The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-05-01

Since the street cur strike was inau-
gurated more than three weeks ago.
several attempts have been made to
bring about a settlement-and all with
out success. The latest attempt along
this line ran through Saturday and
+. Sunday and this, like the others, has
PROVEN unsuccessful. The result Is that
this morning the situation is more
strained between the Wheeling Railway
Company and its late employees than it
has been at any time since the strike
began-in fact the situation IS unbear-
able and >anrot continue In Its presen!
form.
The board OF directors OF the company
and representatives OF the strikers were
brought tosethc. on Saturday afternoon
at the city building through tho good
offices OF the special council committee
recently appointed 10 exert every effort
possible TO end strike that Is having q
paralyzing effect on all branches of
business in the city. The council conn.,
mittee acted with considerable tact,
and accomplished Its mission-the
bringing together OF the contending in
eerests. AS . result conference be-
tween the company's directors and the
strikers representatives was held. OPEN
tnG ut . o'clock IN the afternoon and
continuing until midnight Saturday. As
Will be seen from the detailed proceed-
ings printed elsewhere, the Saturday
fr,t
cided. howeved. TO come together again
Sunday afternoon at . o'clock.
The Sunday conference was opened at
$50 O'Clock. The company's directors
assembled In the chamber of the first
branch Of cOurcil. Will. the strikers
committee gathered across the hall In
the chamber OF the second branch. The
conference continued until AGO o'clock
The directors made frequent trips be-
tween the Two chambers In an effort to
bring ICout settlement. Finally. at
500 O'Clock. after the directors had been
comforting with the men some fifteen or
twenty minutes, the conference came to
its conclusion, and 1t was announced
that all efforts TO end the strike had
been unsuccessful, and that negotla-
tons between the two sides were OFF.
AT the conclusion OF the conference
Treasurer Rein Orr, OF the street car
workers national union. who had met
with the strikers representatives, made
the following statement:
The company wanted to take the
average wage paid In all cities between
$4,000 and 100000 inhabitants In the
United States. and they would pay one
half cent mroe than the average wage
In these cities. and the minimum would
be not less Than l6 % cents. The COM
mittee. after considering that proposi-
ti"n. offered to work for 81 Is per day OK
nine hours. In reply the COMPANY Of
Tered to pay seventeen cents. The COM
mittce's reply was that they could not
accept that, but would make another
concession TO nineteen cents per hour
The company then offered seventeen
and ona-half cents, and said this wus
their H'ttmatum. and stated that unless
this was accepted negotiations would DO
OF and they would retire We were I'M
able to do anything else and retired"
On behalf ot the board OF directors OF
the company. President T. Fl. Gender
man made the following statement to an
lntel!iSencer reporter Just before he left
for the east:
We met the committee OF opr old
employees again this afternoons In pur-
night before parting. The situation was
carefully canvasSeG. and finally to dis
pose Of the matter and clear up the
difficulty, we offered the men seventeen
and one-half cents per hour which Is
virtually 10 per cent advance over the
o!d pay-$2 10 per day OF twelve hours,
All other questions originally involved
In The ontroversr' had been settled nj
the conference Saturday night in which
the special council Committee assisted so
kindly and 50 ably. The men yielded
frst 10 nineteen and one-half cents per
hour, and later TO nineteen cents. Their
disposition from the beginning, however,
was an unyielding one, ard hat, been so
from the start. Al negotiations are
now off, and we will eadeavor to serve
me public without regard to the cost.
We proposed 20 increase the mems pay
10 figure more than what they de-
!nanded-from 81 % to 81 10. The popu-
lar Impression that they struck for n
living wose' is erroneous; they want
nine hours work at twenty cents. which
would make their daily wage 81 so.
while We are willing to give them 81 10 n
day. II appears us though the stree.
car workers union Of the United States
was not able to handle this matter. and
mad 10 have the assistance OF the Ohio
Valley Trades and Labor Assembly: but
Tor the interference OF the assembly We
could have reached settlement.
To the Wheeling public ! will say
that our officials have carefully prepar-
ed statistics OF the traffic OF the Wheel
ms Railway Company, and assert that
we would be giving our men more than
the Increase In our traffic when we nd
vance their wages from sixteen cents to
seventeen and one-half cents an hour,
The men have taken the ground that
they cannot live on 81 % q day: In spite
OF ihnt they are striking to reduce their
wages to 81 so dry. and they have ac-
tually offered 10 work for 81 Is day OF