The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-07-11

employ of the Oakland Consolidated Street
Railway Company, which operates lines III
Berkeley, are up in arms to resent what
they claim is base insult accorded to
themselves and their families by the Ca
zette, Berkeley daily newspaper.
The article to which they take excep-
tons is, in part:
The electric railway cars are turning out as
very dangerous institutions, as far as young
ladies are concerned. The most of the motor
men and conductors are young and unmarried
men, who have no fixed place of abode They
are here to-day and gone tomorrow, yet they
are nearly all what is known as "mash-
ers," ana many young girl has been led
estray by them. No matter what electric line
you may pick out, you will find the conditions
the same.
Take most any evening after 8 and 8 o'clock
and take ride from one end of the line to the
other and you viii obtain all the evidence you
desire. Ii there is not young girl on the front
PLATFORM talking to the motorman, there Will
be one on the back platform talking to the con-
ductor. II they are not on board when you
get on the car, possess yourself in patience, for
they VIII be on before you complete the "Trip,
and you will find the same condition of affairs
until the last car has gone over the line. This
IS not on one car but on many, and while these
girls are on The cars no attention whatever Is
pa1Q 10 passengers. 1t would be well for parent
to tnd out where their daughters are after dark
and In whose company they are, and then
there would be fewer heartaehes for the
parents and fewer ruined and desolate girls.
The contemporaneous local papers have
taken up the insult and boldly denounce
the statements made in the Gazette. One
OF them in an article yesterday said:
The editorial is not only reflection on train
men, but is SANDER on Berkeley and the Berke-
ley people. The article must refer to Berkeley
electric lines, and is an implication that our
young ladies are not only exceedingly toollsh
hC al De- y al
State has fewer girls who are more carefully
trained and watched over than this university
town. There is here very little Irritation, run
nlng around" tendency to social eVlls, ana 1or
local paper to SO disgrace itself and our fa1r
city as TO charge BerkeleyS daughters with
widespread and continued immortality is a piece
OF 1mperunence, an outrage and insult not soon
TO be forgotten or forgiven.
If the paper means what it says it ought to be
forbidden entrance to every respectable house
in town. II it does not mean what 1t says 1t
ought to tender an AFFECT apology-hrst to the
conductors and motormen and next to the
ladies IL has slandered.
Superintendent Grimm of the railway
company, whose employees feel themselves
to have been insulted said of the article
referred TO that it was base SANDER per-
petrated against the most gentlemanly and
honorable class of workmen in the coun-
try He said further: "My men are very
much hurt over the sweeping declaration
OF the conductors and motormen on the
night runs are married men, living in
private homes, and the cowardly blow was
aimed at the faithful woman at home"
There has been talk among the men OF
suing the institution which has taken such
decided stand against them for libel.
In defense of themselves a number OF the
conductors have published, in an open let
ter, the following:
The article referred to starts by assuring the
reader beyond any question OF doubt that the
electric street-railway was very dangerous
institution. as most of the employees were
young unmarried men and great firts." This
assertion is fallacious, as three-fourths OF the
men on all the street railways OF this company
are married and residing in permanent homes
The statement egarding the leading Of young
girls dstrdy is deliberate falsehood born OF an
impure Imagination that sees in the slightest
action of another the reflection of his own evil
heart of sensuality. We ask the prisoner before
the bar OF public opinion to cite q single in
stance that has come to his personal knowledge
OF one girl led dstrdy By streetcdr conductor Oh
Hl0t0TmGa
Water Company's New Work.
The Alameda Water Company broke
ground yesterday for the laying of main
from Ward street to Ashley avenue.
Miss Lockyer's New Complaint.
Miss Carrie Lockyer of Berkeley has
filed her second amended complaint in heI
breach of promise suit against Major John
f. Hays of Oakland. Hays insists that
he was sincere in his attentions to his
fiancee and had no intention of breaking
off their engagement, but Miss Lockyer
doubts the sincerity of his protestations
and says that the sickness of her lover s
father came in conveniently as an excuse
for Major HAYS to sever the engagement,