New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-05-20
THE ST. LOUIS SITUATION.

A general sympathetic strike in support of the
street railway strikers in St Louis has been
recommended by the Executive Board of the
Central Trades and Labor Union in that city.
Each separate organization. however. must de-
eide by threefourths vote to obey an order to
quit work. and it is by no means certain that
such action will be taken. In the mean time
the situation is not materially better than 1t
was several days ago. Only about one hundred
and fifty cars out of eight hundred in operation
before the strike are running, and some of the
lines controlled by the St Louis Transit Com
pany are completely tied up officers of the
company say that this condition of things is
chiefly due TO the lack of proper police protec-
ton while the strikers assert that the company
cannot secure enough men to take their places.
1t will be observed that these statements are
not contradictory. and both, as hey stand, are
probably true. If however. the strikers mean
that the company would be unable TO operate lis
cars if the acts Of violence which began the
moment the strike was declared and have con-
tinued ever since should cease they are doing
nothing TO verify their prediction, and it is
fair inference that they fear restoration of
order would spoil their plans.
1t is authoritatively announced that seventy
employees of the Transit company, chiefly motor
men, have received injuries requiring surgical
most of these cases nothing was needed beyond
a bandage or n plaster or a stitch or two, but
some of them are serious 1t is scarcely an
exaggeration, moreover, to say that every
assault was potential murder. When a man
throws brick at short range he takes no small
chance of killing the person at whom he throws
it. Under the conditions prevailing in ST Louis
it requires a good deal Of physical and moral
courage to run a streetcar and If the company
is finding it difficult to replace the employees
who have abandoned its service and engaged
not unanimously, of course, but apparently in
considerable numbers-in lawless acts the fact
is far from surprising
The public authorities il is said. have been
much impressed by this steadily frightening
list of casualties that they have decided to arm
the police. who are going through the motions of
guarding the cars, with shotguns and orders to
fire when their operation is violently inter
rupted. At this distance it looks as if a great
deal of trouble might have been prevented by
taking this resolve at an earlier date. For
nearly a fortnight men DESTROYS to work for the
wages offered by the company have been abom-
inably maltreated, property has been destroyed,
life endangered and the public subjected to
extreme Inconvenience by a small minority Of
the citizens Of st. Louis. while the municipal
officials have remained either ignorant of their
duty to all the people, the rioters included, or
afraid to perform it. If they have finally got
their eyes open TO the fact that the para
mount and imperative necessity confronting
them is to restore and preserve order the COM
munity for whose common welfare they
responsible has reason to rejoice. whatever the
subsequent result of the strike may be.