The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-11-07
MEN AvERSE TO STRIKING,
A Significant Review of the
Situation on the Great
Northern.
Debs Will Use All His Efforts to Pre-.
vent Trouble at the Present
Time.

Deep interest is being taken in this City
in the strained relations between the
Great Northern Railroad and the Ameri-
can Railway Union, owing to the proba-
bility generally believed that should there
similar conditions will spread to all the
great railroads of the country.
Few in this City are probably more
familiar with the details of the present
railroad labor situation than George w.
Monteith, the attorney, who defended the
strikers in the United States District
Court in this City when they were on trial
for conspiracy for the alleged obstruction
Of the United States mail He has been in
continual personal or written communica-
ton with Mr.. Debs and other railroad
labor leaders.
GAS to whether or not general strike
will occur" he said yesterday, sis rather
difficult question to answer He then
continued:
feel that the situation is decidedly grave,
but don't believe that tie general union will
order a strike or will turn its hand toward
bringing one about.
From what know to be the opinions of Mr..
Debs and Mr.. Hogan | am satisfied that they
would look upon strike as most unfortunate
matter for their own, people ! believe that
stand great deal before they will order
general strike.
1t does not seem to be generally known, but
it is q fact that Mr.. Debs and his fellow-direc-
tors have absolutely no control that would
enable them to order a strike even If they
wanted to- The American Railway Union is a
purely democratic institution and can only act
with the actual consent OF the majority of its
members who are directly interested.
They had an agreement with the Great
Northern that they lived up to fairly and in
good f0ith no the railroad
takes the initiative in w1llful violation of its
solemn compact.
What is the character of this agreement?
As nearly as / understand 1T, 1t was an agree
ment to maintain wages at the present stand
ard and to submit all questions of differences
to arbitration.
They have discharged nearly all of the m en-
who were the leaders in the Great Northern
strike year and half ago, as am informed.
simply as matter OF revenge ON one hand
and aggravation on the other.
But there is something of far greater import
back of that. 1t must be remembered that the
Great Northern has been distinctly an Ameri-
can Railway Union road; that is to say its
employees nearly all belonged to that order
and the universal edict against Ameri-
can Railway Union men has no application to
This has been thorn in the flesh of the
American Railway Association, which is q re-
Mobilization of the old General Managers AS
ISOLATION, formed for the express porpose of
accomplishing the total subsection OF the rail-
road employees of the country to the autocratic
Will OF their masters and the ultimate crystalli-
cation of the railroads of the country into one
gigantic monopoly that will in time DESTROY
every semblance of competition.
Recalling matters it is not difficult to see
why an effort should be now made to precipi-
tate a conflict on the Great Northern and at
this particular time of the year. Every time
the railway men strike and the strike is lost.
or they are guilty of any violence or have it
charged upon them, which attains the same
object, their cause is set back that much.
The Great Northern road, it must be remem-
the country, and the cold weather is already
upon those who live along that line. 1t is not
an easy matter for men to strike when their
bihty of starvation but the rigors
Of cold weather besides; therefore,
1t 10 most opportune time for Mr..