Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-02-06
AN IMPENDING STRIKE
Threatened Tie-up on Lines Run
ing to Chicago.
RACE TROUBLES DOWN IN TEXAS
A MEXICAN OFFICER SHOT.
A BIG STRIKE IMPENDING.
Attempts win soon re Made Co faraiyI
we.ts ru Railway Tr.dac.

Attempts viii Soon re Made Co farai,rs
we-'srn Railway rr.rie.
CHICAGO. Fec. "a morning paper today
contains the following:
Ozark shadows % an impending strike are
hovering like Nightmares over many. II not all.
Of the railroad lines entering Chicago. On
authority from several reliable sources. 10
seems more than probable that within ten days
q herculean attempt will be made % tie up
every locomotive and car m the city ani para
1--WE the traffic on many thousands " miles q
track.
80 apprehensive have the Officials of one q
the eastern trunk lines become that it D. rei.a-
bly reported they are refusing 90 receive east
bound freight and traffic from western lines.
Starting with the unorganized sWitchmen. he
disaffection has spread until. Il is claimed. the
various branches Of organized employees All
unite in one Of the most determined strikos ever
known in railroad annals.
The switchmen have decided - demand an
advance of cents an hour FROM their present
paw and 10 strike If they do not get H. THIS
important action taken Yesterday at .
meeting Of committees representing the
twenty-seven railroad yards in this city. Tbs
new scale demands 30 and 50 cents an hour re-
spectively for day help and s. 60 40 cents an
hour for helpers and foremen working az night.
The demand will lie made upon the several
roads centering here ~ soon petitions can
be circulated among the men In tie respoctlvs
yards and a majority %: the signatures secured.
The peculiar feature - the movement 10
that the regular organizations Of the sNltchmsa
are entirely ignored in the new move. and that
it is a sort Of general movement on the part of
the men. irrespective OF the heads of the Oli
organizations
OBJECT OF THE woRENrS
zone Of the men Who are prominent in the
move said: This is not new thing by auy
means, but we have been very careful that oar
aims and object should not become cer-
orally known. Ii has been seriously
considered ever since the failure ~
the Buffalo strike. After that affair the mea
got to talking among themselves. aud
their organizations were failures. thcv
concluded, owing 20 the way they we're
conducted. Strike after strike had proved
10 be a failure through misunderstandincs
and mistakes of the head men Of our argguiza-
tions. and It became general talk among the
men that the only way by which railroad men
could ever improve their condiuon would be bv -
more popular uprising. We concluded 90 make
an effort on our own account without the
guidance or assistance Of the unions a. all.
:" / don't mean 90 say that individual mem
bers Of the unions will not support Us On
the contrary they will help us, but they will
not 60 into the movement members Of
the unions, nor Will they 60 out Of
il when ordered TO do 80 by
the officials Of the unions. In other words. II
be done by order OF the union officials. nor VII
their mandate be effective in declaring such
strike of.
The rank and file Of the men are heartily
sick Of the way strikes have been managed and
they propose to try hand at the problem in
more democratic Nav We have had h,tie too
much union in one direction and not enough In
another.
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 be-
cause of the arbitrary rulings aud fines imposed
by those well-paid officials. The men TO . man
agree that the wages of railroad men generally
are too low, and they also express = willing
ness TO go into popular movement 10 secure
the same and never give up until thev secure a..
The movement started on the Chicago. Nl-
waukee and st. Paul railroad aud nov incla1es
! the men in every ward in the city. We
have kept the movement a. nearly secret as
possible for several reasons. We dil not
care to have either the railroad tho
union officials know what our idea was. We
have no big leaders 70 blow their own horns Tor
political and other effects. Even the chairiuen
of our meetings are changed al every meeting.
Consequently no Mr.. President nor Mr.. Secre-
tary has any inducement 20 get bis name in
print as the Rutho- OF some very startling news.
This is a movement of the men and viii be %
success.
The greatest efforts have been made to kee,, the
whole movement profound secret and in this
the men have TO great extent been successful.
Only few vague hints leaked out and these
gave rise to all sorts OF rumors. but until yct-
terdays meeting nothing really definite Was
known regarding the object Of the move.
kilograms along the lines OF the rennsyivania
road indicate that that company expects trouble
at an early date over the question Of wages, as
they have refused perishabe freight at many
points destined to Chicago. and the Pittsbarg,
Fort Wayne and Chicago railway officials here
have declined to receive such freight the
grounds that they expect trouble on the road
with their engineers.