Strike to Help Jitneys?

1916

Wilkesbarre, Pa., Sept. 10. — A general strike of all crafts of labor, numbering approximately 75,000, is a contingency that faces Wilkesbarre and the Wyoming Valley as the result of efforts of labor union officials to obtain an immediate stay in the enforcement of the city ordinance which jitney owners say will make it impossible for them to continue in business. The result, union leaders say, would be to break the street car strike that has been in effect since October 14, 1915.

Mayor John V. Kosek announced on Friday that the ordinance will go into effect at 6 o'clock tomorrow morning.

—The Fryeburg Post, Fryeburg, Maine, Sept. 12, 1916, p. 7.

Wilson's Legislative Program

1916

Washington, Sept. 10 — Whether President Wilson is re-elected or not, he has definitely outlined and will endeavor to put through the following program at December session of Congress:

First, a law patterned after Canadian industrial dispute act, providing that strikes shall be made illegal on semi-public utilities until there has been full investigation and report by an arbitration board to be established. It is his proposition that present meditation and conciliation board shall be strengthened and extended to take over functions of arbitration.

A bill to extend membership of Commerce Commission to nine members, to establish a zone system, and to generally revise powers of the commission so that wages may be taken into consideration is estimating what freight rates are reasonable.

Enactment of the Webb law, permitting co-operation among American manufacturers for export trade.

Additional legislation to be worked out by new tariff commission and to be submitted to Congress with a view to meeting trade conditions after the war.

No formal announcement will be made of this program before election, but the President has informally announced to members of his Cabinet that he intends to make a strong fight for constructive legislation at the December session, regardless of manner in which the election turns out. The President has expressed desire to devote himself in the next four years to more constructive legislation, taking the view that the way has been cleared by the past four years. If he finds he is not to have four years more, he will seek to complete his program at the December session, despite the fact that it is always difficult to get through any bill at the short session.

Incidentally, the President has expressed opinion that he hopes Mr. Hughes will continue to dwell upon the eight hour law, insisting that he will welcome this as an issue. Nevertheless, many advisers of the President are worried about this particular phase of the campaign.

—The Fryeburg Post, Fryeburg, Maine, Sept. 12, 1916, p. 6.

Sympathetic Strike Threatened

1916

New York, Sept. 10. — A strike of stage employes, longshoremen, brewery workers, machinists, bartenders, moulders and printers in sympathy with the unionized car men who quit their places four days ago, was decided upon at a meeting of the heads of their unions tonight, according to an announcement by Hugh Frayne, State organizer of the American Federation of Labor.

A resolution was passed calling upon all unionized wage earners in Greater New York, Yonkers, Mount Vernon, White Plains and New Rochelle to sanction a strike "in support of the contention, of the street railway men of their right to organize." The resolution recommends that the workers in the various trades "lay down their tools until the companies are forced to recognize the carmen's union."

According to Frayne approximately 750,000 men and women are enrolled in the unions which were represented at the meeting tonight.

Before a sympathetic strike can be declared, however, the union leaders explained, it will be necessary for them to call mass meetings of their respective unions and put the proposition to a vote of the members.

—The Fryeburg Post, Fryeburg, Maine, Sept. 12, 1916, p. 6.

Bangor Strike Declared Off

Maine, 1916

Bangor, Sept. 9. — Bangor's street car strike, which has been on since Saturday, August 26, was declared off at 5 o'clock tonight by unanimous vote of the two-thirds of the strikers who had remained loyal to the union. The other third had returned to the jobs as individuals during the past two weeks.

The strike, which lasted two weeks, has been accompanied by violence, which cannot be attributed to the strikers. Bricks have been hurled through car windows, granite blocks and sleepers have been placed on car tracks, an imported workman was arrested charged with brandishing a revolver and the feeling on both sides of the controversy has run high. For a time, 80 per cent of the electric car patrons refused to ride on the cars, the electric company carried fewer passengers than ever before. Last Saturday night there was a public demonstration in favor of the strikers.

The strike was declared off by vote of the men following a conference between their leaders and representatives of the Central Labor Union, at which it developed that after September 16, support from the Central Labor Union would be forthcoming.

At the offices of the railway company tonight, it was said that few of the strikers would be taken back, as their places have been filled.

—The Fryeburg Post, Fryeburg, Maine, Sept. 12, 1916, p. 6.

