THE MISSOURI, KANSAS AND TEXAS RAILWAY STRIKE.

HE strike of the telegraphers on the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway has developed into one of the most remarkable struggles of its kind on record. It will be remembered that this strike took effect at four o'clock in the afternoon of August 1st, and as it still continues and is effective, it takes the record for duration and persistence.

Very few of the old employes have expressed a desire at any time to return to work without a satisfactory agreement is reached. One here and there has found his way back, but the conditions are such on the road that they soon wish that their nerve had held out better, and in consequence some of them have gone out the second time.

As an illustration of the determination of some of the old employes who never worked on any other road then the "Katy," and

on that account having had misgivings about making a start on any other road, and furthermore, on account of having their families and, perhaps, some property located in the towns where they have had their residence for some time past, the men have started to earn their living in some other way besides railroading, and it is remarkable to note the many different lines of business they have gone into. Some have opened stores, others hotels and rooming houses, others are selling vegetables, others picking cotton. In fact, it seems to be anything to make an honest living in preference to slavery on the "Katy." It is the greatest exhibition of pluck and persistence ever shown by any organized body.

There are indications that the fight will narrow down to a test of endurance, and the organized telegraphers of the country will, in common with all other organized labor, have to lend a hand in the fight. That they will do it cheerfully goes without

saying, and the requisite word will be given when it is known that a settlement cannot be reached. The matter is now in the hands of the Executive Council of the American Federation of Labor and at the San Francisco Convention, now in session, the matter will probably be finally decided as to whether or not the "Katy" goes on the unfair list.

An enormous amount of literature has been circulated since the strike began and a general idea of the prevailing situation can be gathered from the following excerpts from the bulletins :

October 20th..

There are different conceptions of loyalty. One is that a man should do whate er his employer wants him to do without rezerence to whether it is right or wrong, and should look up to him as his benefactor and preserver, and act the part of a subservient flunkey as long as he lives. Another is that of the man who is self-respecting at all times, is loyal in the true sense of the word, to himself, his family, his employer and all of his friends. The man with the last conception can be trusted anywhere to do anything that he undertakes to do; he lives decently, respected by all and when he dies faces the future without fear in his heart. The other fellow ekes out a mean existence and it would have been better for all concerned if he had never been born. He helps no one while he lives and his mode of thought and manner of living is a bad example for others.

The men who are now working in the "Katy" telegraph offices are trying to earn a reputation as being loyal to the company's interests. But how about their loyalty to their fellowmen, their co-workers and their dependent families? Could men who willingly trample the best interests of their craft under foot in such a manner, for such a paltry reward ever be loyal to anything or anybody?

It is fitting that such men should be shunned and despised by their co-workers over after when they have made such an exhibition of degeneracy and meanness. At the present time some of these delectables are writing under assumed names to get a copy of the M., K. & T. Scab List. That matter is evidently worrying them, but they

can rest easy for awhile as the list will not be printed until it is known to be complete or nearly so. At the present time names are being added to it every little while. As the intention is to print about 50,000 copies there will be plenty for all interested. They will be nicely illustrated with half-tones, and every telegrapher in the United States, Canada and Mexico will eventually have one in his pocket for ready reference.

How's this for a letter:

"Kindly mail me a copy of your October issue of THE RAILROAD TELEGRAPHER and oblige; also a copy of your new book, entitled "Scab Book," of which your September number speaks. I am very sorry I am not an operator, or possibly I might become interested enough to become a member."

The writer is a telegrapher now, working in a striker's place, but as there is a chance of getting him to quit, no names are given.

October 21st.

Did you ever think of the immensely increased earning capacity of a freight train over that of a "prairie schooner?" In olden times an ox-team would haul three thousand pounds of freight in a wagon and the tariff for such hauling would be about seventyfive cents per hundred pounds per hundred miles in a level country. A stunt of twenty miles per day was considered very good work and entirely satisfactory to the owners of the outfit. They managed to get good dividends out of their investments.

An ordinary locomotive, we will say, hauls sixteen hundred tons of freight one hundred miles in one day and the cost of running the locomotive is about twenty-five cents per mile. There ought to be enough money in such business to enable the managers of it to pay fair wages and handsome dividends.

As it is, such railroads as the Missouri, Kansas & Texas only pay fair wages when it is forced to do so, and everybody knows it has had to pass dividends on its preferred stock even in its most prosperous times.

The secret of it is that the road has been severely financed in the past. In other words

it is trying to earn dividends on money that never was actually put into the concern, and its fixed charges keep it constantly skimming between the devil and the deep blue sea.

To cut off ten per cent of its earnings is to change its status from a solvent concern to a loser that every investor would wish to steer clear of and give a wide berth.

Do you think that the telegraphers' strike has cut off ten per cent of the road's earnings for the months of August, September and October?

Do you think it is possible to make the present conditions continue for years to come?

Do you think that ill-feeling toward the organized telegraphers will be sufficient reason for the owners of the property to continue the conditions that now exist?

We will leave you to answer these conundrums and make your own deductions from them.

