Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-04-27
READY FOR A BITTER STRUGGLE.
Great Northern Railroad Strikers Re-
feet Peaceful Advances.

All efforts at peaceable settlement of the
Great Northern strike have been declared
OF, and the company and American Railway
Union have begun a test Of strength that
may cause considerable trouble before it
ends. The Great Northern extends from St
Paul to the coast. with many branches in
Minnesota and the Dakotas, and its 4495
miles OF track goes through considerable
comparatively new country where no other
means of traffic are to be had, and where
the conditions of society allow somewhat
rougher elements to control affairs.
The result is that in such sections when
the road begins to run it's trains with new
men, there will be war to the knife and.
perhaps, with it. 1t is believed to have been
this fact almost as much as the desire to
give MS men every chance to make known
their grievances that induced President Hill
to wait two weeks without an attempt to
get out any other than mail trains, but he
started the first freight in two weeks yes
terday, and the battle may be said to have
begun.
The officials of the road secured the issu-
ance by the United States courts in Mime
sofa and Dakota, and also in Montana, re-
straining orders ordering the men not to in
terfere in any way with the handling of the
road. Under this order deputies were sent
out on all mail trains, and, beginning yes
terday. they went out on the freight trains.
as well. During the time the strikers have
been preventing the running of the road
committee of thirty-three members of the
American Railway Union employees of the
road assembled in st. Paul, in accordance
with a reply favorable to their request for
conference with the officials of the road.
At the start of the conference, President
Hill announced his willingness to arbitrate,
but agreed TO try the possibility of a con-
ference first. When they came together
Wednesday, the men demanded, the first
condition, that the road grant all their de-
mands for the renewal of the wage sched-
ules in force prior to last August. This Mr..
Hill declined, and the day ended without
conclusion having been reached.
The conference was resumed yesterday.
Late yesterday afternoon. the men sent
brief communication to President HILL I'M
conditionaily rejecting his proposition for
arbitration, renewing their demand for the
old schedules and giving him to understand
that this is their ultimatum. Mr.. Hill sent
reply to the men last night, in which he
said the action of the men ends all confer
ences and negotiations as far as he Is con-
cerned- He will no longer recognize the
American Railway Union, and will at once
proceed to operate the Great Northern road
without regard to that organization.
A very important side issue in this contest
Is that the strike is declared and is being
managed by the new organization the
American Railway Union, practically in op-
position to the federated brotherhoods of
railway engineers, firemen, conductors and
trainmen.
Some members of the brotherhoods are
aIso members OF the union, but many others
are not. and as the brothe-hoods have signed
schedules with the road, the men feel that
they must agree to their contracts, even
though they might not like everything The
freight train that went out yesterday after
noon on its way to the coast was manned
by brotherhood men. all old employees of the
company.
The union leaders claim they will have all
the men on the line out, and 1t remains to
be seen whether the men will go with the
union or stand by the brotherhoods The
brotherhoods' chiefs are apparently taking
no active part in the fight. although II is
considered something in the nature of a
fight for existence between the two organi-
zatlons