trouble
will ensue We will not see any train
abandoned until it reaches its destina-
ton, nor will we countenance the de-
struction of any of the company S
property. 1t is our desire to win only
by fair means"
It was stated by persons who have
an inkling of what is going on between
the men and their employers that the
whole trouble was occasioned by the
discharge of Chairman Hughes, of the
Railway Telegraphers' association
Mr.. Hughes said tonight that such
was not the case. His discharge was
but a minor question compared to the
refusal of recognition by the company.
He said that his, as well as well as
other small grievances. would, Of
course, come up. if their representa-
tives, as such, could gain hearing
with the officers of the road.
The strikers affirm that only the
principles of the organization are at
stake and not one cent of money either
way.
The strike takes in all the employees
of the mechanical department, includ-
ing the engineers, f1remen, conductors,
brakemen and operators. The effect
of the strike, it is said, will act disad-
vantag eously against the anthracite
coal trade on all points between the
coal regions and the lake and seaports
if it is protracted any length Of time.
1t will probably cause the shutting
down many mines and throwing thous-
ands of men and boys out of work I'M
til the trouble is settled.
Reports from the principal points
between here and Buffalo at 2 am,
show the men are all out and the road
is tied up. Passenger trains and stock
trains are standing at terminals and
division points without any crews to
run them.