The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-08-01


city where he has every opportunity to
witness the workings Of the boycott in
stItuted by the street railway strikers,
told reporter Saturday Of what he had
seen near where he resides during the
last few days.
1.-THE striking ex-employes Of the
street railroad company" he said,
make the modest request of the long
suffering public that 1t shall, for the
sake of the strikers. desIst from riding
upon the street cars, and as the fear Of
being struck with brick or blown up
with nitro-glYcerinG might not deter 1t.
they are now using their strongest
weapon, the boycott. They have their
spies, who are always on the lookout,
who take the names of people who dare
to ride-men, women, and children, and
then, as a punishment to them and
warming to others, they are boycotted.
"Aien and women, having business
down town and having their homes in
a section of the city that they cannot
reach by train, and being obliged either
to go by the uncomfortable, crowded,
back-breaking buses, which are in
many cases old huckster wagons clean
ed and furnished with seats and can
vas cover. and driven at a slow, jog
glng gait through the hot sun and dust,
or to take the open. roomy, swiftly
moving street car. II they dare to take
the car their names are given to the
unions of all kinds, and II 1t is a man In
business for himself he is practically
ruined. II It is the wife or son or
daughter OF business man 1t is the
same thing. He sends to the butcher,
with whom he has dealt for years. to
the grocer, to the baker. to the coal
dealer, the druggist, for meat. for pro-
visions, for coal, for medicines, to be
refused by them all. He goes to the
barber to be shaved. The barber tells
him he can do no more shaving or hair
cutting for him. He has been steady
customer to these tradesmen for years,
paying all his bills promptly. That
makes no difference. The strikers un-
ion has ordered them one and all, to
have no more dealings with him. Nor
Is thls all that he must endure. His
children are hooted at and called vile
names by the street arabs In the vicin-
ity, and his front yard is nightly decor
ated with painted boards bearing the
inscription 'scabs live here or We ride
on scab cars and every ayallabI? tin
can, broken bottle, old pail, and decay
ed vegetable in tn, neIghborhood he
will find upon his lawn or front steps
In the morning.
HE had been proudly imagining for
years that he was free born Ameri-
can citizen, and II he wished to ride
upon a street car he might do so. pro-
viding he paid his fare and behaved
like gentleman.
THE street car ex-employes COM
plain that they suffered oppression at
the hands of the officials of the COM
pany, but they in turn now Cypress
thousands and thousands OF innocent
people. The citizens OF Cleveland would
very gladly use the street cars, but
do not dare, for there Is the skull
crushing brIck-bnt, the death-dealing
ltro-glycerine. and the mercIless boy
colt to prevent. And this is the land
OF the free and the home Of the brave.
Let US not make that boast again; It Is
too ridiculous.
Another aspect of the situation is
entirely ignored by the strikers in
their calculations Mt all, and that is
the drain that is made upon the purses
OF great multitude that can Ill afford
1t.
"The cash girls and boys, the girls
who clerk in stores and work In busI-
ness houses and factories Of all sorts;
the women who Glenn Offices and store
rooms, In many cases It takes half they
can earn to pay their fare to and from
the city. They are Obliged to rise emily
In the morning, are later In getting
home in the evening. and many deli
cate girl, tired with the long, hot day
mt the store or factory, finds herself
desperately fatigued with the long ride
in the uncomfortable bus or the tire
some walk she must take to reach her
home.
81 know one cnse Of nm honest. hard
working woman, widow with six chill
dren. She had had toIlsomc time to
food and clothe them. Two OF the boys
are now old enough to help her. 1t costs
her sixty cents day to send them to
their work. sum that would almost
provide for the family. and that would.
at any rate. more than pay the house
rent. She washes md irons every day
in the week. and feels It cruelty hard
that they can not use the street cars,
and anxiously wonders how she Is to
nay for the winters coal, and the
clothing that Is needed for the children,
with this constunt'drnln upon her scan
ty earnings. These men who claim to
have suffered from the oppression Of
their employees. have certainly not
learned compassion for others
"a neatly-drcsscd. understanding
woman went into drug store one even
ing this week and asked for some med
lclne. Before the druggist could MI her
order. several women-wlves OF atrIk-
ers-cnme hurrying in md ordered the
drugFist not 10 give anything to that
woman. She Is, they said In no gentle
way, the wife Of one m those dirty
low, mean. snenllng scaba, and II you
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