The morning call., 1894-04-16
SCARCELY A WHEEL TURNED
More Than Fifteen Hundred
Miles Tied Up.
OPPOSED BY THE BROTHERHOOD.
The Strike Develops Some Queer
Relations Existing Between
Various Organizations.

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working East. having taken in Grand
Forks, n. d.. last midnight, and il not
soon settled will probably reach this end
of the line in about two or three days.
II is developing a peculiar state of
affairs. The strike was ordered by the
American Railway Union and is being
more actively antagonized by the railway
employees brotherhOods than by the rail-
road company itself. There can be no
dOubl that the individuals of the various
brotherhoods are privately somewhat dis
satisfied, but they recently accepted the
revised schedules and are standing by
their agreement with the company.
meeting this evening of the local
organiZ tion of engineers looking to a
strike was held, but al the close of the
meeting the secretary told an Associated
Press reporter that they were opposed to
the strIka. and any engineer who coun e.
nances 1t or in any way assists the strikers
will do so at his peril. The following sd-
dressed 10 the president of the Great
Northern Railway has been received here
Ii hremen IN your employ who are members
OF the brotherhood have quit work In the
present strike. they have violated the laws OF
the organization and will be expelled. They
viii have no support from the organization or
be sustained by the federated committee. We
propose 10 stand by all agreements that have
been made and signed by authorized commit
tees. You are at liberty % act accordingly.
F. P. SARGENT.
The following is copy OF a message sent
by Z. E. Clark, grand chief OF the Railway
Conductors. to the local secretary at
Spokane Falls. with directions to make
such use of it as be chooses:
Strike on Great Northern Will receive no
recognition or support from me nor from the
federated organizations. Our members duty Is
to comply strictly with our laws and to perform
their proper duties. II any partlcip te In
strike they must abide by the consequences,
which are well known.
AS far as can be learned at this hour the
road is tied up over about 1900 miles of its
system, the number of men who are idle
being much greater than the number of
actual strikers. So long as the strikers can
prevent the making up of trains the crews,
although willing to run trains, are help
less. At mum Der OF points along the line
the citizens have openly espoused the
cause of the strikers. 1t is not thought
that lawlessness will be permitted at any
point.
The company this evening handed to
the Associated Press the following copy of
a message to the Mayor of Helena, who
had sent a message asking for a statement
as to the extent and cause of the strike:
ST. PAUL, MINI, April 15.
To Hon. John C. Curtin. Helena, Mont: After
a full consideration of the rules and schedules
of The wages the hours OF work were approved
and adopted by the Grand Brotherhood officers
of The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and
Firemen by the fully authorized committee OF
the men in the service and reduced 10 writing
These took effect March 1.
Since then no changes In these schedules have
been made or bought of. Proposed changes in
similar schedules for conductors and tfanmen,
making slight reductions in special cases, but
leaving large proportion of wages unchanged.
were formulated by he officers Of the company
and the principal officers of the respective or
ders and Of the employees affected and have
been submitted TO III men themselves for ap
proyal by vole. No change in any previously
agreed upon schedule has been made. No re-
duction of pay or increase in hours of switch
men or yardmen, or any one, was under consid-
GRAFTON, and the proposed change In the sched-
ule of traiDmen and conductors was subject to
The vote of the men soon to be taken and re-
ported to the company.
Under these conditions the company had no
thought or notice of trouble until telegram
dated Butte and signed by James Egan was
received by General Manager O. W. Case
stating that unless former wages were restored
the men would strike at noon the same day.
Thus the strike was precIpitated without
notice 10 the company from any OF its employees,
through The officers Of their respectlv orders
or otherwise. that wages or terms OF service
were unsatisfactory. All rumors or staten, nts
IN he cOmDanv DronOSiup IN raplaas ON
plOyes had been false. The company is not re-
sponsible for the strike by which men are
thrown out OF employment in all industries and
the business of the several communities along
its line made to suffer loss. The company has
at all times been willing 10 discuss with it's en-
ployes or with their duly authorized representa-
tives any questions affecting wages or terms of
employment. JAMES j. HILL, President.
q. W. CASE, General Manager.
The correspondent OF the Associated
Press at Superior telegraphs that there are
no signs of strike at that point yet, sey-
eral trains on the Minnesota branch of the
Great Northern having started out to-day
without any interference. No trouble is
anticipated there. A dispatch received by
the Pioneer Press from Summit. Mont, on
the Cascade division. says no one work
ing on that division.
At Devils Lake the strikers have pre-
vented any movement o the trains from
that point for forty-eght hours. The COM
pany, with the help of the crew of the
train that was stopped there yesterday,
tried 10 make up a train to-day for the
East. but were prevented by the strikers.
They will allow the baggage-car and the
mailcars TO proceed, but will forcibly pre-
vent he coupling Of any passenger trains
The baggsge-car is exempt from interfer-
ence, as il has mail matter in it.
A special meeting of the council decided
to-day to hear any warrants the com pany
might swear out and enforce them. The
strikers are orderly and have been keep
ing the peace. 1t is understood that all Of
them who may become disorderly will be
promptly locked up by the strikers them
selves.
GREAT FALLS, Mont. April 15.-In
answer 10 he circular issued from the
Great Northern headquarters at st. Paul,
announcing the abandonment of trains on
the Montana Central Railway through the
strike of employees, Chairman Riker al
noon to-day issued a counter circular