Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-08-04

l. Eek west was recognized
! IHFA and accosted by ar
HN Evening Star report
- ~At er. He had left Chi
| cago the day befor,
and had been in that city uu..s,ng the days
| OF the great strike, or Pullman bovcot,.
| His work kept him in close touch with the
i7Iailroad managers, and in 4 lengthy con-
| versation with the reporter on the subject
| OF the strike he told much that was in
| terestlnS ana demonstrated keen insight
Of the recent labor troubles. He said:
| Immediately on receipt of the news thai
| the American RAILROAD Union was about to
| ihaugufate boycott against all roads using
me Pullman cars L started for Chicago.
1t appeared to me that every Indication
| pointed TO big strike, and l knew enough
OF Chicago and its people to tell me tina t
trouble would surely follow such. a move
| You know in my business of tracing cars
| 1t Is hard enough to keep track of a car
! that mas strayed off on to other lines in
| peaceful times. When cars are burned our
| work is something in the line OF expert
| detective work. L arrived in time to know
| the location of every one of our cars In
| Chicago yards and after the great con-
! Migration had comparatively easy, time.
Ali had to do was to iot down the cars
! burned, compute their cost and pass ever
the bill to my superior officer Within the
4 next six months Chicago and Cook 3t,,unty
VIII have the pleasure of paying for their
! little fireworks. a--'l,t'i
| One Good Thing Resulted,
| "Ons good thing connected with the strik Q
| that is not generally known is the ia ct
that our car shops, which had previously
| peen working on half time. are now on full
| time. ana the workmen in these shops are
| So you see it is the same old story of an
| III wind blowing some one something good.
The railroads principally through lost
time; the menrditto and Chicago pays the
| freight. uiD ~
Among the many things that came under
| my notice during the rioting was the
| shrewdneSs of tha American workman II
| was weil-known fact that seven sishths
! OF the men engaged in the rioting were
foreigners. Up in the halls where meetings
were heia !ne American railroad hand was
very much in" evidence in the matter of
seeech-makinS or urging, from the floor
the audience to sack Chicago. But when a
determined movement was made in which
there was any Likelihood of somebody get
| ting hurt, l freq1ently found this class of
men squares away from the trouble Don I
| imagine for ONE minute that these men are
not nervy, as the word goes, because they
nave al the grit necessary for such an
Undertaking. hut IL is simple shrewdness
When mob IL -raal Americans get started
tne military VIII not have as easy a time as
| they did during the past few weeks. Ii is
history repeating itself: they did the same
thing at Pittshurg in 1877 Their intelli-
| gence tells them they are in the wrong in
| The matter of destroying property, and they
| simply push forward the luckless foreigner
| to bear the brunt of the battle
AS to the prime cause of the strike T
| think the men were in the wrong. / have
| come up out of the ranks, and sympath,
with the men. but from the inform IL
picked up out in Chicago 1 app don
| lieve that three-fourths Of - led TO be
| the railroads went into - ale strikers or
hearted way. Then .ie strike in half
| colt had been after the strike or boy
| solution Of - .eclared. the asking for 6
| sounded --.e difficulty through arbitration
| wer> very much as If the strike leader.
! - cropping in the dark. Mr. Pullman
.ould not arbitrate then. because PRACTICAL,
the matter had passed out of his hands.
When Debs Took Up the Matter.
THE original demand for an increase o.
wages was declined on the ground tina
| there was no work to be done that would
even return cost at advanced wages. Their
the men left. The matter was taken up by
Mr.. Debs and the A. r. T.. which resortet
to violent means to coerce the railroad com
ranies to compel Mr.. Pullman to employ
men at loss. That is no more a question
for arbitration than the demand for a gift
pure and simple would be. The question.
put to The arbitrators would have to be
| Has the Pullman company right to 1t.
own property? If not. shall the American
| Railway Union decide what shall be done
| with that property? The federal courts are
the only tribunals in which these question.
| can be answered, and neither Mr.. Pullman
nor Mr.. Debs can influence their decision.
Then, again, everybody that i came In
| contact with through the west and soutl
| praised the attitude of the federal govern
| ment during the disorders. The govern
ment proceeded with the greatest care and
elaboration to ascertain the facts the du-
ties imposed by law, and the authority con-
| ferred to carry out those duties. Every
step had been guarded In order that there
should be no ground for just complaint OF
either undue severity or Of lakity. The
orders of the courts were first placed In
the hands Of marshals. and this body OF
men, while brave and fearless, were found
1 wanting. They lacked the uniform OF
Uncle Sam and the respect that goes with
| it.
ut was a mighty lucky thing Tor all cen
| cerned and the country in particular, the
| the demonstration at Chicago was nipped In
4 Just such a demonstration and 1t had t.
come. but its spread to all parts Of the
country would have caused untold havoc
and misery. The federal government. in
spiracy. rendered the very service for
which all government is founded. Its &C.
ton was but sel{-protection to the people.
FIT was particularly well that not only were
| tne regal ana fn1lItary FORCES OF the govern
ment used to ikeep down the pending trou-
bic. but that the men who really plotted
and executed the violation Of the law will
be given a chSnce to clear their skirts and
Justice be dealt Out to them as wen as to
| the people Of THE whole country, who they
have wronged ana defied. '
4 nized labor. -
after a cafeftR survey of the situation
cannot conceive greater injury Could
be inflicted HP09 the cause Of organized
labor than BY putting its forces on the
wrong tack in any contest, and especially
4 arraying theIfi' against law and order. !
have no doubt that by far the greater num-
Der Of the men engaged in the late strike
have a sense Of Justice and fairness, and
desire to have their interests promoted and
protected by lawful and legitimate meth
| DDS. They no doubt, mean to be peaceable
and law abiding and loyalty devoted to the
government which Is established for the
benefit of the people and Is dependent upon
| them for support. But their organizations
are governed by a handful OF men. who.
II they err In Judgment and discretion,
| have to bear the brunt of the damage re-
| sulting from these errors.
| The A R. U. Is a new Organization and
FL. from my insight into the wisdom and
| shreNdness OF the eastern railroad men I,
I Will make yery little progress in this Sec