Telegraph Strike Paralyzes Regional Rails
Union telegraphers strike across the Great Northern and Northern Pacific lines, leaving passengers and freight stranded during the height of the harvest.
All union telegraphers of the Great Northern and Northern Pacific railways went out on a strike yesterday afternoon and evening. The men were ordered out by President Perham of the Order of Railroad Telegraphers. The differences have been the subject of negotiations since May, and it is expected that both sides are set for a struggle. The operators demanded the reinstatement of three men discharged by the company 'for cause,' which was unconditionally refused by the roads. Other demands include increased wages, shorter hours, and extra pay for overtime and Sunday work. The railroads are reported to be securing outside operators as rapidly as possible. On the other hand, the men have selected a most opportune time on account of heavy passenger traffic to the Fair and heavy freight traffic in moving the wheat crop. Incidentally, the innocent third party—the public—is getting it in the neck just as hard as usual. Times like these make converts to government ownership of railways.
“Incidentally, the innocent third party—the public—is getting it in the neck just as hard as usual.”
This 1905 labor dispute reflects a classic tension between essential infrastructure and the workers who keep it running. The paper's conclusion regarding 'government ownership' highlights how early 20th-century readers frequently viewed utilities and transit as a public right rather than a private corporate asset.
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