The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-07-18
OLD MEN GO BACK AND REPORT
FOR WORK.
VICTORY FOR The ROADS
Strike Is Estimated to Have Cost at
Least Calculation Ten Mil
lion Dollars.


citation Of railway general managers,
embracing every road which enters
Chicago, have issued the following
signed statement:
"All of our old men now here on
4 hand for work reported at the freight
houses at noon today and were put
to work. No conference was held
with any committee or otherwise
since Tuesday and no agreement was
made with the union or with any
committee. The men simply reported
for work. and they doubtless expect
and will receive the pay offered July
1, and which the railroad companies
have been willing all along to pay .
After 10 days of strife, the Chicago
freight handlers strike terminated to-
day in an unqualified victory for the
railroads. A meeting of the strikers,
presided over by President Curran re-
suited in an almost unanimous vote
to return to work. leaving the wage
scale and other questions for settle
ment between the men and their re-
spective roads.
At the conclusion of the meeting the
strikers went by hundreds to the
warehouses to apply for their old posi-
tions, and the teamsters who have
remained out in sympathy again took
up their duties.
1 F s1rs sa-.4. H -rF -.
Moving the Freight.
By noon immense quantities pf
| freight. which had been held back
for days were being rushed to the
! railroads, or taken from warehouses
and cars. Where stagnation had rul-
ed commercial activity again reigned
Chicago merchants expressed un-
bounded relief at the termination of
hostilities, but they were scarcely
less happy than the men themselves,
although the strike is estimated to
have cost them $1O,OOO,OOO to say
nothing of the trade lost permanent
ly by them.
The little hall where the meeting of
the strikers took place was jammed
to suffocation and thousands were un-
able to obtain entrance. 1t was a |
brief meeting, only long enough for
an angry speech by President Curran
and the vote which followed.
Men," said Mr.. Curran, 1--WE came
out like men; we have acted like men
and we should not go back like sheep,
but there has been treachery in our
camp Yesterday when I was about
to use the telephone the wire got
crossed and I heard one of the mem
bers of our executive committee talk
ing with railroad manager. He was
encouraging the manager to hold out, |
for he told him that the strike was al |
most broken. That is sample of the !
faith that has been kept with me- The
officials of the truck drivers union
have not kept faith either, and it
seems useless to continue the fight
longer. Shall we go back and ask for
our old jobs?"
In this simple form the matter was
put to vote and almost unanimously
agreed to-the chorus of ayes had
brought to peaceful end one of Chi
cago's most serious strikes threaten
ing the labor situation. 1t is believ-
ed the roads generally will allow the
truckers 171a cents an hour, and minor
concessions granted by the proposition
of July 1.
The proposition as expressed by the
men was in effect the one given to
President Curran by the state board of |
arbitration earlier in the day, al
though the proposition was as fol-
lows:
TO the freight handlers of Chicago:
The Illinois State board of arbitration,
after thorough Investigation of the
present freight handlers strike in Chi
cago and the complications which have
grown out of the strike, recommends
to the officers and members of the
five local unions of the interior freight
handlers and warehouse union of
America that they return Immediately
to their respective places of employ
ment and apply for the positions held
by them previous to the strike.
'We further recommend that the
employees of each of the several rail
roads appoint a committee to confer
with the management of the railroad