St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-04-19


piece of paper from his vest pocket.)
Some OF the reductions are as follows:
For Office clerks. from s65 to s55.25 per
month, and from $50 10 s51; from $50 to
$3.50; from $500 to S41.S5. Freight
handlers have been cut from SLIGO to
Sl.35 per day; warehousemen were first
reduced from sl.50 to Sl.25 per>day. and
on a second cut from SIPS to 81 per day.
Ihen again. the way their hours have
been manipulated is shame. They are
not able to make more than an average
OF sl9 per month. Besides this they are
required to pay for everything they
chance to break. Car repairers and car
men generally have been reduced.
they have been cut down from $40 to
s595O, and were again cut from this
latter figure to S45. Others in the same
line were reduced from $50 to S45; others
from $50 to $40: some from S45 to s35;
some from $50 to S45. and still others
from $40 to $50. Isn't all this true,
boys?" said Mr.. Howard, addressing
nalf dozen enginemen who were in
the room. and they replied In chorus:
at is all the truth"
"Then," continued Mr.. Howard,
"there is proviso that they must sub
init to a lay-off without pay for five days
of their time in any month if the powers
that be decide that 1t Is necessary.
SwitchtenderS have been reduced from
$50 TO $3.50 per month, and the slash in
salaries of the general office clerks
ranges from to Is per cent. Trackmen
vxyar FrDv 10, n
cents per hour-with reservation Oh
the part of the company to restrict
their days work 10 eight hours
whenever desired. All other classes
of employees except switchmen
have received cuts in like proportion.
Notwithstanding the editorials in the
Pioneer Press of Tuesday and in the
GLOBE today, we are sure that the peo-
pie Of Minneapolis and st. Paul have
no desire to see the wages of any class
of citizens reduced to starvation
basis. The plea is made by some that
the present strike is working a hard
ship to certain classes Of trade in the
Twin Cities. Is 1t not better to undergo
something of a hardship for a short
time in bettering the wages of
these men now. than to daily
along and submit to contin-
ual reductions until the tim e
shall Come when the men will have no
money to spend for the necessaries of
life. which will make them charge
upon the communities where they re-
side? met carman from Minot Mon
day night. His wages had beed reduced
from sos to S35 per month, and he had
to leave that place, because he was
unable to support his family on the
niggardly salary. We've had enough of
the charity and soup business in this
country. and think it high time that
American citizens should receive suffi-
cient from their labor to support their
families and themselves respectfully.
81 reiterate what have always said,
regardless OF counter statements by the
press, that the A. r. u. will. under all
circumstances, remain on amiable
terms with all other laoor protective
associations; and this~wi never be
deviated from, no matter what argu-
ment or provocation may be offered.
Regardless of all that has been printed.
you can say that the officers of the A. r.
u. are ON good terms with the officers of
all the other organizations, and will
always remain so. We are striving to
bring about unity of action on the part
of railway employees. the same as the
general managers association is trying
to do for the railway corporations of
this country. We will succeed despite
all opposition.
II do not believe myself that Mr.. Hill
receives any especial delight in seeing
the wages Of the men on his line reduced
as they have been in the past nine
months. i1eis too thoroughly a practi-
cal railroad man from the bottom up,
and knows something of the hardShips
incurred by this process.
''NOw, so tar as the proba Jility of a
strike on the Northern Pacific is con-
cerned, let me say that such has not
been thought of III connection with that
line. However, L do not know
that strike will never occur on
that line. ! want to pay an
earnest and sincere tribute right
here to the late General Manager Mel
len. He was one of the incest gentle
men that ever had charge of any rail-
road property. He was we'll beloved by
his men, and all shed tears of regret
when his final summons came. We do
not blame the general managers for all
the oppression that has been exercised
in the past. Generally speaking. they
are but employees themselves, and we
know there is a higher power that die
tateS to them; they are compelled to
obey the instructions of their superiors,
no matter how unjust these Instructions
may be. The truth is. they must com
ply. or attempt to, or else step down
and out in favor uf some one who will"