Scranton General Strike

The Scranton General Strike of 1877 was a violent episode of the nationwide Great Railroad Strike of 1877. Joining the nationwide strike, railway workers in Scranton, Pennsylvania won the support of other sections of the city’s workers, including coal miners. The strike in Scranton resulted in the shooting death of four strikers at a labor demonstration, and heightened the tension between workers and owners in the northeastern Pennsylvania industrial city for years to come. The next year Scranton elected Terrence Powderly, a leader of the Knights of Labor, as mayor.

Origins of the Strike

Burning of Pennsylvania Railroad and Union Depot, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 21–22 July 1877

Pennsylvania was among the states most affected by the Great Railway Strike of 1877, with major conflicts taking place in a number of cities, including Philadelphia and Reading. The last strike to occur was the one that took place in Scranton. As elsewhere, tensions were high in the anthracite coal region due to falling wages and high unemployment. One observer stated “the great trouble here in Scranton is our population, an excess of miners for the work to be done.”[1] The strike was foreshadowed by the decreasing of the miners’ wages and by the large national railway strike.

On July 23rd, the members of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad in Scranton proposed that their wages be restored back to what they were before a recent 10% reduction had been imposed. However, the Great Scranton Railroad Strike of 1877 began on July 24, 1877 at 12:00 P.M. when 1,000 employees of the Lackawanna Iron and Coal Company, which was actually a steel company, peacefully walked out of work stating that they could not continue working for the same wages they were receiving. This company had no affiliation with the railroad workers. The railroad workers learned the decision that their wages would not be increased and they also struck at 6:00 P.M. on July 24th.[2] The railroad workers knew their importance to the other industries on the area and knew that it would affect other workers. One man stated, “If the coal trains shall cease to carry the coal to market, the mining of coal must cease.”[3] The men also peacefully struck and the trains were left in place as they went home for the night. The strikers allowed some passenger trains reach their destinations along the tracks. They did not however, allow mail to enter the city. The workers believed that by them striking, the railroads would be closed and would therefore stop the shipment of coal. The strikers met that night at Father Matthew Hall and agreed to “Be in favor of maintaining the peace and quiet of the city in every emergency.”[3]

By July 25th, every industry in the city except for the Pennsylvania Coal Company was stopped, and the strike involved over 30,000 workers in Scranton and its vicinity, while the city’s population was roughly 40,000.[2] On the morning of July 26th, Mayor Robert H. McKune proposed a group of armed “Special Police” to help maintain order in the city. This “Special Police” was necessary, he claimed, as there was no militia to be called in to help with this strike since they were stationed all over the state dealing with railway strike-related struggles occurring in Altoona, Harrisburg, and Pittsburgh. This group was later renamed to the “Scranton Citizens’ Corps”, which boasted 116 members.[4]

By August 27 there were rumors that the strike was weakening. In the mines, volunteers took over the pumps to prevent mines from flooding. There were only minor acts of violence, though the Citizens’ Corps continued preparing their ammunition and guns for a possible confrontation.

July 30th was a quiet day. At 11:00 A.M. the men from the railway brotherhoods met with the mayor to discuss the strike. It was resolved that the men would vote on returning back to work at their old wages. By 4:10 P.M. the first train was back on the tracks. Telegraphs from the city went to New York and Binghamton stating, “all was going to be right again”. The men received some of their minor demands, but not a wage increase, which they too knew was most likely not going to happen.[3]

Massacre

Attack upon the Mayor of Scranton, PA

On August 1st, the peace came to an end. Workers converged on an open space between a hill and the city’s iron mills at 8:00 a.m. During the meeting, it was rumored that the manager of the Lackawanna Iron and Coal Company, William Walker Scranton, would reduce wages to $0.35 per day. Mr. Scranton later denied this, yet it was all that was needed to spur this group of workers into an angry protest.[3] Men yelled, “Go for the shops!,” and the crowd moved on the Lackawanna Iron and Coal Company. In response, Scranton led an assembly of the Citizens’ Corps.

According to an accountthat attempted to justify the shooting of the workers, the demonstration turned into a “mob” that threatened the mayor’s life. In this version of events, property was attacked and workers yelled “Kill the mayor!” Workers also allegedly attempted to take guns from The Citizens’ Corps, which, it was claimed, only then fired shots into the crowd after a shoot-to-kill order from Mayor McKune. After the first shots from the soldiers of the Corps, the whole mob dispersed in only three minutes. Three men from the crowd were shot and killed and one was severely wounded and died a few days later. The total number of wounded was never disclosed because men did not want it to be known that they were associated with the demonstration. After this event, troops were requested from the governor’s office, which relieved the Citizens’ Corps and imposed martial law on the city.

Consequences

Following this episode, Judge Hart from Washington County was brought in to deal with the court case. All 52 men of the group led by the mayor were tried for murder. The men were acquitted and were found not guilty by a jury.[5] The strikers did not return to work until mid-October as winter was nearing and they soon needed the money to help provide for their families in the colder months. On October 19th, Governor Hartranft (John F. Hartranft) told President Hayes that the troops could be withdrawn.[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Distress of the Miners, New York Times Article Published 8-6-1877
  2. 1 2 A General Strike At Scranton, New York Times article published 07-25-1877
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Logan, S. C. A City's Danger and Defense. Or, Issues and Results of the Strikes of 1877, Containing the Origin and History of the Scranton City Guard. Scranton, PA: Philadelphia, of the J.B. Rogers Print., 1887. Print.
  4. ↑ Foner, Philip Sheldon. The Great Labor Uprising of 1877. New York: Monad, 1977. Print.
  5. ↑ The Scranton Libel Suits, New York Times Article Published 9-8-1877
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