The Wichita daily eagle., 1894-02-16

DENVER, Feb. 15-Attorney George L.
Hodges, counsel for the Union PACING EN-
ployes, today received the following us
patch from Judge Caldwell:
mo action will be taken that Will aftec'
she employees on the Union Pacific system
without notice"
n. Corblp. secretary of the Union
Pacific Employees association. said today:
"The corporations, in their efforts to
crush organizations Of employees, have
simply fortified the employees IN thell
rights, and the generous public Is gong
to help maintain them. Worklng-men en-
yaged III ninterstate commerce business VINO
bow elect to go on a strike in preference to
contesting their rights in the forms estab-
iished BY the people deserve to be defeated
IN any such attempt.
Henry w. Hobsou, counsel for the Den
yer and Gulf road was notified today by
Judge Caldwell, that
Petitions for rehearing of orders IN re-
lation to the Gulf system will be filed III
all the districts in which orders relating
thereto have been made, and these petl
tions will be heard before both the circuit
judges at Omaha, at a time to be fixed, OF
which all parties in interest, ncludlng Mr.
Trumbull, will have due notice"
CALDWELL AND THURSTON,
ST. LOUIS, Feb. 15-Attorneys Thurs
ton and Corwin, who came here to en-
deayor to secure an order harmoniZing the
contrary opinions OF Judge Dundy OF
Omaha and Judge Hallett of Denver,
have met with surprise at the hands Oh
Circuit Judge Caldwell. In an informal
talk with Judge Caldwell to secure a
date for hearing, Mr.. Thurston gave re-
sumo Of the state of affairs, reciting what
the courts as, we'll as the receivers, had
done, devoting himself more especially to
the annulling by the receivers of the wage
schedule and their order placing new
and reduced one in effect March l, to-
gether with the order of Judge Dundy
recognizing the propriety of such action,
and the action by Judge Hallett in effect
contrary to that order. Mr.. Thurston
said that the failure of Judge Hallett to
make any order Oh the subject was held as
a refusal to indorse the idea that receivers
have power to adopt new schedules, and
it WAS this apparent clash of Judicial opIn-
ion that was creating discomfort along
the line and making the situation almost
threatening.
After some desultory talk, Judge Cald-
we'll said to Mr.. Thurston that the receiv-
ers had taken advantage OF the men be-
hind their backs.
go back to Omaha and revoke your
ORDER" the judge said. ''Then / will take
your case. Prepare and advertise your
schedule and give me notice, and | think
that sixty days might not be unreasonable.
j will come to Omaha and hold a confer
ence with your receivers and the repre-
sentatives of the labor societies, and we
will see il we cannot agree upon a schedule
that will be just to the employees and will
be such as the receivers Can afford to pay. /.
JUDGE DUNDY TALKS.
LINCOLN, Neb.. Feb. 15-Judge Dundy
was found this evening. He said;
Yes, have just been reading the dis
patches from st. Louis detailing the little
conversation between Judge Caldwell and
General Solicitor Thurston, in which the
latter was told to revoke the order re-
Gently made by the Union Pacific re-
ceivers touching the matter of employees
wages The impression that Judge Cald-
well has overruled the orders of this court
is wrong. as you may see by "A perusal of
the dispatches. The wages question has
not been brought up before Judge Cald
well. and his somewhat peremptory order
to Solicitor General Thurston does not in
the least affect the status quo of the wages
question. My order still stands and will
stand until it is reversed.
The whole situation can be expressed
in few brief sentences. The receivers
made an order reducing wages on certain
schedules. They brought the order to me.
and | approved it. There was nothing in
nv approval of the order to prevent the
receivers from restoring the Old wages il
they saw fit to do it. They can do so now
# they choose. Judge CaldwelPs action
IS unusual in this, that in private CON
versation with the general solicitor OF the
Union Pacific he orders the receiver of
that company TO restore the old rates.
He does not make the order in the shape
of decision announced from the bench.
g. al but In al llxr-n1 l,n. IAv,
Is to order the receivers to temporarily
restore the old wages pending settle
ment. His order places no new aspec.
upon the situation as far as the court is
concerned. OF course i cannot tell what
the receivers will do in the matter"
Suppose the receivers do not consider
Judge Caldwell's s order of today manda-
tory, ana leave the wages where they are
under the schedule approved by yourself
will the employees have the right to strike?n
asked the Associated Press representative.
why. certainly" responded the judge
with a significant twinkle in his eye. ''Of
course they have the right to strike. My
order does not say that they have not the
right To quit and go home. But if they
attempt to make row, they will find that
the orders of this court are very much in
force. today's orders of Judge Caldwell to
the contrary Notwithstanding"
PRESIDENT DEBs.
KANSAS CITY, Feb. l5.-President Debs
Of the American Railway union is in Kan
sas City, making preparations for "A gem
eral mass meeting of employees to discuss
the wage question. Pending his return to
Omaha all petitions protesting against the
reduction of wages of section foremeu and
section men by the western branches of
the Union Pacific will be held in abey-
ence, The meeting will be held at Chey-
epne on February ~