The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1895-01-02
ALL IN THE WIND.
No Strike of Engineers Is
Probable.
The Men Are Very Much Dissatisfied
:" but Are Not Ready for Radi-
cal Action. -.

: Across the bay there are many evil
depces of discomfort manifest among the
engineers in the employ of the Southern
Pacific, but this feeling has not yet reached
such degree of intensity as to cause the
men to go on strike or seriously discuss
such a move. -.
:. There are some of the men. of course,
who would willingly go on strike without
a moments hesitation. but this is only
the hot-beaded class, which forms very
small element in the brotherhood go;
However, there is good deal of talk OF
more or less fiery nature to be heard on
the streets of West Oakland. Yesterday
Chairman Roberts Of the. a. R. U. and
several other officials of that organization
were noticeably quite busy upon some
mission. It is unquestiona blv the wish oil
all the men engaged in the late strike that
similar conflict may be brought on be-
tween the company and its engineers
growing out of the present difficulty. 1t
is said that offers Of assistance have been
freely given the engineers by the A. r.
u. officials in the event of trouble, but it
is evident that the engineers are incredu-
lous as TO the stability Of this pr0ffered
friendship.
The A r. q. men say that if strike
occurred they would faithfully stand by
the engineers provided an agree ment was
entered into by which, If the strike proved
successful, all the old employees who
are members Of the organiZation'an who
were let out after the late trouble should
be restored to their former positions
I'VE have everything to gain and
nothing TO lose by such move" said one
of their number yesterday. and 1t is folly
TO say that our boys would not prove
faithful. Under compact Of the nature
mentioned all of us would be measurably
assured of work if we succeeded, and we
all know that we could not succeed unless
we acted in Accord
But this line of logic doesn't appear to
be particularly attractive to the engineers
They say that there are too many hungry
firemen hanging around who are out of
work and who would be only too willing
to accept an opportunity TO get even with
the engineers for the support that the
latter gave the railroad company when the
late strike was in operation.
There are some of the engineers who do
not entertain the slightest idea that there
will be trouble, so that one can get almost
any shade of opinion of which he may be
in search if he inquiries in the proper quar-
tcrs in West Oakland.
The last class referred to say that
strike now means entire failure in the first
place, aud that the depressed condition of
business In the country at large is so well
known among the men that they will not
entertain suggestion to strike. Loss of
work at this time. they say, might mean
months of idleness.
'lt is pretty hard on some of u.s." said
one engineer, "but l don't see what we
can do to better our condition. In some
instances the men have ITO miles more to
make on run now than they formerly
had. This means that whereas they
lately had one days run and two days Law
off the order of work is exactly reversed"
1t is reasonably certain that there will
be no strike, unless there comes materia
change in the opinions of the engineers
from th 0se now enter ained by them