The Tacoma Strike, Undone and Redone in a Single Day

TACOMA, July 15.—[Special.]—There was a stampede among the Northern Pacific strikers this forenoon. Noon was the time limit for them to apply for re-employment. A sufficient number joined in the stampede to warrant the company in stating that “all hands excepting seven-eighths of the firemen reported for duty,” to answer to which statement the American Railway Union held an enthusiastic meeting and declared their intention to stay out as ordered by Debs.

In connection with the willingness of the Northern Pacific engineers to return to work, a grave charge is made against Debs. It comes from the company that Debs was playing the engineers—that is, the Brotherhood engineers—and in keeping them out on strike he was secretly advancing his American Railway Union firemen to a position to usurp the places of the Brotherhood engineers. In evidence of this it is said the American Railway Union firemen on the Northern Pacific system have been quietly slipping away to take positions as engineers on other systems, and a large number of Southern Pacific firemen have applied to the Northern Pacific for engineers’ positions. All of this the American Railway Union men say will be news to Debs.

Believing the strike off, the Northern Pacific mathematicians have set to work to figure the cost. Approximately the system was earning $40,000 per day, which for the twenty-one days’ tie-up aggregates $840,000 loss in earnings, or possibly $1,000,000, including deputy marshals’ expenses and losses from burned bridges, injury to rolling stock, etc. Of this a large bulk of the earnings would have gone for wages, as the employees on the Pacific division receive $100,000 per month, and, there being about 15,000 employees on the system, their pay would amount to about $750,000.

Believing the strike won, some of the Northern Pacific officials are willing to review its effects. For twenty-one days there has not been a train through East or West, either way, from either St. Paul or Tacoma. The tie-up is admitted to have been very effective, and it is supposed the great showing of men applying for work and being assigned to duty by the company was in the nature of a “bluff” which broke the ranks of the strikers. “We had a small pair,” says a railroad strike juggler, “and it took the strikers pat flush.” Of the 15,000 men employed on the Pacific division, 6,500 struck, 1,500 had to be laid off in consequence of the strike, and the balance were kept in continuous employment. Of the non-union men employed during the strike, it is officially admitted now that 65 per cent will be dropped for incompetency and other causes, when the old men are re-employed. Of the 35 engineers employed to fill the places of the 92 Brotherhood engineers on the Pacific division perhaps a dozen can hold their position in competition with the competent old employees. The same holds true in other branches.

This morning’s stampede to the Northern Pacific was followed tonight by a stampede back to the American Railway Union, the firemen deciding by a vote of 64 to 6, the switchmen unanimously, the trainmen by a split vote, and lastly the engineers at midnight sending a committee to the American Railway Union, stating that they would remain out. The American Railway Union adopted resolutions denouncing the Northern Pacific’s alleged stampeding tactics and calling upon all to join heartily in the fight for right and justice. It is understood the following sent tonight by Debs to Chairman Crehau had some influence with the engineers:

“Chief Arthur admits that he is filling the places of striking engineers with scabs. Cincinnati, Toledo, Chicago, St. Louis, St. Paul and other most important points are absolutely solid. Disregard rumors and newspapers. Advise other near points. Tremendous meetings here today. We are all right.”

Assistant General Superintendent Dickinson, of the Northern Pacific, returned tonight on the first through train from the East, and says the entire road will be open as usual tomorrow. All passenger trains were run on this division today, and a solid train of tea from the Orient, which has been sidetracked two weeks, was started for Chicago.