Enforcement in Bangor

Maine, 1916

Bangor, Sept. 6. — Following what is said to have been a stormy discussion with Mayor John F. Woodman, Chief of Police, Lindley W. Gilman tendered his resignation to the Mayor late this afternoon. Tonight the Mayor said that he had not accepted the resignation and probably would not and that matters would no doubt reach an amicable settlement.

Chief Gilman declined to discuss the matter more than to admit that his resignation was brought about by a difference of opinion as to how the liquor law should be enforced in Bangor at this time. The chief of police is appointed by the Mayor, who also has the power of removal.

When the electric carmen went on strike about 10 days ago, Chief Gilman ordered the saloons and bars, said to number 114, holding United States revenue licenses, to close and stay closed. Several who did not obey were promptly raided and fined.

On Tuesday morning there was a general reopening of the bars. Some of the liquor dealers said there was an understanding with the Mayor that they could resume business after Labor Day. Chief Gilman said that he could not be expected to maintain order during a car strike with all the bars open and ordered them to close again.

It is understood that today the Mayor took up the matter again favoring the reopening of the saloons and Chief Gilman passed in his resignation. The saloons are still closed.

—The Fryeburg Post, Fryeburg, Maine, Sept. 12, 1916, p. 6.

President Begins Speeches

1916

Long Branch, N. J., Sept. 23. — President Wilson today actively opened his campaign for reelection with a speech replying to Republican criticism of his settlement of the recently threatened railroad strike.

With emphatic gestures, before a large crowd gathered at Shadow Lawn, he defended the eight-hour day and declared also that the nation must be freed front the possibility of interference with its transportation.

"The chief cloud that is upon the domestic horizon is the unsatisfactory relations of capital and labor," the President said, adding that "so long as labor and capital stand antagonistic the interests of both are injured and the prosperity of America is held back from the triumphs which are legitimately its own.

"Human relationships, my fellow citizens, are governed by the heart, and if the heart is not in it, nothing is in it.

"I have recently been through an experience which distressed me. I tried to accommodate a difference between some of the employes of the American railways and the executives of the American railways, and the distressing thing I discovered was that on the one hand there was unlimited suspicion and distrust of the other, and that that suspicion and distrust was returned by the other side in full measure.

"The executives did not believe in the sincerity of the men, and the men did not believe in the sincerity and fairness of the executives.

"When I carried it to Congress, some very interesting things happened. In the House of Representatives the plan was passed, was sanctioned by a vote which included, I am told, about 70 Republicans as against 54 Republicans; and in the Senate, I am informed, that the Republican members of the Senate had a conference, in which they determined to put no obstacle in the way of the passage of the bill. Now this was because the proposal was reasonable and was based upon right.

"But, ladies and gentlemen, that is not the end of the story. This thing ought to have been done, and it had to be done at the time that it was done, so as to bring about a reasonable trial of the eight-hour day and a careful examination of the results of the eight-hour day.

"But that does not finish the matter. Let me call your attention to what I believe we ought all to be thinking about so as to set the stage for this and all similar cases.

"There are some things in which society is so profoundly interested that its interests take precedence of the interests of any group of men whatever. One of these things is the supply of the absolute necessaries of life. It would be intolerable if at any time any group of men by any process should be suffered to cut society off from the necessary supplies which sustain life.

"These men were dealing with one another as if the only thing to settle was between themselves, whereas the real thing to settle was what rights had the 100,000,000 people of the United States?

"The business of government is to see that no other organization is as strong as itself, to see that no body or group of men, no matter what their private interest is, may come into competition with the authority of society, and the problem which Congress, because of the lateness of the session, has for a few months postponed, is this problem."

To Be Fined for Riding

1916

New York, Sept. 23. — Traction lines of New York upon which a strike has been in progress since September 6, were officially placed upon the "unfair" list today by the conference of the labor leaders which yesterday called for a suspension of work by approximating 600,000 workers to aid the striking car men. Arrangements have been made to picket the subway, elevated and surface lines, it was announced, for the purpose of "discovering the patrons."

Penalties for riding upon these lines will be imposed on members of unions by their respective organizations, it was stated by Ernest Bohm, secretary of the Central Federated Union.

Strike Still Threatening

1916

New York, Sept. 21. — The threatened strike in sympathy with the striking street car employes will be called tomorrow it was announced late today by Ernest Bohm, Secretary of the Central Federated Union. Bohm made the announcement after a conference between labor leaders and a citizens committee which both he and Mayor Mitchell declared had failed in its efforts to avert the strike.

