Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1894-07-19
SPIRIT OF THE STRIKE.


To COuntenanCo Such an Uprising Would
Tie Dangerous to h Country.
just when the bituminous coal min
ers' strike had been settled and 1t be-
gan to look as il there va, some hope
Of the railroads being able to earn
enough to keep them out Of the hands
Of receivers, the wheels on every road
from the eastern slope of the Missis-
siDpi Valley to the Pacific coast were
either actually STOPPED or active
preparations ere under way to bring
them to q standstill. Never was the
action OF the railroad officials more i'm
per ant, never were the principles in
vol ed more vi al. The annual traffic
re enue OF the railro ds of the United
States amounts t, considerably more
than q thousand million dollars it was
propose to stop this reyenue AMI in
30 doing to cripple or destroy every
busine - enterprise throughout the
count y viii h is dependent upon the
railroads for transportion, while a few
hot-headed labor leaders ,ettled q
question of difference which ha I arisen
wholly outside OF the management Of
the railroad companies tn emselyes.
1t was absolutely OF no consequence
whatever whether the position taken
by Mr.. Pullman, or the Pullman Palace
Car Company, was right or wrong;
that question vas in no way involved.
To raise it to the dignity OF a moment $
consideration IL to concede that the
leaders OF any labor organization have
wheels on 10000 miles of railroad,
while they settled a dispute with the
manufacturer Of axle grease without
Tho hrarol ,vco ri OvhtU, IL Il, -
course, unsafe to move trains. Or
they might pick q qua rel with a car
wheel manufacturer and then insist
that all the wheels made by the con.
cern should b, taken of and replaced
by others, before the trains would be
allowed to u again. indeed, these
propositions would be more reasonable
Than the recent demand made, fer there
are numerous manufacturers of axle
grease and Of car wheels, but with the
exception Of n other company whose
cars are fully employed on q few lines,
the ! r no sleeping Or Palace cars
except those made by the Pullman
Company. A prominent railway pres.
ident stated the matter very tersely
when no said:
The spirit Of the strike. rs l understand
II. Ii, BY closing up the railroads an I de-
tAintuX travellers all over the country
wherever they may be. to create u public
opinion which will compel the mamufac.
turing company 10 secure work and do IL,
no matter what the loss may. With the
relations between the manufa cturtng COM
pAny and their employs, the rnilway COM
panies have nothing to do. and 1t 10 none
OF their business. That Is IL matter which
ought TO be adjusted by the parties imme-
diateiy concerned. But .preci ely how
stopping thousands OF people ON the arid
plains OF Arizona. and In the super-heAted
bolt OF the North wcst. many OF ther9 wom-
en- and children. MANY OF them travellers
Fastening TO the bedside OF dying moth.
err. wives Or children. many Of Them inva-
lids Who may lose sheir lives by The . pos
ure. h 10 compel = manufacturing q M
pany to Ind contracts TO build cara snd
then build the,l Is just one OF those prob
lens which the railway mind Is unable TO
grasp
It Ia impossible to contemplate the
action Of the many thousands Of rail-
way employesin blindly following the
mandates OF On lrresp ,.nsible leo 'cf,
without : feeling Of wOndersaad aktcas
tohnssk % ~ ncthine a. aae1Closqk