The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1894-08-08

49, anu refusal of employees of other
| roads to do the work of strikers would re-
suit in their instant discharge. Meantime
OUTSIDE agents would be hiring and ship
| ping IN new men to take the places of the
| strikers
| Action of the Roads.
1t VIII be seen from this that preyious
| 10 the organization of the American Rail-
| way Cnion June 90 1893, a combination had
| peen entered into by the railway corpora
| tlons to ruin labor organizations and to
| oepreSs the rates of wages throughout the
| country.
| Inc General Managers Association
| promptly came to the rescue of the Pull
man company. 1t was guilty of interfer-
ing with commerce between the states and
IN the carrying of the United States mails
oy refusing to carry passengers. or express,
| or mails unless also carrying the cars of
the Pullman Company. The animus of the
| General Managers Association and of the
railway corporations composing it is evil
dent from the action of the Vanderbilt
ROADS which, while deadly enemies to the
Fullhlan Company, came to the assistance
OF the other roads which carried Pullman
cars The only excuse offered for the be-
hi'iof Oh theSe companies was that they
were parties to contracts compelling them
10 maui the cars, and would be subject to
claims for damages We're they to break
these contracts. The laws in MANY states
explicitly excuse party to contract
from paying damages when he is unable
10 carry out the contract because of a
general strike; and in states where there
Is no special statute there is no doubt but
that this would also be covered under a
1alr construction of the common law Be
sides the contracts made with the Pullman
company are exclusive in character, and
the companies refuse to carry the cars of
other persons or corporations on the same
terms, which is in itself a violation of the
interstate commerce act as well as of the
principles of justice and also of the anti
trust legislation. For these reasons we
submit that the contracts have no valid
force and that the contention of the rail-
roads is a mere pretense. We further sub
NIT that their conduct proved clearly that
thelr intention was to disrupt the organiza-
ton OF railway employees and by treating
with them as individuals to reduce their
wages
Responsibility for Disorder Dis
claimed.
Thus was the issue joined. There were
in different parts of the city and country,
acts of violence committed contrary to
the orders of the officers and members of
the American Railway Union and in most
cases, we believe, by persons who were
either irresponsible because of some mental
perverslon, or who We're acting directly
under orders of the enemies of the work
lngmen 1t is evident, at any rate that
the advantage because of such disorder
could only accrue to the railway companies
ana III no sense to the men. Therefore,
While 1t may be possible that we have
suffered at the hands of our over-zealous
friends, we submit that there is a great
likelihood that our enemies have encour-
aged lawlessness to the end that that the
police, militia, and army might be called
out to overawe and intimidate the men,
we are not without proof that this is the
case. No sooner had this been brought
about than the advocates of the railroad
companies sought to identify their conten-
tlon with patriotism and to make it appear
mat the government was on their side of
the quarrel. To this end they called upon
their sympathizers to pin upon their coats
the national flag, which they thus under
took to make emblem of the oppression
OF labor. We regret to say that the fed
efal government gave some color to the
corporations claim that the authorities
were coming to assist them in partisan
conflict, both by the unnecessary sending
of troops without warrant of law and with
out request of the constituted local au-
thorltleS, by the One-Sided and Offensive
acts of the public prosecutor date from
snug berth as corporation lawyer, by the
blatant mouthings of the United States
commander and the less tyrannical ut
terances of the president himself That
Workingmen throughout the nation so I'M
derStood 1t was evidenced by their almost
unanimous action in supporting the strike
and it is to be feared that greater gulf
than ever has thus been put between the
people and their government
Say They Are Prosecuted
The last chapter of this narrative covers
the double prosecution of the officers and
directory of the American Railway Union
They have been indicted by the federal
grand jury under the antitrust law for con-
spring to interfere with the interstate COM
merce and the carrying of the mails. This
law was passed for the purpose of prevent
ing improper combinations of railways and
other carrying companies, and when Attor-
ney-Gereral Olney was pressed to enforce
1t against these companies, he stated that
it was unconstitutional and therefore re-
fused to do SO. We further submit that
the American Railway Union has not inter
fered with interstate commerce and the
carrying of the mails and furthermore
that neither the directors or the officers had
the power to SO interfere on behalf of the
American Railway Union as all such aues-
tions are submitted to each local union
For the same offense the same officers and
directors were the second time arrested
under contempt proceedings by the same
court. An attempt made to bring
them to trial without the privilege of
jury, into these prosecutions as an as
sistant to the district attorney and as the
active prosecutor is called the most emf
nent railway attorney in Chicago, and no
action was taken to hold railway mana
gers in any sense responsible for the stua-
ton. Since the beginning of these actions
the fact that the managers of the Atchson,
Topeka and Santa Fe have paid $7OOOOOO
light through the investiga tions of the re-
ceivers. This has been such robbery of
the stockholders and bondholders of the
road that it had been forced into bank
ruptcy, and it has as well been an out
rage upon the small shippers who have
been compelled to pay full rates. The in
terstate commerce law which is so effective
against Workingme1 was adopted for the
express purpose of preventing such discrim-
nations and punish the perpetrators there
of. In spite of the publicity given to these
orng to punish workingmen for leaving
their jobs that they have had no time to
devote to sucn trivial matters.
Ask for More Hearty SuppOrt,
The workingmen belonging to the Ameri-
can Railway Union retired from the en-
ployment of the railways at their own will:
they are now and have always been free
to return when they so desired Their Off
GERS and directors proposed to the General
Managers Associat ton at Chicago, that if
they would receive their former employees
without prejudice, they had no doubt that
traffic would be resumed at once. These
overtures were scornfully rejected. Since
that time tremendous pressure has been
brought to bear upon the men at Pullman
to return to work, and it has been an
nounced from day to day that the works
would be opened. When the gates were
opened only 81 out of 5000 reported If is
thus seen that the strike is not yet at an
end, and we appeal to all lovers of Justice
everywhere to give all moral, material. and
especially financial assistance they can to
these men, who today have "Hobson's
CHOICE either to starve in idleness or To
starve in the employment of the Pullman
Palace Car Company. We also appeal to
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