Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1916-08-31
I RAILROADS
SUDDENLY STOPPED
Babies Could Get No Milk.
Business of Every Kind
Would Be at StandStiII.
Other Possibilities.

largest m"nth in the business history
lists and general travellers, as we'll as
buyers. arrive daily by the thousand.
Result of Coal Famine.
From the railroad point Of view the
greatest suffering a beleaguered New
York would feel would be in the halt
ing of its coal supply, The dcpriva-
ton Threatened by the anthracite
strike of several years ago would be-
come an actually. The town would
be shut off from the thousands of tons
of fuel 1t consumes daily to keep its
internal machinery running.
None of the huge plants that burn
coal in daily trninload lots, the plants
that keep New York lighted at night.
that give it Il telephone and telegraph
service. that keep its dynamos whirl-
ing. that 10Y its street cars and the
subway trains. could continue opera
ton for moro than Il few days. There
is not enough reserve supply stored in
Manhattan for the consuming activi-
ties.
It is estimated that Long Island and
nearby New Jersey Il keep New York
alive on a limited diet if it can get its
products into town. For this it does
not ave to rely altogether on the rail
roads. because trolley lines that have
their terminals on Manhattan's two
rivers form a network through New
Jersey and Long Island. He considers
himself poor. indeed, does the farmer
nowadays, If ne has not a small motor
truck to carry his green goods to the
market.
Milk is a different problem. Most
Of the supply that feeds the towns
infants and coIors the coffee comes
from New England and Pennsylvania.
Thus its delivery in New York becomes
4 railroad problem. Said II. n. Halleck.
yicc president OF the Borden Condens-
cd Milk company:
The stopping OF milk trains would
paralyZn milk distribution. 1t would
nc possible 10 bring some milk into the
city by boats. but the amount would
be comparatively small. We would
also he able to get moro here by trac-
tors from n distance Of perhaps fifty
miles. IN that way maybe We might
got enough here to save tho lives Of
the babies. I hate to think what
would happen to the people of New
York if the milk trains are stoppcd.'
At this season of the year the rail
roads are cOngeStNd with shipments
OF manufactured goods, most of them
consigned to Now York department
stores for the fall trade. Any stop of
these deliveries would empty the stores
within Il short time. IL is Just at this
time too that the town gets the last of
its summer fruit crops.
AS a rule both of these kinds of
goods are off the rails by September
TO make way for the shipments of
grain from the west. Should the grain
remain in western warehouses the eff
feet Of such stoDpage would be felt as
far away as Bagdad, because much
Of this years crop already has been
sOldsto the allies.
Strike That Failed In 1894.
The last national railroad strike in
this country occurred in 1894. when
the National Railway union. of which
Eugene Y. Debs was president. con-
Quoted a mor or less sporadic strike.
which ut times caused scenes of great
violence in the middle west. President
Cleveland used the regular army under
Major General Nelson A. Miles to deal
with the situation. Scores of strikers
were shot in the streets Of Chicago and
hundreds Of cars burned by the strik-
erS. iniunctionS were issued by the
courts and defied by the strikers. The
president issued several solemn prOcla-
nations against rioting and partici-
patton in the strike. Finally the strike
failed through the ability of the rail
roads, with soldiers on every engine
and car, to maintain a crippled service.
The workers at that time We're not
as we organized as now, nor was the
movement as concerted as that Of 1916.
Only Il small proportion of the workers
were members of the National Railway
union. as compared with the highly or
&anized character Of the four big rail
way brotherhoods that are today max
ing demands of the railroads.
In 1914 the western territory mem
bers Of the four br~otlcrhoods clashed
with the national conference commit
tee of railways which now represents
the transportation companies. Medi-
alton was tried. but failed, and Presi-
dent Wilson summoned leaders of both
sides to Washington. as he did this
time. 1t was the day after Germany
had declared war on Russia on Aug. L.
1914. that the President appealed to
the factions to make peace in view Of
the worldwide crisis then. The rail
reply was that they did not
WISH to lnperil the welfare of the ma
uon in a crisis. and would consent to
withdraw their demands if the work
ers would arbitrate theirs. Thus arbi-
tration was effected. The brotherhoods
were dissatisfied with the results. and
upon that dissatisfaction largely base
aversion to arbitration now.