Omaha daily bee., 1902-10-11
NORTH PLATTE SHOPS
Expected Effect Of Thorough Change in
Local Police Force.
CITY COUNCIL GIVES IN TO RAILROAD
Discharges Police Omcers who Have
Been Friendly with strikers
and Replaces Them with
COmpany's Men.

Reports from North Platte indicate that
the Union Pacific has at last broken the
hostile barrier which from the first OF the
strike has separated the people Of that town
and the railroad company, the former ar
rayed on the side Of the strikers as against
the Union Pacific. This victory, which the
company evidently has gained, is believed
10 be a direct result Of Mr.. Burt's avowed
determination to close the North Platte
shops permanently and move the machinery
out Of that town, thus depriving it Of Its
largest and most important industry and
throwing out of employment 200 men.
President Edward Kennedy Of the local
and district lodges of boiler makers is in
receipt OF a letter from one Of his CO.
workers in North Platte which gives the
details Of this latest act in the continuous
drama Of Industrial warfare In which the
art Of coercion apparently forms an impor-
tant feature-on one side.
Favorable to Union Pacific
Kennedy's informant says that the city
authorities have discharged the old police
force, appointing men who, 1t is believed,
will be less aggressive in behalf Of strikers
and more favorable to Union Pacific inter-
ests. This change Of policemen was made,
II is said, upon the assurance from certain
sources that It would restrain the company
from radical action. Or, to put Il as the
correspondent did. the theory was that II
the old police force was supplanted by a
new one composed of men satisfactory to
the Union Pacific, Mr.. Burt's arbitrary edict
70 remove the shops would be withdrawn.
Whether the Union Pacific actually did war
rant any such promise cannot be definitely
learned.
The matter is said TO have been called
20 the attention OF the city coun-
oil by Jacob Smith. a Union
Pacific engineer who lives in North Platte.
Smith Is said to have appealed to the city
council for some action tending to check
or restrain the railroad in its expressed
determination of "wiping North Platte of
its map and Is said to have suggested
that something ought to be done to moder-
ate the sentiment Of the people there
against the company. Smith is said to
have based his appeal upon the fact that
he had property in North Platte and would
suffer by the removal Of the shops.
City Council Acts.
According to Kennedy's correspondent
the mayor Of North Platte took the mat
ter up and advised the council that II
the police protection was numerically In
creased the Union Pacific would not move
its shops. And then the council simply
had a new force appointed.
wha effect this actually will have on tn,
Union Pacifc's plans is not known. Presi.
dent Burt, General Manager Dickinson and
Superintendent OF Motive Power McKeer
all are out of the city. Mr.. McKeen hal
been in North Platte. It is reported, within
the week. The others are east. Strikers
contend. however, that North Platte will
continue to be a shop town and that since
the shop buildings there are delapidateC
they doubtless will be destroyed. but new
ones erected In their places. The striker
regard the attitude Of Mr.. Burt In this cas-
as a blunt effort to coerce them and thei
sympathigers, and since the receipt Of thi
nows are inclined to think the president
blum has worked pretty well-thus far.
Local strike leaders are positively In
formed that Thomas B. McGovern, a strike
at North Platte, accused by the Union Pa
cinc Of committing assaults last week upo
nonunion men, is not guilty, and can suppl
ample evidence of his innocence.