According to announcement late tonight by union officials, the threatened general strike order will include cooks and kitchen help, waiters and bell boys. Virtually every large hotel and restaurant in New York, it was said, would be affected.

Labor leaders were given formal warnings by Mayor Mitchel tonight that he would employ the "full civil and military powers" conferred upon him by law to prevent disorders if the threatened general strike of trades unionists is called tomorrow to aid the street car employes who quit their places September 6.

Maine Notes

1916

With prospects of a big lumber cut this year, the Bangor operators are facing quite a serious problem in getting help enough, and good men are scarce at any price. Wages offered are now from $35 to $40 a month, with board and transportation, much higher than usual. The usual influx of Canadians is lacking.

The Recreation commission of Portland has taken steps to provide a toboggan slide on the slope of the Western promenade during the winter, a sport that has never been cultivated to much extent here. A slide has been maintained by the Portland Country club, but otherwise the general public has been forced to content itself with limited opportunities for old-fashioned coasting.

Lucius B. Swett of Sanford has been appointed Judge of the York county probate court by Governor Curtis to succeed the late Judge Nathaniel Hobbs of North Berwick.

Manager Hugh Duffy of Portland has been given permission to transfer his franchise to another city the choice to be ratified by the directors before becoming effective. It was reported that he would transfer his team to Lawrence or Haverhill next year.

In the Bangor strike, over 100 went out and only 12 have returned to work, the company having filled the places of the others.

Harry A. Dearie, alias Harry A. Devoe of Worchester, Mass., Albany, N. Y., and Oliphant, Pa., was freed of the charge of breaking in the United States District court Friday afternoon but was re-arrested on a charge which accused him of breaking into the post on Aug. 11.

—The Fryeburg Post, Fryeburg, Maine, Sept. 26, 1916, p. 8.

The Right to Strike

1916

Railroads are from their very nature public institutions. They have their being in law, and are governed throughout by legislative enactments. Their rates are limited, and within certain broad lines their duties are prescribed. The advocates of government ownership merely would extend the power of government that now lie latent. Private business may and should control its own affairs; but public business must be subject to such supervision and control as is necessary to protect the rights of the public. This raises the question of the responsibility of labor on railroads or in gas and electric light plants the same as that in a store or factory? A strike in a factory makes little difference to the public at large; and such inconvenience as does follow may better be borne than to interfere with individual initiative. But the strike that ties up a railroad or a gas plant immediately and directly affects the whole public. Clearly the cases are different, and call for different treatment. — The Public.

Paper Mill Strike

Maine, 1916

Tag day sales in behalf of the Westbrook paper mills' strikers in the streets of Portland netted $140.

—The Fryeburg Post, Fryeburg, Maine, Sept. 26, 1916, p. 5.

Prisoner Eats the Evidence

1916

Man Is Said to Have Swallowed Marked $10 Bill.

NEW YORK — Herman Horowitz, who said he was a delegate of the Painters' Union, was arrested by Detective Giery on a charge of extortion. On the way to the station it is alleged that Horowitz seized a marked ten dollar bill, which Giery was holding as evidence, and swallowed it.

The complainant against Horowitz, who is 30 years old and lives in Brooklyn, is Louis Wall, a boss painter. It is charged that Horowitz threatened to call a strike of painters employed by Wall unless Wall paid $10. Wall, it is said, told him to come back later.

Wall complained to the police and Detective Giery was assigned to the case. It is alleged Wall gave a marked $10 bill to Horowitz. Afterward, it is said, Giery arrested Horowitz and says that he found the bill in Horowitz's pocket.

As the detective and his prisoner were on the way to the police station, Horowitz engaged Giery in a fight and wrested the bill from the detective's hand. This done, Horowitz is said to have swallowed the evidence while the detective struggled to save it. Then Horowitz accompanied the detective to jail without further trouble.

—The Saturday Blade, Chicago, Sept. 16, 1916, p. 7.

State May Intervene in New York Strike

1916

Governor Whitman in City to Watch Developments in Struggle Between Street Car Men and Companies.

NEW YORK — Efforts at State intervention were expected when the strike of the street car men's union reached its sixth day. The report gained more credence from the fact that Governor Whitman established headquarters here to watch developments.

The danger of a great general strike to help enforce the demands of the traction employes seemed remote in view of the statement that the only unions likely to be involved in such a movement were those directly concerned with the operations of the street cars. Hugh Frayne, State organizer for the American Federation of Labor, who made this assertion, said that if a sympathetic strike were called it probably would not involve more than 60,000 workers. In this class he named engineers, firemen, longshoremen and teamsters.

