Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1890-08-30
THE STREET CAR STRIKE.
A Conference Between the Men and the
Directors, hut no Change In the Situa-
tion.

4 Conference Between the Men and the
Directors. hut no Change In the Situa-
tlon.
There is practically no change in the
strike Of the Electric Street Railway en-
ploves. Three cars were run all day
Yesterday. operated by Superintendent
LOTUS and his two sons, while Secretary
Hall, OF the Company. acted as conductor
on one Of the cars. One car ran on the
North Wheeling line, second ON the
"loop.n and the third ON the Benwood eX-
tension.
Yesterday morning about eleven o'clock
Messrs. Richard Robertson and j. II.
Burt. on behalf of the Trades and Labor
Assembly, went to the Office of the Railway
Company, on Tenth street, where they
met Directors ". u. Hubbard and Robert
Irwin The committee stated they had
called to learn whether or not the Direc-
tors would discuss the situation with a
committee of the employees, and were as
sured by the two Directors present that
the committee of five appointed at Thurs
day evenings meeting would be cordially
received. IL was then arranged that the
committee should meet the Directors at
two o'clock in the afternoon, and after a
short informal talk Me5srs Robertson and
Burtt withdrew.
At the hour named the committee OF the
striking employees, consisting Of Messrs.
Patrick Harrington, Thomas Cline, Martin
Carroll, Charles Sylvis and John b. Clark,
went TO the office Of the Company, where
they met Directors w. p. Hubbard, Col. j.
A. Miller John II. Hobbs and Robert
Irwin. conference resulting, lasting about
two hours, but which was devoid of any
practical results II was explained by the
Directors present that a full Board could
not be obtained, owing to the absence OF
President John NJ. Sweeney and several
other gentlemen from the city, and that, as
consequence, any proposition or agree
ment which might be reached would not be
binding on the Company. They therefore
asked that the men agree TO return TO
work and continue on until Tuesday by
which time IL was thought full Board
could be gotten together. This was mol
assented 10 by the men, who said, however
| they would report the matter TO the meet
| ing of the men. They intimated the propo-
sition might be simply move on the part
of the Company 10 secure complement OF
new men 10 take their places They were
willing to confer with the Company, or It's
representatives, but were not willing 10 re-
/ turn TO work in the present condition OF
affairs. Some OF the Directors present in
timated that they were individually willing
TO doall they could, but any action they
might take would not be binding on the
Company, or might possibly be upset.
About four o'clock the confer
/ ence adjourned, with the understanding
| that the committee was 10 talk over the
proposition to 90 10 work until Tuesday
and report their determination TO Mr.
/ Hobbs, al the Windsor Hotel.
When the five gentlemen OF the commit
/ tee talked the matter over among them
| selves. they agreed they would refuse the
proposition 10 return 70 work, and so re-
ported to Mr.. Hobbs The committee then
went to Trades Assembly Hall, where a
meeting of all the strikers, some sixty in
number, was in progress. The committee
reportcd what had been done, and the
mectiugunanimOusly endorsed their action
Thus the matter rested. Some OF the
men tell very circumstantial stories OF the
/ treatment they have received from then
supcriors i'm the employ OF the company
and there is "a great deal OF feeling toward
the two sons of Superintendent Lotus.
who. the men say, treat all they come III
contact with in manner anything bu'
gentlemanly. In fact, this seems 10 be one
of the principal reasons for the strike.
It is also stated b. the men that thC
reason Mr.. O'Brien, one of the Oldest anc
]
the Company, illustrates some OF the petty
! iniustices done them. II is said that Mr.
O'Brien, on one occasion. was at work on
| his car punching out the dates and hours
| on transfer tickets. The light was poor in
| the car, and as the figures on the
cards are quite small, he acci-
dentally punched out the wrong one In a
number Of instances. This, it is said, did
not in any way affect the value Of the
/ tickets. or seriously mix up the accounts,
/ but still Mr. O'Bren was told he must
pay for the tickets, at the rate of five cents
each. This he declined 10 do, aud was
paid off and discharged Under the cir
cumstances. the men thought he ought %
be reinstated.
4 member of the Board of Directors said
last evening. that he had no idea what the
outcome of the trouble would be. Ia re-
gard 10 the alleged bad treatment received
Dv the men. he said he would be willing 10
guarantee that 10 would be stopped, as 10
was something the Directors knew nothing
about. bat n was difficult 10 see how any
concessions could be- made either as 90
hours Of labor or money. iu the absence Of q
quorum of the Board.