The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-05-11
VACANT CARS.
st. Louis Transit Lines Work
ing But People Don't Ride.
Gov. Stephens Goes Home With
out Accomplishing Anything.
MILITIA NOT NEEDED.
Will Call Out State Troops IF
They Are Required.
Attempt Made to Blow Up One
of the Cars.
MILITIA NOT NEEDED.

st. Louis, May 1.-THE street railway |
strike situation this morning shows but |
little change from yesterday. About the |
usual number of cars are being run by |
the Suburban. while only a few are out |
on the Lindell division of the Transit |
company's system. No others on the |
latter system are in operation. Police |
protection is still afforded the lines op |
Grating officers guarding each car and |
patrolirG the streets on foot and horse |
back. " hlle the Suburban cars are wan |
patrcnized those of the Transit COM
pany are almost empty. No trouble has
been reported up to 10 o'clock.
Governor Stephens has departed for
Jefferson City after an ineffectual al
tempt to bring the strikers and their
employers together for the purpose of
settling the strike. Before going he
said: Il don't think the situation has
nearly reached the stage where it is
expedient or necessary to call on the
militia. 1 shall expect the police de-
partment to handle the situation for
some time, or until it acknowledges
that under the new law, with an IN
creased force fully armed and having
unusual powers, it cannot cope with the
situation.
When I am satisfied that such a
crisis has arisen I shall then not hesl-
state
IT has been decided by the police Off
cials that there is no immediate neces-
sity for a sheriff's posse commitatus but
Sheriff Pohlman has been asked to be
in readiness to furnish 500 men if called
on to do so. According to President
David Kreyling, of the Central Trades
and Labor union the strike may assume
vast proportions if not soon settled. In
an interview President Kreyling said:
THE situation is far more critical
than at any time since the strike began.
! The action of President Whitaker and
! Mr.. Baumhoff in stubbornly refusing to
submit to arbitration merely accentu-
/ ateS the bitterness of the long fight now
/ inevitable. The fight is not merely one
| OF the Transit company against its en-
| plOyes. 1t is a fight of unioniSm for its
! very existence. Here in the west there
| is no such union as that of the Transit
! company's men. The fight for the life
| of the union must be won if it takes ev-
| cry union man in st. Louis to do it.
| There can be no defeat if laboring
mems hopes and assistance can win the
/ fight. Members of the leading unions
! in st. Louis have canvassed their or
! ganizations and they have reported to
me that their members are willing and
eager to render active assistance. In
! fact they are willing to go out on a
sympathy strike and only await the
word of their officers. That means 100,-
600 men and women will lay aside their
work"
| % IaT the step mas not D6en QeclQeQ
| upon. Such action is not merely
! probability; it will be fact should it
| become necessary to obtain a settlement
| of the Transit company strike"
! Arrange are being made so it
is reported for a mass meeting of union
| labor to be held Sunday afternoon when
| the question of a sympathetic strike will
| be discussed.
In East St. Louis. where all the en-
| ployes of the East st. Louis Electric
| Railway company were ordered to strike
| yesterday in order to enforce their de-
mands for the reinStat tement of dis
| charged men and a Teadjustment of
wages and hours, most of the lines are
| running today. The crews of only ten
! cars are out and the company has de-
| cided to close down the Missouri Avenue
| line on which traffic is light until the
| trouble blows over. No trouble is an
! ticipated by the management of the
| street railway company.
! While a car on the Lindell line was
| going west at Garrison and Washington
| avenue shortly after a. m, a man
| placed a white object on the rail. The
| motorman paid no attention to him and
| did not check the car When the wheel
struck the white object there was a
| deafening report, and the car was sur
rounded with smoke.
Passengers were terrified, but no in
Jury was done to the car and no one was
hurt. The substance placed on the track
is supposed to have been cotton There
is no cleW to the identity OF the man
who escaped
BY noon the cars were running at
four-m minute intervals between Taylor
avenue and the Eads brids- About 20
cars are in operation, and each had on
! board from six to eight policemen
There was no interference on the part
of any one and when it became evident
there would be no trouble a consider
able number of persons plucked up
| courage and took passage on the cars.
Somebody placed a number of torpedos
on the tracks near Eighth and Wash
ington avenue. These exploded with a
loud report but did no damage.
PRESIDENT HAWES' STATEMENT.
President Harry B. Halves of the
board of police commissioners issued a
statement today as follows:
THE situation today is more promis-
! ing and is mainly due to the efforts cf
". D. Mahon, national chairman of the
Amalgamated Street Railway union
| and his able assistants, Edwards and
Messick These gentlemen have wisely
taken the position that disorder and vi
| olence will injure the cause of the Strik-
ers and those strikers and their sym
| pathizers who engage in acts of law
| lessneSS in a mistaken idea that they
are assisting the case of the striking
employees are, as a matter of fact their
| worst enemies.
IF 1 understand the position of the
| labor leaders, it will be impossible for
the railroad companies to secure
enough men to man and run their cars.
! The sooner the streets are cleared. and
this fact is demonstrated to the general
| public the sooner the weakness of the
! companies pOsitiOn-according to the
| labor leaders-Wiu be demonstrated
'.There is no question now as to what
the real issue is between the men anC.
the companies. 1t is a straight-out de-
mand to unionize the roads. The other
propositions presented by the committee
sink into insignihcance beside this par
amount issue, and can be easily adjust
81 a F%a4 its determination am 51ad