The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1908-02-15

RAILROAD STRIKES HAVE BEEN
FOUGHT TO A FINISH.
Struggle IN Russia n 1905 Has Record
for Lives Lost and Property De-
stroyed--Flerce Fighting
az Pittsburg.

Fifteen thousand people killed and
wounded, property to the value Of
e20 100000 burned OF otherwise de-
stroyed and an empire SHAKEN to its
foundations
Such, briefly stated. was the out
come of the great series OF strikes
among the Russian railroad men
which broke out at St. Petersburg on
October n, 1906, and was forcibly
quelled at Moscow, amid unexampIed
scenes Of carnage and red ruin. On
December "a following, says London
Tit.Bits.
That any future railroad war in Eng
land viii be fraught with horrors such
as these is, OF course, impossible, our
social and economic conditions being
90 entirely different Nevertheless, II
Is certain that here. ais in Russia. trade
would be paralyzed, cities and towns
isolated from one another and the
prices Of foodstuffs and other perish
able commodities enormously en-
hanced
There might even be serious riot
ing. as happened at Motherwell during
the strike on the caledonian & North
British railroads in 1S90.91, when po.
lice and military were in conflict for
hours together, day after day with
thousands of infuriated men and wom
en-, driven 10 desperation by starvation
and the threatened loss Of their
homes. from which they we're being
ousted by the agents Of the com
panies.
In 1877, When the American railroad
men went on strike no one anticipated
any very serious trouble Nor was
there just at first. Then the strikers
realized that they were being beaten
and at once pandemonium reigned
Bridges were dynamited. trains were
deralled and set on fire, railway sta
tions BY the score went up In flames.
At Columbus, Cleveland, Buffalo and
elsewhere the fighting was Of the most
desperate character But the worst
scenes Of an were enacted at Pitts
burg
Here the station, which was crowded
with the fugitive nonnnionists, was
shelled BIZ the strikers and afterward
deliberately set on fire. with the 70
suit that nearly all within perished
Afterward the mob planted cannon
looted from The city armory--at the
approaches to the yards and sidings
and dared the troops TO come on. The
challenge was promptly accepted BY
the veteran Gen Sherman, who com
manded and hundreds Of the mad
dened strikers fell to the bayonets anC
bullets Of the regulars. So was order
restored But the damage TO property
III that one city alone was estimated
at between 92,OOO,008 and e50O0,0OO
Most other nations. too, have suf
fered in like fashion at one time or an
other in connection with similar dis
putes. Germany has twice seen he
entire system at standstill. Il
Italy, during one black week in May
1898, scarcely a train was running
and bread became SO scarce In con
sequence that the frenzied populacl
rose In revolt.
Railroad strikes In this countrl
have. by comparison with these, beel
small affairs. The Caiedonian & Nortl
British strike. alluded to above, was
perhaps, the biggest affair of the kim
We have So Tar had to deal with. An
it involved only about 5000 men, a
against the 100000 Of the America
liS94l strike and the 1000 600 (iT
Guiding telegraph operators and other
who struck in sympathy Of the grea
Russian railroad war