Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1894-07-02
Irs CAUSE AND NATURE.

NaANf'Af 49, 80
No more widespread and annoying
strike in Railroad circles has ever soen
preoipllated In America than the one
now on by order Of the American
Railway Union, Of which ait. Eugene
v. Debs IL tho head aud moving spirit
II was not NJ 1fs, supposed that tho
organization was strong enough In
either tho far West or on the Atlantic
seaboard to affect At all seriously the
regular Transaction OF railroad busi.
mess In those sections; its memnerhir
has boon computed at about 10000
men, who we're u be found principally
In that part Of the county known by
eastern people a. tho West ana North.
west, that II, the states west Of the
AlIoghanios, cast Of tho Missouri aui
north u the Ohio. But within the
last few days tho Heights Of Labor
aud the various railroad bfoihofhoOIe
have setively Joined forces with the
A. H. u, the result being a general
tie-up o. nearly all tho principal roads
Of tho entire western country.
IL should be understood In the outset
that this grievOus situation Ia caused
by what 10 called 'sympathstic"
strike. The employees Of the railways
whose business IL thus brought 10
standstlll have no personal grievance
against their employeu--,t least no
such thing IL claimed NJ the cause Of
the present counlct. Neither IN the
wages received nor ia tbs hours Of
labor, have they brought forward any.
thing TO complain o. The usual Bit
tvrnoss oKlsting between tho corpora.
tlOns and the men when these conflicts
occur IL accordingly wanting thus far
In the Ffefent crisis. II violence shsll
come, NJ It almost inevitably will II the
lookup continues for any length Of
time, It will grow out OF future of1rls
by one side or the other to force it,
policy TO success. II tue railroads dc.
eide TO abandon their train service en-.
liroly, both passenger and freight, the
strikers would hardly DO fYolhatjy
enough TO try TO force them to operate
aud to provide employment. On tue
other hand, II tho roads try to continue
their service with new aud non.uuiUn
men, It IL more than likely tho lat ter
would be- subject to insult aud injury,
aud the oomPAnica' property to danger
II not destruction,
Now, what Ia the grievance that has
brought about u situation 40 strained?
Simply this; The Pullman car com.
pEny some time sgo reduced the wage,
OF Its employees at its gtoA. WORKS near
Chicago. The men claimed that the
scale was already 10 low that any
further reduction meant slavery, II not
starvation. The company, ON It's part,
declared that II was operating at an
SEXUAL loss, aud that there must be-
reduction Of wages TO meet this de
foiency, or the works must close alto.
gethsf; and II offered i,s books for the
inspection Of committee OF the men
IN proof Of IT, claim OF poor bus
ness. The employees declined thls
oiier; but they laii Stress on the
seemingly contradictory fact that the
company hal recently declared divl.
dend, and upon the other stubborn fact
that while Pullman slcepsrs were sli.l
in at great uss aud a. we'll patrOuizsl
"a ever aud while there hal been mo-
reduction In the charges 90 passengers
ON such cars, the workmen hal been
cut down IN wages year aitor year
and the prices Of material very ole.
ment, IN fact, that enters into tho con.
stTuvtlOu oi lhe cars-Igd been grow.
ing constantly cheaper, As % the
argument o0ucernlg tue dividend,
the NEWS hls already uoinloI out that
that diI not nroes8arlIy represent the
curren, years Oh quurtgr's eUulu ss--lg
may have been taken from tho surp'u.
fund OF any particularly prOsprrDusyr year
Ia the pas; We ll know VI institu.
tlons, even hero a. home, which
haven't made cent In twelve
m1nlhs, aud yet manage 90 declare
the usual or a slightly reluueI dlv.-
dead. Just how the Pullmau company
have met the other argumeul-lhai
their cars are wel.-patr0uizli and
charge high ArIii Notwithstanding
the great reduction in other lines all
r.uud-we have not yet loarneI; %
was probably IN the form OF a general
denial 10 this connection It will be-
said that the worEmou made mit-
axe when they declined the oder 90