New-York tribune., 1899-07-20
THE STRIKE AND ITS LEADERSHIP.

The attempt at a general street railroad strike
which was begun in the Borough Of Brooklyn on
Sunday morning was yesterday extended to the
Borough of Manhattan. 1t does not seem quite
so arbitrary in the latter as in the former, be-
cause there has been in Manhattan for long
time on the part of some Of the employees an ex-
plicit urging of grievances and demand for re-
dress, such as there has not been in Brooklyn.
Nevertheless the movement here seems to be
even less serious and less likely 70 succeed than
that Oh the other side of the East River. Only
q small part OF the men on only few lines
have gone on strike, and yesterday the operation
of the lines was only slightly disturbed The
outlook in both boroughs at this writing is that
there will be little more trouble, and that local
traffic will soon be pursuing its normal courses.
The police appear to be acting with as reasona-
BILE efficiency as could be expected in the cir
cumstances Public opinion is certainly over
whelmingly on the side Of order and against the
violent methods which some of the strikers have
employed. There is no danger of any triumph
of mob law in New-York.
One of the most interesting features of the
whole situation in both boroughs is the tone of
the official leadership of the strike. The chief
leader is, of course the General Master Work
man of the Knights of Labor, Mr.. Parsons. We
have already commented upon his attitude tow
ard the Brooklyn strike Down to the very hour
when II began he professed TO be opposed to 1t.
He declared there was no adequate cause for 1t
and that It was being provoked through the
Vaccinations Of a clique of stock jobbing poll
"ticans." whose contemplate work" he prom
ised TO expose to the public. AS soon, however
as the strike was actually begun he declared
himself in hearty sympathy with it, pronounced
1t eminently justlfiable on the part of the men,
and has ever since strangely neglected to fulfil
his promise concerning the work Of the stock
jobbing politicians. Similarly he appeared to be
opposed to the strike in Manhattan. He is re-
ported TO have told the men an hour before they
went on strike that if they struck he would be
"done with them" and to have added an invita-
tion to them to remove themselves from his
presence to the Internal regions. Yet few
hours later when they had gone on strike In
direct defiance of his wish. advice and com
mand, he announced that he would stick to them
until the aforesaid internal regions became good
skating ground. Weather reports from beyond
the Styx are meagre, and we have no means of
determining how long he will have to stand by
the strikers to fulfil his word, but We presume
1t will be a long time.
Nor were these the only interesting features
of Mr. Parsons's leadership He is reported to
have said yesterday that whether or not he
brought Mr.. Nreeland, the president Of the Met
ropolitan Street Railway Company, to terms he
expected TO convince Mr.. William c.. Whitney
who Is reputed TO be one Of the principal owners
of the system-that the men were in the right, or
else to drive Mr. Whitney from the exalted po-
"stion that he has assumed to occupy in regu
''Iatinp the DOlitical affairs of our city" From
which it would appear that there is Senegam-
blan man and brother of political procliyities in
the industrial woodpile of Manhattan as we'll as
of Brooklyn. Really, Mr.. Parsons whets our
His promised revelations concerning
the stock jobbing politicians who have been try
ing TO depress Brooklyn Rapid Transit stock by
means of lawbreaking would make mighty in
teresting reading if ever they were to be read.
If to them be added an account Of the ways
and means by which Mr.. Whitney is to be
turned down." these Secret Memoirs of Gen
eral Master Workman will surpass In interest
the lost books of Livy and the destroyed pages
Of the Sibyl put together. We sincerely hope
nothing will happen TO prevent Mr. Parsons
from making these contributions to the worlds
best literature. They would far more than re-
pay us for whatever inconvenience his efforts at
striking may cause the travelling public. In
deed while as a strike leader Mr.. Parsons may |
not be exactly glitterng success, as the author
Of Penny Dreadful" or even n Shilling |
Shocker' he would have only to fulfil his prom |
se to be unique, unapproachable and sublime.
But, by the way. in this matter Of disputed |
strike leadership, will somebody kindly inform |
us which is Spenlow and which is Jorkins?
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