The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-12-18

PHILADELPHIA, Dec. ll--Rnlld-
delphia is all but at the mercy OF a
gang of hoodlums, and the traction
strike lis not yet twenty-four hours
old. Tonight not a street car of the
Union company is running, and that
company controls every line in the
city with the exception of two COM
paraltively short cross-town lines.
From early morning until dusk. as
each branch line made desperate eff
forts to start. bowling mobs sur
the motorman and conductor, smashed
the windows. cut the trolley ropes and
wreaked all possible destruction until
the attempt was abandoned. The
strikers take little if any part in the
work of destruction. This was in the
hands of the inevitable rowdy element.
Many persons were injured by flying
missiles. and thousands of dollars
worth of valuable property was de-
Stroyed.
Five Hundred Police.
Five hundred extra policemen were
sworn in by Mayor Warwick tonight,
and these. with the regular force of
2,10O. will make an attempt to quell
the rioters tomorrow. They have Or
ders from Mayor Warwick to carry
their batons unsheathed. Should this
fail, the governor will be appealed to,
to order out the militia. The city's
executive declared tonight in unmis-
takeable terms that this strike is no
longer a contest between a railway
company and its employees, but a. bat
TIQ hptWppn tho aify and wiz nd
the City will win, if it takes the United
States army.
Situation is Grave.
The situation is one Of the gravest
the city has ever been called upon to
encounter. Tonight the staff officers
of fthe National Guard of Pennsylvania
are in their armories, uniformed and
armed in case of need. Three procla-
nations We're issued by Mayor War
WICK this afternoon. First he appealed
to all good citizens to assist the au-
thorlties in maintaining order. and to
that end to refrain from gathering in
croWds on the street. Secondly he or
dered the summary closing of all
liquor saloons; and, thirdly, he asked
all women and children to STAY at
home
The war itself remains unchanged.
The traction leaders refuse to listen
TO any suggestion from the other side,
and indeed no effort is being made in
that direction. The strikers are firm
and determined to fight it to the bitter
ehd, IhTee mass meetings were held
tonight in various parts of the city.
I,hey nave almost universal sympa-
thy, not only from conservative citi-
zens. who. while deprecating vto-
lence. declare that the strikers have
right on their side-but from labor
unions throughout the country.
Begging For an End.
Inc olhces Of the mayor and director
OF public safety were besieged all dav
py prominent citizens seeking an end
of the battle. Among these were John
Wannamaker, ex-Chief Justice Paxon
+ "A. b. Werner, William l.. Elkins'
A. j. Cassett, Rufus Shapley, Caleb B.
foX-all of whom are more or less con-
nected with the traction interests.
John LoWber Walsh, president of the
Union Traction company, was in and
out of the offices from early morning
until late tonight. At 10 o'clock tonight
ne bustled in to tell the mayor that
the mob surrounding the car stables
at Eighth and Dauphin streets, where
the main offices of the company are
4OSSoHNN, was AliIICcAsolIS dllQ luTSdCGI-
ing violence. Additional details of DO
licemen were promptly despatched to
the scene.
j. j. Sullivan, president of the Elec-
eric Traction, one of the branch lines,
was recognized by a. mob at Fourth
and Market streets this afternoon and
the clothes were almost torn from his
back before policemen rescued him.
Separate letters were sent to the
mayor this afternoon by MIR. Walsh,
Mr.. Sullivan and William H Shelmer-
dine, president of the Peoples line,
declaring that the city and county will
be held responsible for the value of the
property destroyed today.
Strikers Not to Blame.
President w. D. Mahon of the Ma
tional Amalgamated Association of
Street Railway employees, who was
controlling the strike, made a state
ment to the public tonight. He de-
clared that the strikers were in no woy
to blame for today'S disturbances;
that the disorder and destruction of
property was the work OF persons not
connected with them. The committee
decided also to again caution the men
against violence and to request them
to use their best endeavors to protect
the company's property. The company,
u,
the trouble by refusing to listen either
to the employees or the citizens COM
mittee
On the dozen divisions of the conl
pany today an aggregate of about fifty.
six cars were started out. The tota
number in the service of the company
is 1900 The entire road covers about
500 miles, and over 5000 men are en-
ployed. Tonight about 5000 of these
are out There are all sorts of rumors
One is that the electricians of the com
pany will join the ranks of the NAL
contents. Another that armies of rail
way workers are bound for this city
from Brooklyn. Baltimore, Indianapoli:
and other points, either to assist OF
take the place of strikers.
At q Mob's Mercy.
Over a hundred arrests were MADE
today and nearly all the prisoners were
held for hearing tomorrow One youth
not a striker, was held in $4,000 bail foa
cutting the rope on a mail car. HI
will be a, government prisoner. Large
details of police are on duty at every
car stable and points along the princi
pal thoroughfares. Not only riding, bu
walking, was next to impossible OF
Chestnut street today. The whole popu
lation seemed to be on this and neigh
boring thoroughfares and in the wa!
peculiar to tine public, seemed to EMO.
the excitement.
For several hours the street was prac
tically at the mercy of a mob. Son'
merchants boarded up their windows
About 2 o'clock the traction officials at
tempted to start the Chestnut stree
line. The cars reached "a point east o
Rroad and from that street to- Eiglltl
street, a distance of six miles, ajbou
twelve cars were drawn UP, when
crowd of boys began to tannt tn