The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-05-25
KING BOYCOTT RULES.
concluded from First Page)

losing vast sums of money Its cars are
practically tenantless. The Farwell-avenue
district, carries possibly two-thirds of its
normal number of passengers: and the
Wells-street line almost one-half the usual
number. On the other lines car after car
bowls along without even an occupant ex-
cept motorman and conductor. The open
ly avowed oojeqt of the boycotters Is TO
hands of receiver. But nobody pities the
company. General business Is what suffers.
The merchant is between the devil and the
deep sea. II his wife's sisters husbands
grandmother rides on a street car or his
nephew's second cousins roommate goes TO
work for the street-railway company he, is
boycotted. If he escapes the boycott his
business suffers anyhow from the general
stagnation. Trade is paralyzed. The big
are SO largely made UP of seasonable goods,
have already lost thousands on thousands
of dollars.
SUSPICION EVERYWHERE.
Every business man seems to suspect ev-
cry other man of being an agent of king
Boycott" He may rail in private at the
conditions now crushing his trade. but ne
says not word in the open. Ask him to
give an opinion for publication and he turns
pale. Editor Rublee, of the Sentinel, seems
to be the only man in town willing to be
quoted. His diagnosis of the causes leading
up to the strike and boycott is in line with
whas has already been said about the
growth of public sentiment against the
street-railway company. Il don't assume TO
be an authority on this question" he says,
but there may have been grievances back
OF the strike which needed attention. But
this boycott Is killing the town. The pea
nut politician Is In the ascendant in Mil
waukee. and he is making all the hay ne
can out OF the existing conditions. Nobody
can tell where 1t will end. / think the peo-
pie will get tired of this fpolishness, though,
after awhile. So far the weather has IA
V0FQ6 h0V00ff N Stnrr1v
ing it,"
The situation has its humor. The average
man begins 20 inquire and then to swear If
the street car he Is on happens to be delayed
thirty seconds. Yet he will climb into a
bus. patiently wait ten minutes until the
getting home at rate no faster than he
could walk Not only men. but women and
ago crowd that blocked the street surged
out Of one OF the theaters and stood calmly
in a pelting rain until each could crowd into
a bus. All the time empty street cars were
rolling by. one every half minute. IL is this
sprit-humorous to look at, yet heroic-that
makes King Boycott the master he is. Not
only will these people refrain from riding,
but they will report where 1t will be most
effective, anyone seen riding. In this way,
planned. the system built up is a marvel of
perfection. This spirit pervades all classes.
Captain Pabst. head Of the big brewing firm.
knows the workingmen drink his beer. The
other morning he and his wife and daughter
rode down town from his mansion In bus.
Even the hremen who can ride free on street
All these vehicles are by courtesy
called omnibuses One wonders how some
of them were omitted from the worlds fair
collection showing progress IN transporta-
ton methods. AT the beginning of the strike
the ex-employes of the street railway COM
pany proposed 10 parallel every street car
line with bus line. The City Council politi-
clans helped them by RENTING the usual
bus license fee. There were not enough
needs. So agents were sent into the, country.
Everything equipped with so-called springs
and capable Of holding seats has been put
In service: Compared with some of them a
prairie schooner would be a palace of lux
ury on wheels. Even the big platform spring
wagon in which farmer Snodgrass takes his
family TO the county fair has been given a
white cotton canopy and commission in the
bus line service. Chicago has contributed
to this service, too-careworn carettes full
of years and bearing the marks of much jolt
ing over granite pavements. But these nom
descripts are well patronized. The strikers,
in the old uniforms. act as agents, starters.
conductors and in some cases drivers.
THE CITY BOYCOTT MAD.
The town has gone boycott mad. There
was even talk here early this week of boy
cotting the Detroit baseball team because
advertisements of nonunion cigars were
painted on the ball park fence in Detroit.
A leading contractor in the building line
was warned that his employees might make
trouble II he did not stop buying his after
noon cocktail at the Pfister bar. The boy
cotters have apparently only just discovered
the potent possibilities of the weapon they
are welding and seem to take keen delight
In studying out new methods Of using 1t.
ton and by its size, offers exceptional OPP
portunities for a struggle Of this kind. If
| the town were bigger the boycott would not
hold If it were much smaller there would
be little opportunity for making simple
street-car ride such vital issue. for walk
The man with a pencil is busy on both
sides of the question. The friend of the
company figures this way: The company
| crease Of cent an hour IN the wages Of ap-
proximateiy nine hundred men working ten
hours day would mean the addition Of 50.
day 10 the companys operating ex-
| penses. That would make total OF $32. So
| increased expenditure in year, represent
ing $4,000 cash fares at cents ride 1,
how, according to the table of wages APP
| pended to the company's answer to the de-
mands Of toe men: That table showed that
compared with other big cities. Milwaukee
| street-car men were getting more wages
| than the same class Of employees elsewhere
The friend of the strikers fignres thns Tht
| street-railway company Is spending approx.
mately $1,000 In feeding and housing its new
/ employees. In three weeks IL has paid ou
| in this way almost as much money as the
| Increase In wages demanded by the old mer
would amount to in a year. Aside from this
| item its system has been operated at cost
the regular cost in the time Of peace-oi
more than $1,000 a day. For three weeks
the company has had practically no income
| another loss Of approximately 5000 a day
1 IL Is easily seen that the company's pocket
has already suffered many thousands more
/ than the higher wages would have cost Blu
1t has stood by it's principles.
The action OF the Merchants and Manufac-
| turers Association yesterday indicates thai
business men are recovering their nerve but
a mn rflor1
| written resolutions will be needed to break
| the boycott. 1t Is one thing to agree what
/ should be done. and another thing. to do it
| Every business man knows the boycott Is
| threatening the life of the city and ought Il
be broken. but whether he will, as an indi
| vidual. try his best to break il or CAREFUL,
protect himself and leave the other fellow.
| TO do the breaking is a question A GOO.
| many feel like Governor Peck. Il have beer
| cussed," he says, for not riding on tn,
| street cars. have no quarrel with the com
pany, but It's cause is not necessarily m,
cause. / have friends among the enemie.
| Of the company. Having no personal inter
| ests at stake do not see why should pref
! udice myself either way by taking a hant
| IN the fight
II Is undoubtedly fact that a majorit,
of the people are in sympathy with tn,
| boycott. Their feelings are being kept aliv,
by pronunciamentos, by public meetings, b,
| arguments for competition and Accent fares
by political jugg.ery and by proposition
like that made in Thursday nights mas
| meeting. to appeal TO the State Legislator
| for revocation of the company's charter an,
municipal ownership OF the lines. Tn
| chants who depend upon their patronage do
| AS soon as the commission men declare,