River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1894-05-03
STRIKE DECLARED OFF.
The Great Northern Tie-up is a
Thing of the Past.
Efforts of Twin City Business Men to BilIls
About a Settlement are Crowned
with Success and Traffic
K.ili BE Resumed
ct Once.

MINNtAfoliS. May -.--lHS Nfcil
Northern strike is over.
The board of arbitrator appointed
by the commercial bodies OF the Twin
Cities gave rulings in favor of the IN, N
in most cases, and its decision is final.
Everyone IS satisfied. the strikers in
particular, as the arbitration commit
tee gave them almost everything that
they asked for.
About 10 o'clock last night there
were some remarkable proceedings GO
ing on in the Offices of the president of
the Great Northern railroad James j.
Hill; proceedings which affected the
commercial interests of the entire
northwest as well as the happiness of
thousands of employees all along the
Great Northern road. They were pro-
ceedings which terminated one of the
most remarkable railroad strikes that
the country has ever seen.
This morning the wheels will go
round. and as rapidly as possible the
traffic of the road will be resumed.
The credit for bringing about this
happy solution of the difficult matter
rests with the business men of the
Twin Cities, and but for their untiring
efforts n behalf of arbitration the
strike would still be on, and possibly
other lines would be affected. All day
yesterday the business mems commit
tee was in session, and, at the hour
stated above, they, as arbitrator,
brought in a report settling the entire
matter.
Previously they had been in confe.
encc with both sides in the controversy
and had heard arguments pro and con.
The conference was a large one, those
present being the strikers committee,
the business mems committee, Presi-
dent Debs and Vice President Howard,
President Hill and other officials of the
Great Northern road When the par
ties really got together there seemed to
be very little difference between the
two opposing factions. President Hill
conceded without argument nineteen
twentieths of the demands of the men,
and all that the al bitration committee
had to do was To- decide the strikers de-
mands in the cases forming but one
twentieth of the general demand. 1t
took the committee some time to do
this, but when it did make its report il
was favorable to the men, for the en-
ployes of those departments which the
committee had under consideration Sc
cured a restoration of rs per cent of the
amount their salaries had been re-
duced~
President Debs accepted the report
for the American Railway union; Pres
ident Hill accepted it for the railway
company, and everyone was happy.
President Hill was evidently the hap
piest man in the room, and at time
showed that he was deeply affected by
the matter, and there were frcqucn
comments on the attachment he seemed
to have for his old employees.
There were no trains to go out last
night, but traffic was resumed this
morning, and last night the strikers
committee sent out kilograms all along
the line to the effect that the strike had
been declared off, and if President Hill
desires, Vice President Howard and l..
W. Rogers, editor of the A. X. u. paper,
will make a trip over the system mott
flying the men of the result of the
strike.
This settlement brings to an end, as
has been said before, a strik nat was
remarkable for peculiarities. .or over
two weeks the Great Northern road did
not run trains in Montana and the
greater part of Dakota, and very few
anywhere on the system for that mat.
ter. 1t was the first strike on record
where an early start was not made al
putting new men at work and consid-
ering the amount and character of the
territory involved in the strike, there
was remarkably little violence The
damage to property is slight, and one
of the best features of all is that there
are no bitter feelings left in the trail
of the strike. Both sides seem salts
fed and there will undoubtedly be the
best of feeling between employer and
employee in the future.
There is general congratulation over
the result, as the business men of the
northwest knew of the disastrous
effects of such strike, but few OF
them realize what volcano they were
really standing on. There is no ques.
ton but what if the strike had not been
settled through the efforts of the arb
tration committee there would have
been the worst kind of conflict from
this time on, and not only the Great
Northern but many other roads would
have been involved
AS it was the employees on the other
lines were ready to strike when the
order should come, and in fact many of
them were anxious to receive The strike
order There is not the slightest doul
that had the efforts of the arbitration
committee been futile, the strike woult
have grown much more serious to-day,
as the men were at the point where
they could be held in no longer. They
have been orderly all through the long
conflict, and the business interests o.
the northwest are fortunate in havin
escaped as lightly as they did, eve
though they have suffered beyond
estimate.
CURRENT TOPICS