The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1894-09-01
SIDE OF THE RAILWAY;
PRESENTED IN THE STRIKE IN
CURRY IN CHICAGO.
The General Manager of the Rock
Island Admits That Their Contract
With the Pullman Company Did

Chicago, Aug. 2+.-General Manager
e. st. John, OF the Rock Island rail
road, was called before the strike COM
mission to-day. Mr.. st. John had pre-
pared Il history Of the strike as it If
fected his road and read to the COM
miSsioners Il detailed account Of the
troubles. When he had finished he
was asked If his company blacklisted
men.
Not in the sense that the word is
generally understOod.' said he wit
uess. when Il nan Is discharged
from one of cur divisions we send a
statement to II other divisions that
he may not be re-employed, but no
such statement is sent to other roads
unless it Is II QueSted.'
Can you show us a copy Of your
contract with the Pullman company?'
asked Commissioner Herman.
Il can show you the contract If you
will regard it as Il private matter. l
10 not wish to see it published in the
newspapers"
This proposition was refused, and Mr..
st. John was asked If the contract com
PEELED his company to haul Pullmans
on all passenger trains.
NO." was the answer, 1--WE can haul
Pullnans Oh amy train we choose, and
need not haul them unless we wish"
'Then you we've not compelled to haul
Pnllmans drriEg the striker
mo, we were not"
Mr. st. John was asked rs to the
null Der Of strikers who had been
taken back by lis company.
Most of our men," he said, quit
work through fear. but of the 500 actu-
al strikers only seventy four-have been
taken back"
The witt ess said that their relations
to labor uniCns were regulated by the
number of mel On their lines belonging
10 the unions. When a union has
80 per cent or more of our men," he
said, 1--WE, as a general thing, treat
with it's representatives. We had no
dealings Will the A. r. u, as it had
less than 500 Of u employees"
Did your road cut wages last spring
II this summer" asked Commissioner
Wright.
mo, sir. We cut our force, but did
not cut wages"
Has your road advanced wages with
in the last ter years"
"Yes. WI have frequently made in
dividual adv arces, hut no general ad-
vance that I remember Of"
"How much did the strike cost the
Rock Island road?" Mr.. Herman asked.
Il cannot give exact figures without
reference to debate, but I should say
that the strike cost our road between
100000 and $1,OOO,OOO."
Mr.. st. John emphatically denied the
statement that the United States mar
shals used during the riots were on
trOlled by the railroads.
1--WE asked for protection and fur
nished man, of our employees who were
sworn in as deputy marshals. But
after being sworn in we had nothing
more to dc with them. They were COM
marded and controlled, l suppose, by
the United States marshals."
The witness said that many of the
rioters who overturned and burned
cara were strikers. He knew this to be
a fact, he said, because many of them
we're recognized By the Rock Island
employees, who witnessed the lawless-
LESS. The commissioners questioned the
control of the United States deputy
m%arshals. as the statement had been
made by Chief Deputy Donnelly that
the railroad companies took charge of
the forces during the riots.