The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1911-11-07
THE GREAT RAILROAD STRIKE IN
CLEVELAND'S ADMINISTRATION
New Orleans Picayune.)

The great railroad strike of 1894, in |
Cleveland's first administration, is
one of the principal events treated by
the historian, James Ford Rhodes, in
some sketches in Scribner's Maya
zine for November.
AS is we'll understood, the only sort
of labor strike that could put stop
to all the other industries and bust
ness of the country, reduce vast mass
es of the people to starvation and viz
tually paralyze the National Govern
ment, would be one that could put an
absolute veto on all the internal
transportation of the country, pre-
venting the carrying of food and the
movement of troops.
The distribution of food from the
sources of production to the people
of all the numerous towns and cities
of the nation is an absolute necessity.
Depending on the railroads, which
bring in daily supplies, it may be as
sumed as a certainty that there is
not a great city in the Union that has
on hand two weeks food supplies for
! its people, and, therefore, the paralyz-
| ing of all railroad transportation
would bring the population of the
cities to a condition of absolute star
walton.
AS such a condition of affairs would
create the most widespread public
disturbance that would call for the
intervention of the physical forces of
states and nation, the inability to
move troops to any scene of disorder
would vastly aggravate the evils of
such a state of things.
Conditions closely akin to those
were realized in England a few weeks
ago, and the country was only re-
government of that country to the
strikers. But no such catastrophe
has yet fallen on this republic of ours,
and the only thing that can even sug-
gest such a situation happened in the
first term Of Grover Clevelands pres
idency That, however, was of such
seriousness that it called for the
forcible Intervention of the National
Government. and it is that incident
that Mr.. Rhodes recalls in his his
toric sketch mentioned.
During the summer of 1894, while
President Cleveland was engaged with
The tariff question, he was suddenly
j confronted with the labor disturbance
+ known as the Chicago strike. This
began in May at the Pullman Palace
E Car Company's works. having beer
u brought about by n reduction o.
* wages which was due to the depres
sion in business following upon the
panic of 1893. The sympathetic
T. strike of the railroad employees arose
from the circumstance that nearly 4,
l. 600 of the Pullman laborers belonged
e to the American Railway Union
II whose total membership was abou
tt 10000, and it took the form of tn
e railroad men positively declining t.
e handle Pullman cars. It started o.
u June 26 with the refusal of a switch
l. man to attach a Pullman car to
u train which was making up, and whe
Il this man was discharged all tn
g switchmen struck. The sympatheti
strike spread to other departments
causing the partial or compet
paralysis of a number of railroad
centering at Chicago.
The first interference of the NJ
tional Government came from the n
cessity of moving the United State
mails, which were generally carrie
by the fast trains to which Pullma
to cars were attached. The Presiden
., through his attorney general Ho
p, Richard Olney. directed the Unit,
90 States district attorneys to apply
the Federal courts for iniunctions
restrain interference by the strike
10 with the United States mails, and {
July . sweeping injunction W
H. granted against Debs, president
ng the American Railway Union. and OF
ell ers, restraining them from obstrut
wv ing the United States mails. BY II
Of time the strike had become a ri'
=. The city police and deputy marsha
he were unable to preserve order. al
de the president, who had been careful
az. preparing for the emergency, order
ID. about 1000 United States troops
.er Chicago. These arrived on July d.
in. The situation was greatly aggrav
ed by the radical Populistic govern
&c Illinnic AItonIt mhn nrntnst