West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1900-06-28
THE BIG STREET
CAR STRIKE.
Cause and Effect and Some Inside
Information
On the Great Labor Trouble In ~.
Louis.
ST. LOUIS, Mo-,
June n, 1900.
Editor Argus

INC 81. LOUIS street car strike and
the causes leading up to it, | will
now endeavor TO do so. For most
OF the information | have been able
to secure, | am indebted to DIR.
Cline II. Bartlett one Of the most
prominent supporters OF Trade
Unionism in this city and a man
very closely allied to the members
OF .the Street Railway Employees
Union, as he has charge of their
insurance feature.
Until recently the $50 miles of
street railway in this city was owned
and operated by several independent
companies. Recently these com
panies came together and consoli-
dated, all the lines in the city Eek
cepting one, the ST. Louis & Subur-
BAN forming the St. Louis Transit
company.
This company is capitalized at
500, 900, 900 though the real cost of
the property is said to have been
$50, 900, 900, the other 500, 900, 900
worth of stock being water, but, of
course, good dividends were paid
on it.
This street car trust, for such it
is, is the most powerful corporation
doing business west of the Missis
sippi river and practically controls
the politics of the city and State.
Gov. Stephens is said to have
been paid SO, 900, 900 to sign the
Transit company's franchise, and
many other State and city officials
of both parties received big slices
of the stock to put the deal through.
After the consolidation Mr..
Baumhoff was made Gen. Supt. i.
and he agreed to break up the
union in 80 days. He commenced
at once by inaugurating new
schedule from top to bottom.
First, the men were worked on
what is called swing runs six hours
in the morning and six hours at night
and four hours in the afternoon.
They could not get sufficient sleep,
could not become acquainted with
their families, and if they laid off
at all, they had to lay off for two
days and lose two days pay in addi-
ton to other expenses.
Second, the men had to put up a
deposit to secure the company for
their badges, tools, etc, etc. This,
in St. Louis, amounted in the ag-
gregate to S64, 500, which tidy sum
they have the unrestricted use of
continually.
Third, Supt. Baumhoff used his
power to force the men to vote as
he dictated, in order that the com.
pany might always have control of
enough men in office to secure any
valuable franchises they might see
fit to demand in the future. His
(Baumhoffs) antagonism to union
ism arises from the fact that union
ism curtails his political power
over the men in his charge.
Fourth, the Hon. ID. r. Francis
and other large stockholders desired
to depress the stock of the Transit
company sufficiently to freeze out
the small shareholders and secure
the controlling interest in the com
pany and its valuable franchises
before the Inauguration of the
Worlds Fair in 1903. To this end
they did all in their power to bring
on the strike and now refuse to
make any effort to end it. Mean
while the stock has gone down and
they are buying up all they can get
hold of at any price on the quiet.
Then politics is cutting an enor-
nous amount of ice in the deal
which the intelligent people of St.
Louis denounce as the vilest con
sPiracy in the history of this badly
managed city.
As the matter now stands the
"scabs" are getting So per day,
board and lodging for g hours
work, while the regular men we're
averaging 81 80 per day, no board
and no lodging for 70 hours. The
men want 70 hours consecutive
work in the "a, and s. per day and
the demand is reasonable. They
are willing to submit their cause to
arbitration, but the company positive
ly refuses to have any further deal
ings with them.
This is the situation today and
everybody is wondering how much
longer IL can last. TO quote Dr.
Bartlett, there should be no fight
between labor and capital-each
is necessary 10 the neither
can do without the other. OF the
two labor is the more important
because the best able TO get along