Great Falls weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1894-1???, 1895-03-15

uay. lhpplauset ] want to direct YOU
attention to one thing, which shows that
the great strike at Chicago last year was
not altogether barren of good results.
Previous to that time wage reductions
had occurred on various lines at inter
walls of about two weeks. Since that
time not another general reduction has
been ordered on any line UP to this day.
And the reason for this is that the gen
eral managers do not think it prudent.
There IS Il growing sentiment in this
country in favor Of the
GOVERNMENT
of railways. I defy any man to give me
a logical reason why the government
should not own its own railroads. 1t has
been said the government can't afford it.
This is a fatal admission it it is true that
the whole people can't afford to own
what a few now own. One thing is sure
there will soon be government ownership
of railroads in this country or railroad
ownership of government.
When the A, Il. L. convention met in
Chicago the attention of the delegates
was called to the situation in Pullman.
A clergyman from that city appeared
before us and pictured the condition of
these men slaves of the corporation
which o~ned thGm. ID part OF the COM
panys rolling stock-and said in the
name of God do something for them.
Many of the delegates had gone to Pull.
man and saw for themselves the horrible
condition III which their feliow-wurkmeu
were placed. and they determined to as
elst them 1t any sacrifice. Not Il dele
gatian IN that convention but was will
log 10 respond to the appeal of their
distressed brothers. In all the annals
Of the world there has been 10 more
shining example OF self sacrifice than the
action Of the a. Il. q. taken in regard to
the Pullman strike. They determined
at any cost not to be a party to the op-
preston of their brother workmen and
REFUSED 70 HAUL PULLMAN CARS.
About this time Mr.. Wickes of the
Pullman comuany had d conference with
the General Managers association. 1t is
a singular fact that Of all the general
managers at that meeting only one of
them could remember when on the stand
at the trial anything that Mr. Wiukes
said at that meeting. and all ne
remembered was that Mr.. w, kes
said ii had nothing to say" ] know,
however, what went on at that confer
ence. 1t was determined to crush the
A. IL. u. at any cost, and Pullman and
the general managers association were
parties to the contract. They underesti.
mated the strength of the A. r. T., how
ever, and four days after the strike they
would willingly have sublet the contract,
At that date the strike was practically
won and there had been no violence
whatever. 1t WIS to the interest of the
A. II. Y. to prevent any violence or riot.
ing or destruction of property. but it WAS
not to the interest of the General Man
ayers association. | charge hero that
they melted all the violence and rot and
ar,on at Chicago. This was the only
way for them to defeat the strike. When
there was no violence or destruction of
property they obtained the appointment
of AGO deputy marshals. The general
managers themselves named 200 of
these men and they selected them from
the worst element in the city, dragged
them from the slums Of Chicago to do
the bidding of the general managers, to
lnclte riot and arson SO as to give an ex-
cuse to call in government troops and
poison the minds of the public against
the A. r. U. You need not take my
word for this. 1t was proved at the trial
by abundant testimony. Captain Palmer
of the fire department testified that when
he was trying to put out the fire in the
railroad yards he caught
IA CUTTING HOSE.
He was found to be a deputy marshal
wearing the badge under his coat. The
police officials testified that they caught
two men in the act of setting fire to a
freight car with oiled waste. Both
proved to be deputy United States
marshals hired for the purpose. ! want
to call your attention here to Il singular
fact. There were
NO PULLMAN C.RS BURNED.
IT A. r. U. sympathlzers were the guilty
parties in the burning of the ears you
would naturally expect that they would
have directed their attention specially
to Pullman cars which stood zeal by Just
as accessible rs the old freight cars
which were destroyed by fire, but not a
Pullman WAS injured, Why: Belalse
they cost too much moEey, and the in
ctndlaries we're directed to contine their
attention to old box cars and worn out
freight cars. The riot and arson which
TIE general managers wanted was ac-
complished. Immediately tho wires
were loaded with exaggerated and lying
accounts of the riots and you would
have thought Chicago was in flames.
The federal troops were called in and u