The record-union., 1894-08-16
LATE RAILROAD STRIKE.
INVESTIG ALTON BY THE GOVERN.
MENT COMMISSION BEGUN.
Statement of the Trouble by the Vice.
President of the American
Railway Union.
Special to the REcoRD-UN1oN.

special to the RECoRD-UNIoN.
CHICAGO, Aug. 15.-The Strike Com
mission appointed by President Cleve-
land to investigate the Pullman and rail-
road strikes began work to-day.
Vice-President Howard of the A. r. q.
was the first witness. He expressed the
hope that the commission would use
every effort to get to the bottom of the
matter under consideration.
Commissioner Herman assured Kim the
investigation would be thorough. NOW"
said the Commissioner. tell us what, in
your opinion, caused the railroad strik e?"
1.-The strike was caused" answered
Howard, "by the statement of the Gen.
eral Managers that they would back up
Pullman during the strike"
Howard then entered into an exhaust
i've recital OF the troubles leading up to
the original Pullman strike. The men
had announced their intention to strike,
he said, but, on being assured by the
company's officials that the employees
grievances would be Investigated, he
urged the men to go back to work. This
they did on the promise of the company
that the committees who had handled
the trouble would not be discharged or
otherwise injured because of the part they
J
tinued the witness, 'three of these COM
mitteemen were discharged. Then the
men struck. Our union, after having
failed to get any satisfaction from the
Pullman Company, endeavored, by boy
cotting the company's cars, to bring the
matter to a satisfactory termination. We
simply desired the Pullman cars TO be
left of trains. At this point we were
net by the General Managers Associa-
ton. They refused 20 haul mail cars un-
til the PQllmans were attached to the
trains. Such action was entirely un-
called for. The Pullmans were in no
wise necessary to the transmission of
United States mails"
"Was the action OF your union in the
strike merely Tor the protection of the
Pullman en-. ployes? ?'' asked Commits
sioner Wright.
"No, not entirely" said Mr. Howard.
''The General Managers had organized
against US, and we had to protect our
selves"
You believed that the railroads had
on their side an organization with ex-
actly the same purposes in view as your
union on your side?"
~ es, sir; that is just what they had"
| "Were you aware" asked Judge
/ " orthington, that the railroads had
! contracts with the Pullman Company ?n
I'VE were, and we were aware that
/ those contracts were q violation of the
( interstate law. They allowed the carry
/ ing Of none but Pullman sleepers, and
! were direct discrimination against the
/ Wag ner cars. In other words, the rail-
roads were enforcing the sort of boycott
on the Wagner cars that our union de-
sired on the Pullmans.p
Mr. Howard was closely examined as
| to the rulesl of the American Railway
Union, and promised to give the Com
Z e
bylaws of the union.
SOUTH OMAHA STRIKE OVER.
OMAHA, Aug. 15.-The South Omaha
packing-house employees strike is of.
After holding out three weeks the men
| lose all, and are now trying to get back
/ on the old terms. This decision was gen.
/ eral, with the exception OF 150 hog
/ butchers. who declare they will not re-
4 turn to work. Many of the old men ap-
! piled for their former jobs this morning,
/ and all who could be used were accepted,
/ The others were told that as soon as busi-
ness picked up their applications would
1 be considered.
/ Manager Cameron Of the Cudahy Com
pany said that he had as large a force as
he could use IN most of the departments
al turned away at least seventy-five of
our old men who applied for their places
! to-day, but | did so because we have all
the iOfcS We eau Edhuls. 1nere Is room
/ Tor a few skilled workmen, 20 be sure,
/ but we now have force in the hog de-
/ partment to kill 1000 each day. From
+ now on we propose TO give steady work
/ TO what men we use, and viii keep the
/ force down 10 exactly what we can get
along with"
The troops will be removed tomorrow,
as ali the trouble is over.
MOTOR MEN STRIKE.
SAN ANTONIO (Texas), Aug. ia
strike of motormen on all the lines of the
San Antonio Street Railway Company
was inaugurated for higher wages and the
discharge of two conductors. Twenty
seven miles of road are tied up.