The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-08-24
THE STORY OF THE STRIKE
As Told Before the National Strike
Commission.

Manager st. John of the Chicago and
Rock Island Company a Voluntary
Witness-His Narrative of the Be-
| ginning of the Trouble and It's Con-
tinuanoe-The Policy of the Rock
Island Road as to It's Employees,
Wages, Eto.-other Witnesses.
Chicago, Aug. 23.-General Manager St.
John of the Chicago, Rock Island and
! Pacific road appeared as voluntary wit
ness before the national labor commission
this morning. Mr.. St. John testified that
the Rock Island road had Il, ,5l7 employees.
He then read a series of briefs covering
the strike on the Rock Island road from
day to day.
"Our first trouble, said Mr.. st. John,
occurred June 30. At this time meet
ing of few Rock Island employees and
many outsiders was held on Blue Island
avenue. A motion was passed to strike,
all participating in it, whether railroad
employees or not. This meeting was ad-
dressed by Messrs. Debs, Howard and
Others and it was the beginning of the
strike on our road. No official notice was
ever given to any officer of the Rock
Island road that the employees intended to
strike, and no notice was ever given the
road to discontinue hauling Pullman
cars"
Manager st. John then read a list of
men, giving their employment, who were
at the Blue Island meeting already re-
ferred to, and who voted for a strike.
although unemployed by any road.
Among these were tailors, plumbers, bar
tenders and others. Fully two thirds of
these men were not employees of rail
roads, " said Manager S.. John and he cited
the names of several persons present by
whom, he claimed, he could prove his
assertion. He then detailed the incidents
of the strike, telling how several trains
| were stopped, how engines were repeat
edly "killed,n and switches thrown by
| men alleged to be strikers and how men
who wished to work were intimidated
and forced to stop work whether they
wished to or not.
The witness declared that the locs'
authorities at Blue Island were in sympa-
thy with the strikers, and interfered with
the officers of the Rock Island road on
several occasions. He said the police of
Blue Island on several occasions arrested
officers of the road, and once tried to
arrest Marshal Arnold himself
Deputy United States marshals," con-
tinued Mr.. ST. John, las rule, rendered
good service at Blue Island but it was
discovered that twenty-seven of the mar
shals were striking switchmen sworn in
by order of the president of the American
Railway Union"
Manager St. John gave dates, names
and minute details of various alleged in
references with trains, by strikers. The
instances were numerous. He scored the
Chicago police force and declared they
often stood idly by and permitted overt
acts. Fires could be seen by the score.
In some cases those who tried to put them
out were shot at. New men were way
layed on the streets and beaten, and the
road on July deemed it inexpedient to
send out new employees fearing they
would be killed. BY July 70 the trouble
began to abate, and by July 16 everything
was quiet.
The total number of men who actually
struck was 522, the rest being intimi-
dated, said MIR. St.John. ''The total num-
ber reinstated was "A. About 5000 men
We're out altogether. Men have been EN-
ployed again whom there were no charges
against"
You state in your reports" said
Chairman Wright, that in many cases
the men engaged in these riots were
strikers, How do you know this2"
From reports made by our employees. "
"Has the Rock Island road ever in
creased wages of its own motionE"a
Il think it has"
Can you call to mind any cases in
| which this was donel"
Il cannot. When this has been done it
has related to individuals and not to the
| employees in general
In regard to blacklisting, Mr. ST John
said that the Rock Island road had no
blacklist beyond debarring an employe
| dismissed on one division of the road
from working on another part of the same
road.
He asserted that the Rock Island road
has always treated employee with the
| greatest consideration, and continued:
''The doors of the officials, from the presi-
deut down, are always open to the hum
blest employee
When asked about the relations be-
tween the Pullman company and the
| Rock Island road, MIR. ST. John rendered
the commission the contract, but asked
| that it be kept from the general public
After couferring the commission re-
fused to take it on these terms The
Rock Island company owns half interest
| in all its Pullman cars. By the contract
the Rock Island is obliged TO operate
Pullman cars, strike or no strike.
Manager St. John fixed the losses of
the company during the strike at $780,
600 TO Sl,OOO,OO0, including damage to
property.
1--WE have had many idle Pullman cars
since the close of the worlds fair" said
! the witness, land ! think this was the
case on all the roads. A consequent ces-
sation of car building ensued.n He then
! gave figures TO show that the Rock Island
earned but 100000 during the worlds
fair, and said this did not cover the cost
| of the additional equipment necessary
for worlds fair business.
When asked whether the Rock Island
recognized the American Railway Union
| or not, Mr.. st. John declared the company
had never had an application from that
! body AS TO deputy marshals, he testi-
| fed that those selected by the Rock Island
were TO be paid by the United States, but
he did not think they had yet received
| their money for protecting Rock Island
! property.
Mr.. St. John was excused until 30,
/ O'Clock and Fire Marshal Joseph L. Ken
| yon, who has charge Of the district
! from Fifty-ffth street 10 Pullman, took
! his place. He testified that S32 cars had
been burned in his district during the
| strike
At 1870 o'clock, Mr. St. John re-
] eumpd the stand