Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1894-07-13
REpUBLICAN STATE TICKET.
The Strike and Riots.

The Strike and Riots.
The sensation of the past two weeks mas
been the great railroad strikes ofthe Amer
;cap Railway Union directed against the
Pullman Company. The cause OF the
strike is much as follows
Tn the first " eek of May there were en-
,lnnod IN the car manufacturing depart
port AZ Pullman, H., about 3, 3,0e0 persons
On Nav 7th a committee OF the worKmen
ssL.d for a cessation of certain shop
or;evances and objected to proposed re-
Snct;on of wages. On the company not
scceeding to the question of wages, the
non vent ont on q strike on May lltn,
@ ono going ont and only 600 remaining at
the,r nlaces. The company not being able
20 nm the work. with 600 men, closed
down and laid them off. No work has
since been done in the shops.
The American Railway Union next took
mn the fight, and President Debs declared
a bovcott on all trains which were made
mn. or partly made up, of Pullman cars.
Az everyone knows, the Pullman company
does not sell its sleeping car out runs ~
over the different lines under the dlrScs re-
control of the Pullman company. Lne
first trouble was. as the prirclpai trouoie
has since been, at Chicago. AZ many
other points west, where the haliwsy on
the running of trains, but Chicago, win
its dozens Of trunk lines, has been the
stage of many exciting events In this great
On June 29th the strike began to assume
+ha nronortfons that have since required
the PRESENCE of q. S. soldiers. The poy-
colt of Pullman cars had been declared by
tbe Union and at conference OF the rail-
road presidents of % trunk lines it was de-
cided to resist the efforts of the Railway
Union. Telegrsms from the Northern Pa
cific and Santa Fe stated that every en-
pIovee had quit work. No Pullman sleep
er had left Los Angeles or San Diego tnat
day. An attempt was made 10 nanuie
trains with new men but in most cases II
was unsuccessful. On most OF the grsat
lines few trains were moving. one OF
the great features of the strike was oegln-
ming to show in the tieing up OF tne stock
wards. The cold storage and refrigerator
cers conld not be moved and in the eastern
cities beef was rising and selling to III
cents higher. California fruits were not
being shipped and fabulous prices were
paid. %
A complicated feature was beginning 10
show itself. The boycotters were interier-
ing with trains containing U: 5. mail cars
and the authorities at Washington were
notified.
The first act of violence in the history OF
the strike occurred on Friday, June rs,
where the engineer and fireman of an IL
linois Central suburban train were driven
from their engine by mob OF 200 men ana
pelted with rocks and bricks. 1t was said
that there were II, $50 men on strike.
ON Monday, the 2rd, determined effort
was made by the railroad officials TO move
their trains. Deputies armed with riot
guns were sent out with trains but the
strikers did not let many pass. In the
suburban districts, trains with passengers
suffering from hunger and thirst, were
stopped and the railroad yards were alive
with strikers. Some arrests were made by
q. S. officials for the stoppage OF mail
cars. 49,,
AS result of the tle-up coal was getting
scarce in Chicago and many plants were
shuttinp down. The ice manufactures
were closing operations, and much loss
was threatening to the dressed meat deal
ers. who could not ship their meat and
could scarcely get ice enough to preserve
it.
On Tuesday Uncle Sam took hand and
marched troops from Fort Sheridan into
the city of Chicago. Several skirmishes
between the city authorities and the srrik-
ers resulted favorably to the strikers. q.
s. troops were under orders to suppress
the disturbances at Chicago and in Califor-
MIA and Colorado.
There was riotin at Blue Island all the
morning and afternoon. Revolvers were
l. H. hat fhnre enrln
clash until the strikers had gathered in suf-
ficient numbers to drive back both the
United States and Cook county deputies.
Then about 2, 600 of them charged and the
deputies were driven away.
Marshal Arnold, who was on the grounds
in person, at once telegraphed District At
torney Milchrist to take steps to have the
Fifteenth sent to his assistance, and the
Sheriff's force applied to Governor Altgeld
for troops.
On Thursday, the 5th, the railroads were
claiming victory. Trains under the pro-
lection of Federal troops were moving
freely and many arrests were made of
strikers. Next day 100, 900 idle workman
were too many for the limited number of
soldiers and many were the victories OF the
strikers Cars were burned, trains stopped
and discontinued, switches turned, and all
the skillful tricks of veteran trsinmen re-
sorted to.
Governor Altgeld of Illinois addressed
long telegram to President Cleveland OBJ
jecting to the presence in his state Of U. S.
troops, and Cleveland sent the following
in answer:
EXECUTIVE MANSION,
WASHINGTON, d. c., July 5.
Hon. John P. Altgeld, Governor of Illinois,
Springfield, H.:
Federal troops we're sent to Chicago in
strict accordance with the Constitution and
laws of the United States, upon the de-
nsnd Of the Postofice Department that
obstruction Of the mails should be remov-
ed and upon the representation of the ju-
dicial officers of the United States thatpro-
cess of the Federal Courts could not be ex-
ecuted through the ordinary means and
abundant proof that conspiracies existed
against commerce between the States.
To meet these conditions which are
clearly within the province of Federal au
thority, the presence of Federal troops in
the city of Chicago was deemed not only
proper but necessary, and there has been
no intention of thereby interfering with
preserve the peace of the city.
GROVER CLEVELAND
On Saturday, July 7th. the mob of strik-
ers begun the lawless work which destroy
ed thousands of dollars worth of property.
Although opposed by 10, 600 militia, regu-
lar soldiers, police, deputies, ETC., they
burned 300 cars belonging to the Panhan-
die Co. and other roads suffered severely.
At the stock-yards that night about fifty
toughs, few of whom were railroad men,
were sulking from point to point and set
large number of fires. Their method was
thoroughly unique. Loading several hand
cars with buckets of waste" and oil they
would glide around among the cars in the
darkness lighting wads of the inAammable
stuff, which would be thrown into the open
doors of the cars as they passed by them.
Fires sprung up on every hand and no or
ganized effort on the part of the police
seemed to be under way to intercept them.
This is the banner district of the city, if
INST of the country for all around toughs,
and it is as much as much as mans lite
is worth to interfere with them.
Troops were moving south; company
after company in heavy marching order,
moving to the turbulent districts from the
center of the city.
The aggregate OF the losses to the rail-
roads will be enormous. Miles of their
tracks have been ruined by the fierce heat,
hundreds of switch and signal towers with
their expensive mechanism utterly ruined.
Thousands Of cars and untold quantities Of
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