The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-08-28
ON THE SOUTHERN PAC|F|C'S BLACKLIST

tiff from obtaining any employment and by
me exercise OF said power, influence and the
| iaise charge and "blackiisting'' the plaintiff as
| herelnbefore stated, said defendant has pre-
vented the plaintiff from obtaining any en-
pIoyment at anything or any place since the
| 10th day of June 1894 and still continue to
| SO prevent him from obtaining employment.
mat plaintiff has applied at various other
places LOT employment but has been refused
| upon the ground that he is on the blacklist of
| the defendant corporation
| mat on account OF the unlawful acts of the
| defendant as hereinbefore specified and set
| out, the plaintiff has been and is disgraced ard
inundated and rendered unable to obtain
| support Tor himself and his family, and his
| prospects in life for himself and his family to
OBTAIN living are and have been crushed and
ruined TO his damage in the sum of $4,000.
a., wherefore plaintiff prays Judgment against
the defendant corporation for the sum of
$oO,OOO and for costs of this suit.
Sibley not only took the precautlon
TO preserve the letters he received
from the various officials of the
| Southern Pacific Company in the course of
his efforts to secure the removal of his
name from the company's blacklist and
his unemployment but also kept copies of
all the letters he sent on the subject, and
Mrs. Sibley did the same. These will all
| be placed in evidence in the case, and will
| undoubtedly have most important bear
ing on it, as they go to show the existence
OF Southern Pacific blacklist and the
! placing Of Sibley's name thereon.
Slbiey left the company's employ at Car
lin On the 18th of June, 1894. On the 26th
OF July following he applied for re-employ-
ment to Division Superintendent ]. III.
reply he received:
took prominent part at Carlin during the
late trouble therefore l cannot give you any
encouragement
On August IT, 1894, Sibley again wrote to
Whited as follows:
Referring. to yours of July 80, 1 am surprised
10 see you think would have the audacity to
ask unemployment from you if I had taken a
prominent part in the late trouble at Carlin, as
you have been given to understand. This 1
can prove as a falsehood il necessary.
AS business proposition from man to man
would you kindly send me the name or names
OF parties giving you this information and
certainly shall make them prove their asser-
tons. was not in Carlin for several days be-
fore the strike, and did not return till it was
most over.
This bringing no reply Mr.. Sibley adj
dressed himself to General Superintendent
J. A. Fillmore on January IS, 1895, as fol-
lows:
Will you please advise me what action, if
ing on the blacklist of the Southern Pacific
Company?
shonld at least have a chance to defend
myself against any mistake or prejudice Of an
enemy, as this certainly is the case. Why my
name is ON your blacklist / do not know. I
have done nothing that would warrant any
such measure. If I had done any wrong l
would not ask to be again employed by your
company.
Slbley had meanwhile removed with his
family to San Francisco. On the 22d of
January he received the following:
REMOVING NAME FROM BLACKLIST.
OFFICE OF THE GENERAL SUPERINTENDENT,
SAN FRANCICCo, CAL, Jan. %, 1888
r. ny
cisco, CaI.-DEAR SIR: Your favor of the 18th
| received. know but little about your case or
the cause of your dismissal and would suggest
| that you take 1t up with Mr.. Knapp the dfvis-
ion superintendent at Ogden II + remember
rightly, during the late strike while you were
at Carlin, though possibly you were not in the
certainly was against the company's interests.
However, as said before, the proper party for
you to take the matter up with is Mr.. Knapp.
Yours truly, j. A. FILLMORE,
General Superintendent.
Acting on Superintendent Fillmore's
suggestion the following was indicted and
forwarded:
SAN FRANCISCO, January 25, 1885,
s. ". Knapp Esq, Diffusion Superintendent
Southern Pacific Company. Ogden-DEAR SIR: In
from Mr.. ]. A. Fillmore, general superin-
tendent.
1 understand, through Mr.. Fillmore's letter,
you are the cause of my name being on the
blacklist. ask you to be kind enough to see
that my name is removed from this blacklist
at once, as l am in very miserable eircum-
stances. having wife and four little children
depending on me for support. ] can prove
was not in Carlin during the strike and took no
part in the trouble that would warrant putting
putting my name on the blacklist. AS you
probably know, left the company's employ on
the 18th of June, 1894, and 1 left Carlin on
June 26th for the Kennedy gold mines, and did
as can prove by residents of Carlin. 1 had no
object or interest whatever in the strike, us
was not working. Had been called on to have
gone to work on my return to Carlin should
have certainly done so.
Will you please give this your immediate at
tention and advise me what you can do7
L. w. s1BLEY.
Following on this came the correspond
ence, which is given hereafter, and which
explains itself:
OGDEN, UTAH, January %, 1895.
Mr.. L. ". Sibley, 1O6S15 Mission Street San
FRANCISCO Cdt-DEAR SIR: / have your letter
name to be removed from the blacklist. wish
to assure you that had nothing to do or saw
with reference to your name appearing on the
list: You were not in my employ nor on this
division, nor have you been at any time to nv
knowledge l understand that you left the
service some weeks prior to the strike-why
do not know. Further than this | do not
know that your name was ever brought I'D in
connection with the strike. In all probability
the Truekee division is the one this commune
cation should have been referred to.
Again assuring you that had nothing what
ever to do with placing your name upon the
blacklist, remain yours truly, S.W. KNAPP
SAN FRANCISCO, February g. 1895
j. A. Fillmore General Superintendent Southern
Pacific C0mpdny-DEAR SIR: Inclosed find copy
OF letter have received from Mr.. s. w Knapp.
division superintende at Ogden in answer to
one wrote him in regard to my name being
on the blacklist, as per your letter of January
~, as MI Knapp was at Carlin during this
time.
Do you not think this sufficient evidence tn
clear me and remove my name from your black
list? Please advise me as soon as possible what
you can do Respectfully yours,
L. W.SIBLEY.
UNEMPLOYMENT.
OFFICE OF THE GENERAL SUPERINTENDENT
SAN FRANCISCO CAL, Feb 10, 1895
i. W Stbtey. 555 Ndt0md Street. San Francisco
CdL-DEAR SIR: have your letter of the 9th,
and in reply will say that can offer YOU no
encouragement whatever for employment.
yours Truly, j, A. FILLMORE,
General superintendent
This ended Sibleys efforts in the matter.
His wife then took up the struggle, as
| shown in the annexed correspondence:
SAN FRANCISCO, April %, 1898.
A. d. HiIfPT--DEAR SIR. 7 70 ~