Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1894-07-19

of consequence occurred during the
war. At its close, however, organiza-
tions multiplied rapidly, but the flush
times prevented serious conflicts. IL
1868 and 1869 some seventeen strikes
occurred. From 1871 to 1875 there
were no less than seventy eight strikes
The panic of 1873, like that of 1893,
forced general reduction of wages,
and sixty eight of these strikes were
directed against the reduction in al.
most every industry.
THE TEL EGRAPHERS' STRIKE.
The first strike o. national import,
ance participated in by telegraph oper,
ators occurred in the summer of 1871
That strike was confined to CONNER
cial operators mainly, as was that of
1883. The principal cause of the form
er was reduction of salaries. Some
concessions were granted and the men
returned to work. The great strike OF
1883 was caused by a refusal of the
company to accede to certain demands
of the operators, namely: Regulation
of the hours of labor, making nine
hours days work and seven and a
half hours for night work; 10 per cent
increase in wages; extra pay for extra
work; all Sunday work extra and wo,
men to be paid the same wages as men
for the same class of work. The strike
started July II. In exactly one month
the men returned to work, some of the
objects sought having been granted
A minor strike among operators Oc
CURED in 1890, and was confined to the
Rio Grande and Denver & Gulf rail
road systems.
THE RAILROAD REBELLION.
The great railroad strike of 1877 be.
gan on the Baltimore & Ohio railroad
at Martinsburg, w. va. The immedi
ate cause of the struggle was a reduc
ton of 10 per cent in wages. The re-
duction was the last straw labor's back
could bear. Employees had borne in
Vulnerable burdens patiently. Work
was irregular, pay days were few and
far between, and expense bills remain
ed unsettled. The order for cut Gre
ated an explosion that convulsed the
country. The flame started at Martins.
burg on the morning of July II, spread
with the uncomfortable fierceness of a
prairie fire, enveloping the Penn
sylvania Central, Erie, Lake Shore &
Michigan Southern, the Pittsburg &
Fort Wayne, Philadelphia & Reading
Lake Erie, and at last ten other roads
There was furious rioting, destruction
of property and loss of life at Mratins,
burg, Baltimore, Pittsburg, Chicago
and other places, and militia were un-
der arms in four states. Factories,
shops, mills and all industries depen.
dent directly on railroad service were
forced to close or were seriously Grip
pied.
"a. The strike eliminated in cataclysm
of blood and flame in Pittsburg. On
the morning of July 81, 1000 strikers
were massed at the outer stations of
the Pennsylvania railroad and 1900
more were carrying destruction through
the railroad yards. Meanwhile the
First division of the National guard
had been ordered to the city from
Philadelphia. Soon after the arrival
of the troops, consisting of 625 officers
and men, the order to clear the track
and break the blockade was given.
The mob resisted the advance of the
troops with shower of stones and
clubs. One soldier had his head frac-
tured, and then his companions fired
without orders. The volley was ter
ribly destructive. Ten persons were
killed and about thirty wounded.
Many of them were women and chill
dren. The fatalities exasperated
others besides the strikers, and in less
than an hour thousands of working
men from mills and mines hurried to
the scene, determined to have revenge.
THIRsTING FOR BLOOD.
BY nightfall organized bodies of men
moved from various sections of the
city to the railroad yards. Many of
them were armed, gun stories having
been looted by desperate men bent on
destroying the Philadelphia militia.
Meanwhile the command was with
drawn from the scene of conflict. and
stationed in the neighboring round
house. At 10 o'clock that night the
roundhouse was completely surrounded
by mob numbering thousands, and
every avenue of escape for the soldiers
was apparently cut off. The besiegers
Deliberately set to work to annihilate
the soldiers The latter, fully con-
scious of their desperate situation,
grimly determined to sell their lives
dearly.
The mob having secured possession
of the battery of local organization,
trained the gun on the round house,
but failed to accomplish the results ex-
pected. The gunners were inexperi.
enced and the besieged soldiers made