Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1902-07-29
WASHINGTON OFFERS HELP
Immigration Bureau Will See Men Are Net
Brought from Europe.
RUMOR OF UNION PAclFIc's PLAN
Report that Company seeks to Inn
port Foreign Mechanics 10 Sup
plant Strikers in Their
shops.

to import skilled mechanics from Europe
to take the places of strikers. District Sec
retary Grace Of the machlnists received
letter yesterday from the National Immi-
grafton bureau at Washington informing
him that the department would make an
official investigation OF this report and II
true employ every means Of preventing the
Union Pacific from carrying out its plan.
President Mcneil Of the boilsrmakers. who
has been working on the same matter, has
been advised In answer to letters to ssso-
ciates in the east that every available re-
source will be exhausted in suppressing any
such movement.
The letter from the immigration bureau
to Mr.. Grace says that the department Is
grateful for the advance information. and
assures the men here that II the Union Pa
ci1c really should be contemplating such
a step 1t will be intercepted and the immi-
grafton laws, which strictly forbid such
importation of foreign labor to supplant
American labor, rigidly enforced.
The understanding OF the strikers here is
that the company's plan contemplates most
of the European importations from the city
Of Glasgow, the great center OF mechanical
industries and the home of the most skilled
workmen.
Mcneil Discredits story.
II take little stock in that story" said
President Mcneil, when asked his opinion
as to the authenticity OF the report. "The
laws Of the country are so strict upon that
subject that the Union Pacific Railroad COM
pany would not dare to undertake such a
step that.
"It would be folly to suppose that the
company did not fully appreciate the grav-
ity of the law in this case. OF course
AZ. l. lIlff 49,
ing true; things Of that kind have been
undertaken, but must confess 1 am not
disposed to put much faith in this rumor.
AT any rate, we are not annoyed over II
whether it be true or not, for we feel GER
tain that the law will be sustained and
the company would fail, even If 1t at
tempted such a movement"
Views of other strike leaders differ from
this. Some are strongly OF the opinion that
the company has gone to this extent Of
trying to supplant it's old men. District
Secretary Grace and others who, while not
vouching for the veracity of the report,
argue that the company has had sufficient
time in which to find out whether 1t could
get skilled mechanics on this side of the
water. 1t has been conclusively demon
strated, they assert, that an adequate
number of skilled men cannot be secured
tlu AIn6TlCdt CuIbluS OF the unions, anu Lubl
realizing this. the company has decided to
make final effort to fill its shops before
yielding to the strikers.
Probably you observed that at first the
company went no further than Chicago for
It's nonunion men; then 1t branched out to
Milwaukee, picked up a few in Kansas City
and jumped to the north, bringing down
small forces from st. Paul and Minneapo-
lis. Then they landed some from Cleveland
and the last batch that came in came from
as far east as Philadelphia, and only last
week man quit at North Platte who had
come all the way from New York to go to
work. It looks to me like a fair test has
been made and the company has been
shown that it cannot get even enough un-
skilled or nonunion men to take the
strikers places"
This is the view Of Mr.. Grace.
NOnuniOn Men Meet.
The nonunion men In the shops held
meeting yesterday afternoon. What was
done was not known outside OF their own
circles, but some who deserted later in
the day reported that there was a strong
feeling OF unrest and that the entire force
was on the verge of leaving the shops.
Strikers pickets reported last night that
twenty-five of the men quit at the close
of work hours. This report could not be
confirmed. Nine men appeared at Labor
temple however, claiming to have been
among the number that had left the shops
ana the gave the information that sixteen
others were in the office OF General Fore
man Tuttle demanding their time, when
these men left.
Those who came out base their COM
plants upon the introduction OF piecework,
ufp r0nId a fair daU'a
pay at this system. Two of the men who
came out said they had $50 each, saved
from their earnings In the shops.
Regarding the number of men intro
duced into the shops and those deserting
the oficials and strikers are at direct
| variance In. their statements The ON
cials positively deny that as many men
have deserted as claimed by the strikers
and hold that the quota on the Nebraska
division is almost up to normal. Further,
they dispute the assertion that there is
any serious detection among their men. and
persistently deny that the men have been
| forced to pay their own board or accept
piecework, only in exceptional cases. The
! company is as positive in its claims as
the strikers are in theirs and ofiicials ex-
press the utmost astonishment at what
they regard illusions Of the strikers.
President Mcneil OF the Brotherhood OF
Boilermakers and Iron shipbuilders last
night received a telegram from the Louis
Vile & Nashville, the Alabama Great
Southern and other roads entering Bir-
mingham, on which the boilermskers are
striking, requesting him to order the men
back to work, but he refused to comply
! with this request, saying that while some
OF the roads had acceded to the demand
Of the men for 35 cents an hour, those
| that Joined in this request had not
yielded, but wanted to compromise matters
| on about S2h cents.
TeIeEraDhers Will Meet.
The executive board OF the Order of
Railway Telegraphers will begin a series
OF meetings in Omaha today to adjust To-
cal, differences. Their AFFAIRS are said TO
have no relation, however, to the present
labor troubles on the Union Pacific.
William Hockenberger. the Denver mem
Der OF the board OF adjustment OF the
brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers.
reached the city yesterday to consult with
General Manager Dickinson regarding
minor grievances Of the engineers on his
| division.
Boilermakers' oficials have announced
| that every member OF their craft who
1 doa. MT turn out for the narada todav