THE PINKERTONS IN CALIFORNIA— CONCLUDED. DESTRUCTION OF THE UNITED BROTHERHOOD OF RAILWAY EMPLOYEES.
The Pinkerton Agency did its best to break the strike of the Federation in Colorado, and met with doubtful success. It crushed the strike of the coal miners, and almost totally disrupted District No. 15 of the United Mine Workers. The Agency also signally defeated the strenuous efforts of President I Mitchell to establish a local of his order at Rock Springs, Wyoming, and in addition destroyed a local union of the Federation at Keswick, California. However, we venture to assert the Agency will agree with us that its crowning achievement of the last decade was the destruction of the United Brotherhood of Railway Employees.
The railroad brotherhoods hold a commanding position among the great labor orders of this country; but on the whole, their system of organization is rather defective. Imagine the many different departments of a great railroad system working at cross-purposes, and you will have a fair conception of the organization of the railroad men's unions, and will also understand why it was found necessary to wage a war of extermination against the United Brotherhood.
An employee of a railroad generally belongs to one or another of the following unions :
Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen.
Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen.
Brotherhood of Railroad Conductors.