The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-11-08
IT IS ALL OVER NOW
The Threatened Strike on the Great
Northern Was a Hzle.
PASSENGERS WILL BE SAFE
Buy Your Tickets and You VIII
Receive a Guarantee That
You'll Get Through All Right
Outside Discussion.

The threatened strike on the Great
Northern. which was unquestionably
the work of a few outside agitators
and discharged employees has fizzled
out like a piece of damp punk and
everything is serene again. The
trouble was not of a serious nature at
any time and did not interfere to the
slightest degree with the operation of
the road. but the threats and talk of
"a strike interfered a little with the
passenger business of the road for a
few days. All danger is now over.
however. and Major Dawson is pre-
pared to give a written guarantee to
all purchasers of tickets that they will
go through on time. The st. Paul pa
pers of the last few days have had a
great deal to say about the threatened
trouble.
The st. Paul Pioneer Press Of Sun
day contained the following:
Controller Harrington of the Great
Northern was asked point blank yes
rerday If any reduction in wages had
been made. He replied: None. Some
Salaries have been raised
"Other officials were asked IL any
men had been discharged because of
their connection with the A. r. u, and
they replied without hesitation in the
negative. Employees of the company
were seen and asked IL they thought
any salaries had been caught or en-
ployes discharged contrary to the
agreement, and. they. too. replied
without hesitation in the negative.
They stated they have no grievance
and believe Mr.. Hill is living faithfully
by the terms of his agreement and
that he will receive any employe or
body of employees at any time who
int 10 nj N
the number of employees. the Great
Northern has discharged less than
most of the roads during the past two
years. At present ii is employing new
men instead of discharging old en-
ployes. 1T is short of men, and would
hardly be guilty Of the folly of letting
any go who are competent and loyal
las for the discharging of certain
train dispatchers at St. Cloud and
Grand Forks there is this TO be said:
They were removed not because they
were union men. but because they
were disloyal But they should not
have been union men. having been
officials No business corporation
could live IL It's officials favored any
particular labor organization. Mem
bers of the old brotherhoods who work
on the Great Northern say that the
train dispatchers who belonged to the
"A. r. u. gave preference to A. r. u.
men as lar as DoSSlDlt. OlllCldlS are
not supposed to belong to labor organ
izations, and train dispatchers are
officials"
Sylvester Keliher. secretary of the A.
r. u, was seen at his home late last
evening in regard TO the Great North
ern strike. The first question asked
was, rs the A. r. u. going to call a
striker"
mo. they have no authority to order
q strike. The matter rests with the
men themselves"
what action will be taken in the
matter now that Mr.. Hill refuses to
confer with your
We'll" said Mr.. Keliher, II will ex-
plain the situation to you as fully as
can. In May. 1894. Mr.. Hill signed
contract with the A. II. u. in which Ii
was stated that he would at all times
be willing to confer with his men in re-
gard to any grievances that they might
have against the company. The con-
tract also stated that the A. r. u. was
TO prepare a schedule of wages which
would be accepted by Mr.. Hill. The
general board of mediation meets an
nually and their last meeting was held
in Devils Lake last month. The men,
bers of the union told the board to pre-
pare the schedule and present 1t to Mr..
Hill by the first OF November. The
matter of the despatohers who were
discharged at st. Cloud and Grand
Forks was also brought UP as was also
the matter of overwork without extra
pay. The employees of the company APP
pointed a committee consisting of w.
Il. Best, ID. w. Pinkerton, w. A. Crit
fifth, r. ID. Reordan and c. l.. Kirkland
who were all employed by the road, and
A. IT. Bogart and w. II. Ford of the A.
X. u, to come down and act with me
in getting Mr.. Hill to accept the sohed-
ule. All we asked of Mr.. Hill was to
confer with US and he refused to do so.
This is a violation of the contract
which he signed with us i'm May, 1894
What the men want is the acceptance
OF the schedule and to have the hours
for work arranged differently from
what they now are. / met in st. Paul
the other day crew on a freight train
that had been working steadily for 80
hours without rest. and the conductor
had been lacked up for stopping 10
minutes TO get something TO eat. Dur
ing my trip West / met a number of
crews that were forced to work 20 ana
sometimes 26 hours at a stretch with
out rest. That was one Of the things
which we wanted settled. Mr.. Hill re-
fused US. and the result is 90 be sent to
the men along the line tonight and to-
morrow night, and they will take such
action as they see fit. The question of
strike Is for them 10 decide"
The following is the official statement
of the grievance committee which went
TO St. Paul 10 confer with President
Hill. but was not received
MIR. Hill has been notified that any
further communications should be di-
rected to Sylvester Keliher. 900 Fifth
avenue north. Minneapolis. The COM
mittee leaves St. Paul tonight. and
will lay the matter before the en-
ployes. The great body OF wage-earn-
ers. business men and farmers along
the line Of the Great Northern system
are with the American Railway union
as against corporate tyranny. The peo-
pie of this country need not be sur
prised TO see the Great Northern sys-
TEN tied up tighter than a drum from
St. Paul to the coast, and remain so
until President Hill signs the docu-