The strike involves three counties and the residents of Yonkers, Mount Vernon and New Rochelle are entirely without street car service. Every trolley car in Manhattan and the Bronx stood still Monday night and service was resumed on only a fraction of normal schedules.

The Interborough Rapid Transit Company maintains that subway and elevated trains are running regularly, but the strikers declare that they have made inroads in the ranks of the company's motormen. As a result of the limited service on the surface lines, elevated and subway trains are crowded and the suburban service of the New York Central and the New York, New Haven & Hartford railway systems is congested.

Two Killed in Crash.

The first tragedy of the strike occurred when a trolley car, operated by a "green" motorman, got beyond control as it started down a grade at One Hundred and Seventy-fourth street and Boston road, crashing into two jitney buses.

Two persons were killed and nine injured. Four of the injured were so badly hurt that their death was believed to be only a matter of a few hours.

—The Saturday Blade, Sept. 16, 1916, p. 3.

The Story of The Train Wreck at Great Falls, Montana, 1900

1900

THE STORY OF THE WRECK

Conductor Bingham Tells How His Train Was Ditched.

THE DEED OF A FANATIC

Switch Thrown Was the Only One Unguarded — Two Carloads of Perishable Freight Caused the Attempt.

The Great Northern passenger train wrecked at Great Falls at 10 o'clock Wednesday night arrived in Anaconda at 3:35 yesterday afternoon. Conductor Frank Bingham was in charge.

Shortly after the arrival of the train Mr. Bingham was seen by a Standard reporter. In speaking of the affair he said:

"It was a miraculous escape and the wonder of it all is that it was not attended by some loss of life. I had all along looked for trouble, but hardly thought that strike sympathizers would resort to such a dastardly trick. Before we left Havre we were threatened with trouble. There were two carloads of perishable freight to be taken through by us, a car of mineral water for Goodkind Bros., Helena, and a carload of beer for John Caplice of Butte. Before we coupled these cars onto our train we were warned. In fact, one of the strikers went up to one of my brakemen, George Alexander, and told him that if he dared to couple those two cars of freight onto the train he would be brained with a link. When I heard this I assumed the responsibility of this work myself. One of the strikers came to me and said: 'Bingham, you would not take the bread and butter out of our mouths, would you?'

"I answered that it had cost me 12 years of hard, steady work to get my present job, and that if perishable freight was attached to my train and I was ordered to take it out, I most certainly would do so. As the brakeman was afraid that some one of the strikers would carry the threat to brain him into effect, I went forward, coupled the cars onto the engine and coupled up the air myself. No one attempted to interfere and we pulled out of Havre without further incident. Our run to Great Falls was made without any trouble, and we got into that place five hours late. It was feared there that there might be some trouble, and deputy sheriffs had been stationed at every switch to prevent any attempt that might be made to ditch our train.

"We were just about clear of the yards when a man rushed out and, after the engine, the two cars of freight and the baggage car had passed over, threw the only switch that was not guarded. I was standing in the front part of the smoker, and when the switch was thrown the car I was in and the day coach went crashing into heavy ore cars standing on the track next to the main line. The sides of the two passenger cars were crushed in and several of the passengers were thrown on the floor, but luckily no one was injured. One of the brakemen saw the man who threw the switch, but I was inside. Had I been on the platform and seen the fellow when he made the attempt to murder us I should certainly have taken a shot at him.

"I see by the papers that the strikers state that they were attending a meeting when the switch was thrown. This may be true, but by a singular coincidence a number of people were seen to climb up on cars, and all were watching us as we pulled out, and appeared to know that something was going to happen just when it did. As soon as the wreck occurred three engines and a crew of wreckers were set at work and the spot cleared as soon as possible. We were five hours late when the train was ditched and about 12 hours more was consumed in clearing the wreck, but we finally pulled out and I delivered the two carloads of freight. that occasioned the trouble, to their destination."

"What will be the effect of the strike and what merit is there in the strikers' side?"

"It will he over in a short time. I have a personal acquaintance with a number of the men who went out and some of them are good fellows, but they went at this matter in the wrong way. There is no strike and none was ordered. The men simply refused to work under the new schedule, and they quit. That is all there is to it. They are no longer in the employ of the company and if they do not return to work other men will be brought in to take their places."

