The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-09-28
REDUCTIONS IN WAGES
Proposed Cuts by the B. & 0. and
Other Railway Companies.
Freight Business on Indianapolis Lines
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Rail-
way News.


The ~oircular of General Manager Odell,
of the Baltimore & Ohio system. in which
he declines the proposition OF the train
men to donate 10 per cent. of their wages
to the company for three months. and pro-
poses. instead. q cut OF lie per cent. for an
indefinite time. meets with but little favor
from the employees. This is especially true
of the men on the Pittsburg * Western.
They have worked hard for years to bring
wages up to the present standard and
should the proposed cut be put into effect
they see ahead no prospect of q restora-
tion to the present scale without another
hard and protrscted struggle. The EN-
ployes on this branch, independently OF tho
present difficulty. have o grievance against
the management IN the ~irregnlsrlty
with which pay day comes around. The
road Is now doing q good business and Is,
apparently earning q good deal of money,
and they cannot understand why they
should not be paid their wages promptly.
especially in view of the fact that they
have always been loyal to their employers.
In this connection a correspondent of q
New Castle paper tells q story OF an em-
ploye of the PIttsburg Il Western beng
held MP recently by three higbwaymeD.
On n demsnd being made for his money the
man laughed and said: Gentlemen, | work
for the Pittsburg n Western" At this one
of the footpads strnck himself senseless
with his own pistol. the second filled bis
mouth with mud and offered the railroad
man 81 To kick him over the bank. while
the third. with tears of contrition In his
eyes disclosed his intention 10 join the Sal
walton Army.
The Trouble on the Huntington Lines.
On the 18th, Vice President Ecbols. OF the
Chesapeake. Ohio ~ Southwestern (who is
also president of the Ohio Valley. issued
separate circulars to the employe s of the
two roads announcing a cut of 10 per cent.
In wages. to take effect on the 1st prOx.
The circulars stated that the cut was rem
dere0 necessary by the depression in busi-
ness. but that the management hoped ana
believed wages could be restored to the old
standard within ninety days. In response
to these circulars. about fifty men. repre-
eeutiug all branches OF labor on che two
roads. met the general officers in Louis
Vile on Tuesday, TO consider the proposed
reduction. The two roads have the same
general officers. but different boards of d.
~rectors. ana are owned by diffeTenJ stock
holders. and for this reason President
Echols desired TO consider the affairs of
the two roads separately. To this the men
objected and insisted upon pooling their
Issues. Al the general officers regarded
this as i'm practicable the result was u dead
lock. and the calling by the men for the
presence OF the grand chiefs OF the sixteen
different organisations represented at the
conference. There the matter now rests.
and the officials think the attitude of the
men forebodes tronble.
Freight Business Improving.
Freight business is picking up with In
dianspolis roads. and gives promise of CON-
siderable activity before the setting in Of
winter. 1t is q fact. however. that Indian
apolis roads have. as q rule. suffered less
In proportion from the prevailing depres-
sion in business than those of almost any
other section of the country. While it ia
true that many concerns which furnish q
large amount of freight business TO the
roads AVE either closed entirely or reduced
forces. this condition has not prevailed
here so generally as st most railroad CEN
ters of the country. and within the past
month there has been a decided improve
m~snt-mapy of the shOpsiargeIy increasing
their output. Though the crops are gsner-
ally short. there Is q large amount of the
surplus from the harvests OF 1872 yet TO he
marketed. and It must soon come forward.
1T higher prices DO not call le out. the
necessities of the farmers Will soon force
them to dispose Of their holdings.
X eeiv~rs for the Wisconsin Central.
Judge Jenkins. upon application of John
A. Stewart and Edwin II. Abbott, trustees
under the Wisconsin Central mortgages,
has appointed Henry Z. Whitcomb and
Steward Morris receivers of the Wisconsin
Central Company and Wisoo; sin Central
Railroad Company. Mr.. Abbott says the
IeceivershiD will preserve the Wisconsin
q. Central system intact, prevent any
default upon Wisconsin Central bonds. an
lnsure ultimately iuli payment of all their
indebtedness. This step was rendered
necessary by the insolvency of the North
ern Pacific. which keeps tbs Wisconsin
Central company out OF nearly 500, 600 cash
rentals earned in May. June. July and Au-
gust. Mr.. Whitcomb ia at present general
manager OF the Wisconsin Central lines.
and Mr.. Morris Is the Wisconsin Centrsls
attorney.
The Big -Four and Ius Employees.
The Big Four officials are very justly
complaining OF the prominence that has
been given. by o portion of the newspaper
press. 20 the differences thnt have for some
time existed between the company and it's
trRinmen. They say there has mt no time
boon any danger of a strike by thetnen. and
that the cononuRl agitation of the gu bject
by ne5 spaper writers has had q tendency TO
interiors with thsir business. the pnblic
besitatiug 10 purchase ~rouDd-trip tickets
over the Big FOur lines from the fear that
o strike might leave them stranded 1T the
other end o. the line. 10 seems hardly
credible that q strike should be precipitst-
ed at such q time o. this. when so III any
mea are iGle and anxious for employment.
Personal and General Mites.
The Western Railway Signal Company.
OF Pittsburg has been chartered, with q
capital or 5 1000.
There will be q meeting of the passenger
men of the Ohio River Traffic Association
81 Chicago to-day TO readjust rates.
The citizens Of EIkhsrt on Tuesday cell
ebrated the completion OF the Elkhart &
Western railway. u branch of the Chicsgo
81 Grand Trunk. by turning out in large
numbers on an excursion over the line 10
Chicago. 10 be on hsnd FOR the observance
OF Indiana day at the fair.
President Fargo. of the American Ex-
press Company. has ordered that $500 be
paid the brakeman who shot the train rob-
Der At Centralia on che night of the 20,h,
and that Sl,0C0 be distributed between the
conductor. engineer and fireman OF the
train: also that each man arrested for COM
plicity 10 the attempted robbery who
should be able TO prove his innocence be
paid 500.
The advantage to the travelling public of
the improved methods OF heating cars. 20
Say nothing of the greater safety in case of
IN accident resulting IN dera;lmcut or gen.
ersl wreck. ie specially manifested at this
season of the year, whel the warm and