As you are aware, the telegrapher who reads nearly all the business and social secrets of the community in which he resides, in the telegrams he handles, is the most universally trusted man anywhere; usually he has the implicit confidence of the public, and from the nature of his business it seems absolutely imperative that it should be so. Instances of breach of trust on their part are so rare that few persons can cite an instance of the kind, although there are more than forty thousand of them in the business.

It used to be urged as an argument against telegraphers organizing that their fealty to their organization would probably cause them to betray the interests of their employers for the benefit of their organization. They have been organized for over eighteen years but no one ever heard of such a thing really happening.

Telegraphers take pride in the trust naturally imposed in them and carefully avoid anything that savors of a breach. The best element in the telegraphers' business has organized under the banner of the O. R. T., and there has been a drastic weeding out process to separate the tares from the wheat. This constitutes the strength of the organization.

The people now being hired by the M., K. & T. are the weedy ones whose records were a bar to their eligibility; they are dissolute in their habits and many of them criminals by inheritance. If the railroad officials do not know this they are in a fair way to find out. The public entrust their confidential affairs to them will also have unpleasant experiences.

A railroad is adopting desperate measures when it discards its old, tried and true employes for such riff-raff as now hold forth on the "Katy."

The accounting department is now in such shape that it will take a year or more to straighten out the business that has been done in the past three months. There are whole divisions of the road (and many of them), without one competent telegrapher. An operator was seen recently trying to take a train order from the dispatcher for over thirty minutes and when he thought he finally had it, it was on three different pieces of clip and had to be re-copied on the train order blank. That re-copying and scratched order business that is now prevalent on the road will lead to grief sooner or later.

SO

The situation is steadily growing worse for the company, and consequently better for the men. It is merely a question of time; even if the present situation was left alone, when the trouble would become intolerable and there is no intention of leaving it alone. Other movements are under way that take some time in preparation, but when they are completed they will be effective.

Water constantly dripping on the hardest rock will eventually wear a hole in it, and by the same token the telegraphers must wear out those who are opposed to them making a decent living.

Following are taken from letters and tel

egrams:

FROM ATOKA, I. T.

"At the present time outside of the way freight crews, the "Katy" is now running eleven chain gang crews and they are not making full time. At this time last year the "Katy" had twenty-two chain gang crews to do their business. While it is true that their business has increased some

since the strike was called, but then it is not to be compared with the business they were getting at this time last year. At all competitive points there is a marked decrease in both passenger and freight traffic."

FROM ITALY, TEXAS.

"Mr. H. A. Devanna is agent for the "Katy;" was formerly chief clerk in local freight office at Dennison; his operator, Mr. M. L. Meeker, was formerly agent at Lewisville. The traveling accountant and route agent come here on morning of 13th and began to check up the station. Traveling accountant left last night after six days of work. Can't say if he got station straightened out or not. Route agent was still in town to-night, suppose from this they have station in very bad shape.".

FROM SMITHVILLE, TEXAS.

"We closed Bartlett telegraph office today and stopped one. None employed. New man at "Katy" has let two passenger trains get away from him in past forty hours, collisions averted by watchfulness of train men."

FROM MUSKOGEE, I. T.

"Two first-class operators in relay office here joined us to-day, leaving the manager alone with the bag to hold. This will probably bring dispatchers back here.

FROM PARSONS, KAN.

"Closed Nelagony, which has fourteen to fifteen thousand dollars monthly revenue, and stopped one."

October 24th.

The stand made by the telegraphers on the "Katy" System indicates that a certain quality that may be called cohesiveness is developing in the O. R. T. that has not been in evidence to any great extent in the past. The strike was entered into as a matter of business, and although it has been prolonged to an unprecedented length, there is still a determination to win, regardless of time, expense and inconvenience.

To confine our attention to the business in hand is the duty of the hour. The results will come as an unerring exemplification of the law of cause and effect. To concentrate our efforts on details to the exclusion of all other distracting things,

with the sole object of winning the struggle, is the plain duty of those interested.

Every man stopped from accepting employment, every man induced to quit the service, every office closed, is a step in the right direction, and from the number of steps now being made it cannot take us long to reach the goal.

The strong disposition shown by our allies the affiliated trades unions to take a hand in the matter before the time is ripe is a most encouraging sign, and it is gratifying to know that the telegraphers have friends eager to do them a good turn. It will perhaps develop the full strength of the federation idea perhaps before the incident closes.

The following item from the Denison News bears upon the subject:

FROM DENISON, TEXAS.

October 19th.

"One of the objects of General Manager A. A. Allen's recent trip over the "Katy" System was to make an estimate of the fall crops, and prepare to handle them. The "Katy" will put on a large number of solicitors in Kansas, Indian Territory and Texas, whose chief duties will be to get business during the fall for the company. The management expects to make special arrangements for the speedy transportation of the crops."

If the allied unions conclude to fight the "Katy" all the solicitors in the world could not restore its business.

October 25th.

That the officials of the company had resolved at first to win this contention against their telegraphers despite obstacles from without or scruples from within was plainly apparent, but there seems to have been a change come over them lately and they have been carrying on their strikebreaking business along cleaner lines. It was probably from the force of a good example. The telegraphers have conducted themselves as good citizens throughout the fight and although in some instances they have been provoked to the limit they have gotten along thus far without one overt act being chargeable to them. Let us hope