Year: 1877

did not think to write you more about the strike, but recent and not yet settled event compels me to return to it once more. The affair is so dastardlY and despi- cable that dislike to mention it, but it is so clear and emphatic declaration ot the animus of the Brotherhood that will lay the facts before your readers and leave them to draw their own conclusions.

 At the time of the strike large number of engineers and fremen in various parts of the country. who were not connected with the..Brotherhood, fOcked to this city in the expectation of being employed to fill the situations which had been vacated. Many of these were competent engineers of other and smaller roads, and they desired to ob- tain positions on road where larger sala- ries were paid, and where they could live in city. The road employed many of these who came, and of course the next move of the Brotherhood was to buy them off, Fabulous sums were reported as paid to some of the men. It was not untrequent that $500 was offered single engineer to leave his engine. The usual sum however, which was pad, varied between twenty i've and fifty dollars. These were mainly in promises to pay, to those who accepted the offer trusting the Brotherhood to pay them. A step further was taken, besides the first bounty promised, those who accepted Il were to receive the same wages the road was paylug them, and this was guaranteed them as long as the strike lasted, or for certain time. Many of the new men had not frmness enough to rasist these induce ments of the Brotherhood and so cast in their lot with them. What these induce ments were may be learned from the fol- lowing promise, which IS in possession of one of the men.

 BROTHERHOOD OF LOCOMOTIVE ENaINEERs,)

 BOSTON DIVISION, No. 6l, {

 BOSTON, Mass, Feb. IA, 1877. )

 We, the Brotherhood of Locomotive En- eineers, do hereby agree to pay - S3 50 per day so long as the strike contin- ues: after that, $60 per month, providing he has ID other employment. We will use our influence to secure him situation, and agree to take him into the Brotherhood.

 M. ARTHUR, G. c. D.

 Feb. 19, Cash $l0.

 The strike continues, that is, there has been no compromise effected between the road and the Brotherhood, and what is the result9 Instead of fulfilling this agreement these men-who it is said number over LOG have been paid only from $10 to $2C

 

 as that, for they have received nothing al all. Promises have been made in profu. sion and the men have been kept here in vague suspense, idle, and their families suf' fering. The farce eliminated few days since. The men were promised their pay on certain day, they went home and came back on that day, only to find the doors of the Brotherhood's headquarters closed against them. They were not only not admitted, but no intercourse was al lowed them with the men. The Brother hood struck because forsooth they were not allowed audience when they wished to redress their wrongs. This one act alone is a sorry comment on the principles of the Brotherhood. and is sufficient in itself to condemn the Union. Many of the men who were bought off are without money and are destitute. Several were compelled to pass the night in the station house. Il IS nothing strange that they should com plain that this treatment is unjust and dis. honest, and not at all to the credit of the Boston Brotherhood. That Is putting il rather mild, for there is something more than injustice and dishonesty in such ac tion, there is a basic element of. meanness and littleness, contemptible in the extreme. There are no words sufficient to express the baseness of this their last act and proper denouement of their entire strike. I men tioned in former letter of a change ir public opinion concerning the strikers this change is now almost complete. The Boston Brotherhood are fast bringing dis credit and death to the Union. and before many years, if such be their ways of act ing, there will be no more of them.

 I recently had related to me, by promi nent railroad man, the details of strike which occurred at this end of the Bostor 6 Albany railroad. It is worthy of repeti ton and would give it to you in this let ter, but my allotted space is now already filled. 1 have promised you continua ton of the topic which treat of in eact letter in my next, so that I can dt no more than make good these promises.

 ALLEN.