The Railway Union Rebuilds in Secret

The American Railway Union proves to have been by no means killed by its defeat in the great Pullman strike of last year, for James Hogan, who was recently in this city as advance agent for E. V. Debs, is now traveling along the Coast reorganizing the union, and will shortly be in Seattle. The leaders of the American Railway Union now admit that their defeat was due largely to their own mistakes in organizing too hastily, not being sufficiently careful in the admission of members and conducting their proceedings too openly, but the success they achieved in the Great Northern strike and the extent of the Pullman strike and the determination with which it was fought has convinced them that its fundamental principles — the union of all branches of the railway service in one organization — is the correct one. They are, therefore, going over the ground again, reorganizing the union as a secret body, with signs for use among the members similar to those of fraternal societies; carefully canvassing the fitness of the members they admit and preparing for another struggle whenever circumstances may force it upon them. This is the work on which Mr. Hogan is now engaged, and he is reorganizing the local unions wherever they have dropped out, and visiting all those which have remained alive, instructing them in the new work. The Seattle Union has already been reorganized on the new plan; for although the displacement of those of its members who were engaged on the Northern Pacific and Lake Shore roads reduced its strength considerably, the employees of the Great Northern formed a strong nucleus and it is gaining new recruits. The local leaders of the American Railway Union claim that it is rapidly gaining new strength all over the country and that this revival has made it necessary for the national officers to put ten new directors in the field to carry on the work of reorganization. After the great Pullman strike the brotherhoods of engineers and firemen expelled those members who took part in it, but are readmitting all who wish to return to the ranks. They are said not to be returning in very great numbers, and the firemen's brotherhood recently appointed two additional grand masters to build up the organization again, but it is reported that they have not been very successful. It is claimed by adherents of the American Railway Union that members of these brotherhoods, as well as the Brotherhood of Railway Trainmen, are flocking into their organization and leaving their separate brotherhoods. What action has been taken by the Brotherhood of Trainmen in regard to the readmission of members who took part in the strike is not definitely known, but is supposed to have been the same as that of the engineers and firemen.