The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1909-12-17
Despite Claims of
Railroad Companies
Lit tt e Freight Is
Moving-No Defec-
ton From Ranks of
the Strikers - A. F.
of L. Takes Hand in
the Fight and Sends
Organizers Out Into
Strike Zone.

The status of the switchmen's strike
remains virtually the same as it was
when last going to press. Despite the
claims of the railroads that the strike
is broken, shipping by rail in the
northwest remains paralyzed and the
strikers are as firm in their determina-
tion to win as the day they went out.
The railroads have found it almost i'm
possible to get practical men to take
the strikers places. Good men have
almost without exception refused to go
to work when they found they were
wanted for strike breaking purposes and
the men put at work have served no
other purpose than to put up a front
for the railroads As heretofore point
ed out it is the policy of all corpora
tions in time of strike to create the i'm
preston that they are doing business
as usual, even though they sink bar
rel of money making this monumental
bluff
Conditions speak for themselves The
Seattle Times is authority for the
statement that the bank cIearances in
Seattle have fallen off from S250O00
to S500.OOO a day since the inception of
the strike. The docks are congested
with freight awaiting water shipment
and several large vessels were com
PEELED to delay their sailing date to
get this freight aboard. Mills are
closing down because they cannot get
cars Orders of goods consigned to
western merchants are delayed in ship
ment with no means of knowing when
the goods will be delivered If freight
is moving, only the railroad managers
know it, it is not moving so that the
business men and general public can
notice it much.
The switchmen are conducting their
campaign on the same rigid lines laid
down at the beginning. There has
probably never been a strike of such
magnitude in this country where there
has been no attendant violence or dis
order. There has been not the slight
est attempt on the part of the strikers
to interfere with the strike breakers,
other than to peacably induce them not
scab As at the beginning of the strug-
gle the switchmen are remaining away
from the companies premises.
rrvl . No
truth in the statement made that there
would be a compromise soon. The men
do not want to compromise-they want
to win. The boys declare that as far
as they know there has been no de-
fections from their ranks anywhere.
Railroad officials at Livingstone posted
bulletin on December 4th that fifty
/ five switchmen employed at Duluth had
returned to work. 1t was further re
ported that they were trainmen doing
switchmens work and that they had
returned to work through unanimous
vote of their members, approved by
Vice President Whitney. = communi-
cation from headquarters at st. Paul
states that there is not a word of truth
in that statement but it shows to what
extent the railway officials are going
in their attempts to discourage the
strikers
The American Federation of Labor
has given the promise of its heartiest
support to the strike. Organizer Young
has been sent to Spokane TO aid the
strikers and is working day and night
He is addressing several meetings a day
and doing hereulean work to aid the
boys in Spokane Other national or
ganizers of the Federation have been
ordered to the strike zone.
The other railroad organizations are
watching the fight with keenest inter
est and are rendering all possible as
sistance. A meeting Of officials of the
Railroad Department Of the A. F. of L.,
of which II. b. Perham, president OF