Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1893-05-04
WAR TO THE DEATH.
SUCH, THE BARONs SAY, is THEIR
FIGHT ON UNION LABOR,
A Coup to Head OF Worlds Fair Railroad
Strike-Judge Kicks and His Famous
Ruling-what Is Likely to Happen If the
Railroads Are Sustained.

Railroads Are sustained.
The contest between labor and capi-
Galism has presented many interesting
phases and startling situations during the
past eight or ten years, but it is generally
conceded that nothing in this line has
equaled in Importance the recent rul-
ings of Judges Taft and Kicks in the
Ann Arbor and Lake Shore cases. The
rulings were certainly without precedent,
and it will be impossible to determine
what the effect will be upon the legal
status of employees and what changes
will be necessitated in the methods of
conducting labor organizations until the
court of last resort has passed upon the
questions involved. l cannot even sur
mise what may be the status of the affair
when this reaches my readers, but feel
constrained to express some opinions now,
regardless Of the possibility of changes
in the situation, because, whatever may
be the immediate or final disposition of
the Toledo, cases point has been raised
which, it seems to me, will be open for
discussion and recurring legal decisions
for some time to come.
The head officials of the Ann Arbor
roads declared on the day that Judge
Kicks issued the mandatory injunction
that cit is now war to the death be-
tween the railroad companies and the
engineers and firemens organizations"
This would indicate that the prophecy
SO often made of late years by members
of other labor unions is about to be full
filled-that day would come when Mr..
Arthur would find that the railroad
barons have no more love for his organi-
zation than for the others. l do not be-
lieve with Chief Sargent and other fire.
men and engineers that the deathknell
of their brotherhoods will sound if the
rulings of Judges Kicks and Taft stand
But do believe that the result would be
to drive the men back into the old secret
style of organization, only more hidden
than ever before and equipped with
knowledge never before possessed. There
is danger to society in this, and the pow
ers that be had better consider it we'll
before joining hands With the railroad
barons to destroy the present forms of
comparatively open union.
So absorbing is theinterest in the later
developments of the Ann Arbor trouble
that the public has failed to look into its
origin or forgotten the causes of the
strike and the happenings between its in
ception and the serving of the manda-
tory injunction. The strike was for an
increase Of wages. Engineers on the
Ann Arbor were receiving about 30 per
cent less for their services than was paid
for like service by competing and con-
Meeting lines. The increase asked was
not sufficient to bring the scale up to
that of other roads, The demand was
refused, the strike followed and the rail
road officials at once issued orders pro-
hibiting the employment of members of
the brotherhood and notifying all engi-
neers that to retain their situations they
must withdraw from the brotherhood.
This was the beginning of what the Ann
Arbor official heralded as "a war to the
death between the railroad companies
and the brotherhoods."
may be oversuspicious, or l may be
too conceited as to my penetrating eye,"
DdU L tLllilh L DSO a hlSSCl III bIlt NOOu
pile. There has been considerable news
paper talk for the past six months about
big railroad strike during the Worlds
fair, and it is known that the railway
managers have been hobnobbing and
scheming to defeat any such attempt
For several weeks the switchmen and
telegraph operators have been held up as
the central figures in the bugaboo, and
the heads of the engineers, and fremen's
organizations have been asked to declare
what would be the stand of their unions
in case the switchmen and telegraphers
struck during the summer. Messrs. Ar
thur and Sargent have regularly once
each week, assured the public that the
strike talk was all buncombe, and that
their organizations were at peace with
the railroad companies.
Now for the colored gentleman in the
wood pile: The railway magnates decided
upon coup by which they would hind
their employees with red tape from the
United States courts until the Chicago
show was over. The low scale of wages
on the Ann Arbor road made that line
an available decoy. That demand for
increase was soon to be made by the en-
gineers on the Ann Arbor was known.
The programme was to refuse the de-
mand, precipitate strike, which would
OF course bring at once into operation
the boycott rule of the brotherhood, then
to invoke the aid of judges of the United
States district court secure mandatory
injunction, which would of course come
in time before the supreme court through
an appeal by one CT the other of the in
terested parties. The supreme court
would take several months, maybe a year
or more, to decide the matter, but in the
meantime the injunction would stand,
and of Course be made to apply through
out the United States. Thus the gov
ernment would become enlisted for the
prevention of the apprehended strike.
So far the programme has been carried
out.
Undoubtedly the effect Of the proceed
ings ut Toledo will be to embarrass, if