St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-06-19
AT LABOR HALL.
A Crowded Meeting Breaks Up
in Good Humor.

IN GOOu hulnOr.
The meeting of the men employed on
the st. Paul lines convened in the large
hall at labor headquarters, which was
packed to sutfocatiOn. The business
was conducted entirely without disor-
der, and there was an agreeable alb
Sence of anything savOring of buster
or bravado. While the st. Paul men had
really ceased work in sympathy with
their Minneapolis fellows, they freely
expressed the opinion that it was only
a question of a brief time when they
would have to face the same perpleXlng
question as confronted the Minneapolis
men. The speeches made were sensible
in matter and moderate in tone. No
disposition was eyinced to cripple in
any way the service of the company,
and the leaders counSeled the men 10
bring all matters of conflict to an end
as rapidly and as amicably as possible.
Supt. HoskinS, of the st. Paul lines,
put in an appearance about 3 o'clock,
and committee of seven was at once
appointed to confer with HIM. For
some reason a policeman had accom-
panied the superintendent into labor
headquarters, but when the eight men
retired into one of the anteroOmS for
conference the officer was dismissed.
There was no possible use for him. Mr..
Lowry himself could not have been
otherwise than gratfied at the spirit
dominating all the proceedings.
The conference of the perintendent
and the committee did not last long, and
when the committee returned, the chair
man reported that Mr.. HOskins had as
Sured them the company would with
draw the obnoxious contract and de
sired that the men should at once re-
sumo their posts, in which case no preIu-
dice would be held against any man
who had quit work yesterday morning.
The news that the contract would be
Withdrawn was greeted with ringing
cheers, but before action could be taken
on the superntendenps request to 20 to
work a delegate from Minneapolis was
announced. He was received with APP
plause, and when he confirmed the re-
port which the GLOBE reporter had
brought to the habitat the Minneap-
oils men had reached an agreement with
the company and had begun taking out
cars there was a fresh outburSt of
cheering. Further than this, he an
nOunced that the Objectionable contract
had been swept out of the question al
together; that the price for badges was
to be 30 cents instead of $40; that the
deposit required of each man would be
S25 as heretofore. instead of 500; that
damage caused by unavoidable accidents,
as for Instance where trolley Is broken
while conductor is going through a
car collecting fares, would not be
charged against the men: and finally
that all employees should be reinstated
without prejudice.
This report made the men feel that
there was no further need for remain
ing away from their work, provided the
employees of the company in st. Paul
were granted similar terms. lmmedi-
ately a committee was named TO wait on
Supt. HOSkinS and ascertain if he would
give similar guarantees to those given
in Minneapolis. The committee at once
retired to find the uperintendent, while
the men remained in session, anxiousy
but calmly awaiting their return. In
the interim scouts reported that the in
terurban cars were running, and that
the men who were running them had
confirmed the report of au amicable
settlement in Minneapolis.
Right here developed the only evil
dence OF soreness that had cropped out
during the long meeting. AS the st.
Paul men had refused TO take out cars
at the special request of the Mime
apolls strikers, it was looked upon as a
breach of faith that the Mill City people
had not taken pains to secure the same
terms for their st. Paul brethren they
had Tor themselves before resumng
work. 1t was also felt that the men at
both ends should have resumed work at
the same time, which would have been
the case if the Minneapolis fellows had
Il
in which they were leaving the con-
ductOrS and mOtoneerS at this end. But
the situation was accepted maufullV,
and as it turned out all right in the end,
little, if any, soreness is felt over the
thoughtless course taken at Minneapolis.
1t was after o'clock when the con-
ference committee came in from the
cOntab with Supt. HOSkins. The re-
port was that the official bad guaranteed
the same terms to the St. Paul men that
had been granted in the other twin, each
man to at once report for work. The
uperintendentS promise was accepted
in good faith, and resolution was
adopted that all should repair to the
various barns and proceed to take out
trains as fast as possible. In a few
minutes the Sweltering crowd had va
Gated the hall, and within very short
time the street railway lines weLe NOV
ing multitudes OF people as if nothing
had happened to disturb the regular
course OF events.
Yesterdays meeting at labor head
quarters developed the fact that Mr..
Lowry has in his employ III st. Paul
class of men whom 1t would be hard to
equal anywhere. They are level
headed, conservative, fair and manly,
reasonable, and not prone to 90 any
farther in the direction of strike and
its deplorable results than is absolutely
necessary. The street railway magnate
would have been proud of his st. Paul
operatives if he could have viewed the
big meeting and listened to the speakers
yesterday.