The record-union., 1894-08-17
NO MORE TIB-UPS.
Why There Can Be No More Great
Hallway Strikes.
From the Stockton Man.l

hallway strikes.
From the Stockton NALL
1t will not surprise anybody that Cen
eral Superintendent j. A. Fillmore OF the
Southern Pacific Company denies that he
made the brutal statement attributed to
! him by San Francisco paper regarding
the intended treatment by his company
OF those engaged in the late strike. No
one acquainted with the character of the
man or with the degree of good iudg-
ment commonly found IN those occupy
ing positions of equal responsibility and
power believed IL at the time. Mr.. Fill
more Gid not say that he would pursue
every striker wherever he might go to get
work, to the end that he might nowhere
lind employment. What he said was that
those who had committed crime during
the strike by destruction of or damaging
railroad property or destroying human
life would be kept out of employment, as
far as possible, in this State. This course
is no doubt dictated by considerations of
ordinary precautOn, as the same men on
| another occasion presenting an opportu-
nifty might feel moved to do the same
thing, or worse, being angered and made
desperate by the failure of the late strike
and the consequences which 1t has visited
upon them. Ii they are forced to leave
California they will not be in position
to fOment further INSTRUMENTATION or to
commit additional acts of violence. But
this applies only to those who. in the
language of Mr.. Fillmore himself,
burned or destroyed our property. dis
abled our engines, took up tracks, run
cars Oft the track or killed our employees"
Assuredly any man who finds himself
blackllsted for performing any of these
acts cannot expect TO receive the sympa-
thy of the public. On the other hand those
who went out with their fellows, but kept
al nIT,fr esty Of r. cloff
violence or laWlessness, will be treated as
new men applying for their old positions.
no prejudice being held against them.
The position OF the company is therefore
such as any prudent business man would
assume toward former employees who
were recently arrayed against his inter-
est. lie would have no use for the lead
ers, but might view with leniency the
case of those who were forced into an at
titude of hostility either by intimidation
or the circumstances of their situation.
No doubt many strikers would have pre-
ferred not to strike, but as the order to go
out issued from the majority, the mi
nority were obliged to obey it. They
suddenly found themselves between the
devil and the deep sea. with nowhere to
turn for safely.
But things have greatly changed since
this dilemma presented itself. It is safe
to say that not 5 per cent. of the strikers
could ever be induced to go on q strike
again. They have found something out
which they will not soon forget, and the
country has found something out also.
The principle is now established in the
United States that there must be no in
terference with the operation of railroads
engaged In transporting the mails or car
rylng Interstate commerce, and as every
railroad IS post road and all the main
lines transgress the limits of a single
States, it follows that there can be no
more tie-ups in this country. OF course
if ali hands should go out, especially the
engineers and conductors, even staying
quietly at home, the roads would be seri-
ously embarrassed, but they could be
operated in time with new crews, and
would therefore be certain to win in the
end. Hereafter there must be no CO.
ercion of one set of employees by another.
That is a crime against the United States
which is certain to be punished. AT the
outset OF the recent disturbance, when
the attitude of the Federal Government
was announced by the Attorney General,
the Mail said that it meant the end of or
ganized labor in the railway service,
since, if bereft Of the power to coerce and
compel, no labor union IN the land could
carry the day against the employing per-
son or company. In private business not
coming under the purview of Federal
law this coercion and eompulsion may
yet be practiced, but it can never be
practiced in the railway service. That
has been settled by the Federal judiciary,
supported by Federal bayonets.