The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-07-10
THE MEETING AT OAKLAND
A Meeting of Strikers and Sympathfzers
at the school House.


No room in OakIand's brick school
house is very large and those who went
to attend the meeting of railroad men in
one of the upstairs rooms last evening
found it crowded to its utmost capacity
anu the crowd stringing down the stairs.
Still toe number did not exceed one hun =
dred and fifty. nearly all of whom we're
residents of Oakland with their wives
and childred
p. s. Withers presided and IN accept
ing the chair made a pleasant little
speech in which he regretted the tumuI-
tous condition Of affairs, but considered
it inevitable in righting labor's many
wrongs.
He was followed by P. E. Cook, whose
talk was short and to the point
The speaker Of the evening was B. M.
Wallace of the Railway Register, who is
also the national organizer Of the Bridge
and BuildIngmen's association.
Among other things he said: II am
sorry for the terrible conditions that con
front us. but we are feminist them now
and must stay until we win the victory.
The fight IS now not SO much
the a. r Z. against Pullman as
it is the multitude of the laborers
against the four class organizations that
re now seeking to withhold their aid
in this. our extremity. But I believe we
will win eventually and that when the
next annual meetings Of these several
orders are called there viii be a very few
left to attend them. l am sorry for this,
too, but it IS coming.
~You hear a great deal said no doubt
about how we'll Pullman has treated his
employees. | know little about that
myself The land that the city Of Pull
man stands on was originally a swamp
and every house there rests on ground
made by the man who lives in the house.
In regard to rents: A two room house
that you can rent in Topeka for five or
six dollars Pullman charges ten or twelve
for. Houses that did not originally cost
him $500 he rents to his employees for $50
a month. Pullman donated to his city
q great public library and was greatly
praised for it. L was said to be
free and yet I know that if one of
the citizens wanted book of the library
he was compelled to join the association
and pay a mem bership fee of one dollar
We have better and freer libraries in
Topeka than that, that you never hear Of
outside of the city limits.
81 have been in the employ of railroads
for twenty-five years and have been in
strikes before. l have been in strikes
before under Mr.. Frey and | want to tell
YOU that you needn't believe all this talk
that railroad men discharged under him
will never be taken back. This is his
fourth strike. In the other three he
talked the same way and yet en-
ployed men that he had discharged as
strikers.
1.-The committee OF SnOpm6n Lnab went
to see Treasurer Wilder of the Santa Fe
about the pay got no satisfaction. lie
told them among other things that since
the strike began the road is suffering a
decrease of business that amount to
$4,000 daily, and for that reason it
would be impossible to pay at present.
The strike had been on then for seven
DAYS. Now we would like to know what
has become of the $4,000 a day for the
fifty-one days prior to that time.
ssNow. we must all stay together in
this fight. In union there is strength,
and there is none in any other way. One
and all went out together and one and
all must go back together"
Mr.. Wallace's speech was thoroughly
appreciated
a young man named Miller. who Is a
member Of the Thomas quartette then
sang "Fallen by the Wayside,o and the
A. r. Z. orchestra responded with
selection.
After this the gathering was turned
into a sort of an experience meeting and
everyone in the hall had q declaration
Of faith and determination to make. This
was kept up until after eleven O'Clock
when the meeting was adjourned hur-
riedly so that those from the city could
catch the last car back TO town.