Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1894-05-03
THE GREAT STRIKE.
NORTHERN MEN IN THE
TWIN CITIES ARE OUT.

All Of the A. II. U. Men In st. Paul
and Minneapolis Obey an Order to
strike-Trains ON Other Roads at
ST. Paul Tied Up.
st. Paul, April 26.-The conference be-
tween President Hill and the representa-
tiyes of the employees of the road is still
III progress. If the committee, however,
Is of the same opinion as Vice President
Howard, of the American Railway union,
the conference is likely to be fruitless.
But it is expected that the wiser and
i ere temperate ounsel of President
Debs will prevail. President Debs, Vice
President Howard and IL subcommittee
OF seven waited on Mr.. Hill ami p~tesent-
ed the schedule which the mrn desire
h go into force. This schedule is in
the main similar to that which was in
effect prior to August, 1893. Adjourning
to Room l3, Mr.. Hill, accompanied by
Col. Clough, General Counsel Glover and
General Manager Case, held a confer
ence with the officers of the union and
the men who were with them, ii which
the discussion took a general range as
TO what might be accomplished and re-
suited III an appointment to meet the
committee of thrirty-three, representing
the men. Just as the meeting was break
ing up Mr.. Hill remarked to President
Dehs: Il cannot sign that schedule"
MIR. Howard answered emphatically:
Wei, that settles 1t. If you cant
sign that, there is no use for the COM
mittee to come down"
"Oh, yes" said Mr.. Debs, ''let us
come down and talk the thing over. 1t
will be better to do So"
Its no use, / say" repeated Howard,
the men want that schedule, and if they
can't get that a conference will be a
mere waste of time"
1t was agreed, however, that the COM
mittee should go down and have the
conference. when the conference be-
gan Mr.. Hill demanded to know whether
the men were employees or proper repre-
Sentatives. Some of them were not EN-
pl0yes and could not produce credentials.
After a general talk the conference was
adjourned in order to give the men
time to secure proper credentials. An
other confer ence is being held to-day.
Aberdeen, S.. D., April 26.-The strike
on the Great Northern road as far as it
applies to the branch running into Alb
erdeen is effectual and fully stops all
traffic on that line. To-day the train
crew steamed up the engine and got the
mail and passenger coaches ready to
move as per orders, but emphatically de-
clined to handle freight. The Great
Northern run out of and into this city
a mixed train of passenger and freight
cars, hence the difficulty. The train was
abandoned. There is no probability that
trains on the Great Northern will run
into or out of Abeld deem this week, as
the men are determined they will not
handle freight until the strike is officially
declared off.
st. Paul, April 27.-It is war to the
knife and knife to the hilt. This is now
the state of affairs as regards the Great
Northern strike. The men have notified
Mr.. Hill that they will hold no further
conference and that they refuse to arbi-
trate. They demand the restoration of
the old schedule and will accept nothing
else. This means that the strike will
be fought out on its merits. and that
one side or the other will be defeated in
the end.
When President Hill received a letter
from the men representing the strikers
announcing their determination he imme-
diately began preparations to operate the
road. A freight train was made up in
the yards in st. Paul and manned by a
full crew and guarded by Il number of
deputies the train started on its journey
toward the coast. 1t is almost certain
that there will be serious trouble before
the train gets through, or even before it
gets out of Minnesota The strikers
along the line are determined that moth
ing but mail trains shall run until their
demands are complied with, and many of
them are in a mood that means blodshed
If necessary to carry their point.
1t is not known just what action will
be taken by the strike leaders. They
say that they do not contemplate calling
the men out in St. Paul and Minneapolis,
but it is thought that q strike will be
declared in the Twin Cities within a day
or two. President Debs, of the A. r. o.,
is suffering with fever, and is confined
to his room it the hotel. Vice President
Howard has charge of the strike.
Helena, Mont, April 27.-News of the
ult:matum of President Hill. of the Great
Northern, was to a certain extent a sur
prise TO the strikers i'll this city. The
men had en- idea that the conference
would last several days, and that in the
end Hill would grant the demands. 1t is
generally conceded that the greatest
struggle between railroad men and the
r. ilroad will be on the Montana Central
from Great Falls to Butte. Director
Hogen, of the strikers, who organized the
strike on the Great Northern, and who
is practically the general in command,
after receiving Hills offer for the men
to return to work, the matter of the
schedules to be taken up later, and all
disputed points to be referred to a board
of arbitration, their finding to be final,
gave the following to the press:
mfr. Hill should understand by this
time that the conditions under which the
men will return TO work are that the
company restore all wages and schedules
In existence prior to the first cut made
in 1893. There car be no departure
from this, the original proposition, which
was submitted to General Manager Case
April 13."