Locally the strike has been of no effect. Passenger trains are running as usual and freight is being received for points along the line as though nothing had happened. A great deal of freight is being congested at Woodville, the northern terminus of the Butte yard limit, but it is expected that by to-day sufficient men will have been received to man the trains abandoned by strikers, and that trains will be moved as before. All along the line scores of deputy sheriffs have been sworn in to protect company property, and for the first few days trains will he run under the protection of armed men.

—The Anaconda Standard, Anaconda, Montana, May 4, 1900, page 4.

Note: In the fourth paragraph from the bottom the original article says, "I delivered the two carloads of freight. that occasioned the trouble, to their designation." Designation, not destination. I don't know if that word works, but I changed it anyway.

Overworked Brewery Employees

1886

To the ordinary tramp, who has to obtain his supply of beer by pouring stale stuff from beer kegs in front of saloons into empty tomato cans, from which he quaffs, and runs chances of having the ragged tin cut a hair lip for him, it would seem that the brewery employees, who are allowed unlimited beer free of cost, have a soft thing.

And yet those men, who can drink beer all day without being compelled to put up the regulation nickel, struck for less hours of work and higher wages. To read the accounts in the papers of the amount of beer the workmen about a brewery drink during the day, the reader does not wonder that the men are overworked and asked a reduction of hours.

It is said that some of the men drink forty glasses of beer per day. Considering that they have to walk nearly a block to the extreme end of the brewery yard, where a gentlemanly agent of the brewing company waits upon them without price, it will be seen that considerable valuable time is lost, besides the wear and tear on the men. Of course the brewery employees are able-bodied men, or they could not stand the strain.

Forty glasses of beer put into a stomach in ten hours would seem to be hard enough work for any one man, if he did nothing else. Then the necessity of walking forty blocks and returning to work, makes eighty blocks per day of pedestrian exercise. This of itself is enough to make an ordinary man tired, if he did not have to carry in his overworked stomach forty glasses of beer.

From the statistics it is plain that the brewery laborers are the most overworked of any class of citizens, and something should be done for them. It may be outside the province of the humane society to step in and protect those men, but certainly there should be some organization that can stand between those men and overwork. What is the matter with the temperance societies, in taking hold of this grievance? If the temperance societies are true to their motto, of "Faith, Hope and Charity," they will see a chance to do a great work.

Let each society detail enough of its members to man a brewery, and do all the work. This would leave the regular employees with nothing to do but walk back and forth between the places where the temperance apostles are at work, and the place where the beer is given away. The temperance people could work for nothing, for Charity; they could have Faith that the regular brewery men would draw their salary all right; and Hope they would have a good time.

If the temperance people kick on this idea, it is possible the brewers might employ temperance men to make the beer and do the work, discharge the old employees who strike, and thus save oceans of beer. But if it is impracticable to employ temperance people, and the brewers feel that things must go right along as before, they can save at least the time that the men lose in marching on the beer keg forty times a day, and save the wear and tear on the men, by a simple device which The Sun will suggest.

Each man could be provided with a coil of hose, the small rubber hose such as is used on infants' nursing bottles. A reel could be fixed on the back of each laborer, containing enough of the small rubber pipe to reach from a central tank of beer to any part of the brewery, with a spring, so that when the pipe is uncoiled, and the laborer returns toward the tank, the slack will be taken up on the reel. A nozzle could be arranged near the mouth of the overworked laborer, so that he could take his sustenance at any moment, wherever he happened to be.

Of course a hundred men with hose reels on their backs would look odd at first, but the oddity would soon wear off. Some may think that the employees of a brewery should pay for their beer, the same as bakers pay for the bread in a bakery where they work, shoemakers pay for their shoes, and journeymen tailors pay for their clothes, but this would be plainly a violation of the constitution of the United States. The strike of the brewery laborers has shown that they are the beat treated of any class of laborers in the country. The only thing the public wonders at is that the brewing companies have not been compelled by their employees to give them a house and lot and horse and buggy each. — Peck's Sun.

Fried Chicken Too Much for Negro Hunger Strike

1913

Elizabeth, N. J., July 18. — The manner in which Warden Charles W. Dodd of the county jail broke up a hunger strike today may set a useful example, he thinks, to keepers of English prisons who become custodians of suffragettes.

William Turner, a negro prisoner incarcerated last Sunday, sought to gain his liberty by refusing to eat. This morning the negro had been forty-eight hours without food, when Warden Dodd appeared at the cell with a steaming plate of fried chicken and a large section of a juicy watermelon. One sniff and Turner's hunger strike came to an abrupt end.

—The Evening News, Ada, Oklahoma, July 18, 1913, p. 1.