Charles Fessenden Morse, general superintendent of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Rail Road Company (AT&SF) of Topeka, Kansas, writes to Governor George Tobey Anthony, also of Topeka, concerning a strike of railroad employees occurring in the company's Eastern Division. The report describes the activities of the striking engineers and firemen and Morse's response during a five day period from April 3 through April 8, 1878. Organized strikes occurred on several AT&SF lines in Kansas east of Newton. Morse primarily discusses the actions of striking workers at Emporia and Topeka. The report further discusses the inadequate response by local law enforcement and the eventual use of the State Militia to restore law and order. This strike followed the Great Railroad Strike of 1877 which began in West Virginia but spread quickly across the country.
Kansas Memory
Kansas Historical Society
Charles F. Morse to Governor George T. Anthony - 10