The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1894-04-27
CLIMAX EXPECTED.
Affairs i'm the Great Northern Matter
Have Reached an Acute
Crisis.
It Is Not Expected That the Mel
Will Accept President Hills
Proposition.
He Says He Has Men Enough Under
Contract to Operate the
Road.

ST. PAUL, April 27.-Affairs Of the
Great Northern trouble have reached a
crisis and the climax is respected to come
very
II is very well settled that the men
will not accept the proposition o f.Presi-
dent Hill, and it Is believed that he is
himself of the same view. Asked what
course he would pursue in the event of
the rejection of his proposition, he re-
piled that he was growing weary of the
course Of proceeding and would wait
but little longer. He said he had under
contract enough men to equip the road,
and would soon have every wheel turn
ing. ..1
This means q declaration Of war from
that side, and il equivalent to alockout.
Both sides are firm and it may result in
a general A. r. y. strike on all of the
Northwestern lines.
The strikers are still in conference,
and are divided in their views. They
were to have given their answer at II
o'clock, but ut that hour sent a com
mittee of two to MI. Hill asking an ex-
tension of time until q o'clock.
There is very little prospect OF reach
ing any agreement.
MIR. Hill intimated that the men
whom he had ready to work were old
employees Of the road. Tt was learned
from another source that the company
has over 2,OO0 men under contract,
whom it can bring from the East any
moment to take the place OF the strik'
ers, and that, in fact, . number Of these
have already arrived in the city. Those
of the strikers who have heard, these
statements say positively that the com
pany cannot get men to operate thu
road, and that If they attempt to do 81
every railroad man on all the lines il
the Northwest will go out and . genera
tie-up will ecu
Yesterday afternoons conference wa
attended by a committee OF AZ employee
of the road on the one side and P-esi
lent Hill and his assistants on the other
MI. Hill questioned the statement o
Debs that the committee present repre-
scented the employees fairly, saying tina
"a Of them gave their addresses as 81
Paul and Minneapolis, while not one @
them was personally known to him
MI. Debs, in reply, showed that, % re
CARDS the employment Of the men, tn
different classes were fairly represented
and added that the older organisation
would lay no obstruction In the way.
AEr. HilIss Proposition.
At s o'clock the session tooksa reces
for the purpose of sending for some (
the members of the old brotherhood
and to secure their sanction Of the pr,
ceedings of the committee. After
lapse of half an hour Mr.. Hill submit
ted q proposition TO the COMMITTEES !
which he suggested that the compan
would settle the differences with eac
class of employees separately, arbitrt
ton to be resorted to when an agre
ment could not be reached.
When Mn. Hill had finished readir
his proposition MFR. Debs arose ar
declined to accept it; claiming thl
this mode of procedure was intended
disrupt the organizations and to crea
bad feeling among them. The men, ]
said, would not accept any such prop
} sition.
This ended the conference for Il
, day, the committee agreeing to discu
the matter among themselves and
Mr.. Hill know the result within "a houI