St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1894-07-19
AMERICAN STRIKE HISTORY.

Three iourneymen bakers of New
York in 1741 were tried for con-
spiracy. In 1909 the term of 'scab"
was first applied to the unfaithful
members of a journeymen's associa-
tioh. In 1917 several shipbuilders
at Medford, Mass, struck for con-
tinued supplies of rum. Strikes be-
gan to be frequent after 1881. We
mention few in Massachusetts,: A
strike at Fall River kept 1900 per-
sons idle for six months in 1850 and
81, at a loss in wages of $40, 900.
Salisbury was much injured in 1852
by the mill hands stopping work be-
cause of the abolition of fifteen min
utes' recess for lunch. The Lynn
shoemakers lost 100000 in wages
by strike, Feb. %, 1860.
In 1886 there was a great railroad
strike, which began May 5, at St.
Louis, with the mechanics and shop
men of the Missouri Pacific Rail-
road. The nominal cause was the
discharge of one union man; but the
trouble had been growing for several
months. Governors Marmaduke of
Missouri, Hughes of Arkansas and
Ireland ofTexas issued proclama tions
in regard to it. The strike was the
largest which had ever occurred up to
that time, affecting the states of
Texas, Louisiana, Missouri, Kansas
and Arkansas. March -, 1887,
conductors, brakemen and switch
men of the Pennsylvania & Ohio
Railroad struck for higher wages.
Considerable rioting took place, but
the demands Of the men were grant
ed June II. Dec. "a, 1887, general
strike OF employees OF the Reading
Railroad against reduction of wag-
es; sixty thousand men idle. Jan.
10, 1887, drivers and conductors Of
street cars in Boston strike for more
pay demands granted in few hours,
Feb. 7, employees of South Boston
and Cambridge companies strike for
ing strikers mob horse car; strike
settled by mutual concessions.
A strike occurred in New York
which interrupted the movement of
coal to that city so seriously that
coal famine was threatened. All the
men connected with work on the
wharves were called out. The Domin-
ion Steamship line employed great
number of Pinkerton detectives to pro-
tect their property about the wharves
and tracks, and the strike was the
object of wide anxiety, and it failed
before the middle of February, caus-
ing loss in wages of So, 65O,OOO. A
strike about this time among the
shoe factories in Worcester county
in this state was turned into lock-
out by a combination Of the employ
ers, who refused to employ the union
men or to treat except with individ-
uals. After five months the men,
numbering eight thousand, were de-
teated with loss in wages of So
100000.
a strike of the engineers of the Chi
cagO, Burlington & Quincy railroad
paralyzed trade in portions Of the
West for considerable time. Great
crimes were perpetrated at points
far apart and lawless confusion
Seemed to prevail.
The famous railroad strikes of !
1877, during the months OF July and
August, were attended by gross vio- |
1ence, immense destruction Of proper |
tv and loss OF life. They began at
Martensburgh, ". Va, on the Balti-
more & Ohio railroad July, IA. In
the height of the movement there
were at least 100000 men out. Six |
or seven thousand miles of railroad |
were from the first to last in the
hands of the strikers, including the
four great trunk lines, the New York
Central and its connections, the Erie |
system, the Pennsylvania road and |
its connections, and the Baltimore & |
Ohio and its connections. TWAS ru-
mored that a concerted strike was /
planned which would take place IN
October upon all the railroads of the
and that it was torestalled
by the premature outbreak on the
Baltimore & Ohio road, in.which the
last reduction of wages had rendered