The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-06-16
GOMPERS IN COMMAND.
He Has a Conference With
Street Car Officials.


adopted by. the meeting of the striking
street car men yesterday looking to a
settlement of the strike is now in the
possession of the Transit company off
Gals and some kind of an answer is
looked for today. President GomperS
of the American Federation Of Labor,
who had considerable to do with the
adoption of the proposition, called on
President Whitaker of the St. Louis
Transit company today in the interests
of striking street car men and remain
ed in conferenc with him and the board
of directors for some time.
The executive committee of the
strikers union is in session at Wal
halla hall, waiting to hear from the
last proposal. 1t has plenary powers
now to settle the strike at it's discre-
ton.
Mr.. Whitaker said previous to this
conference that no negotiations were on
between his company and the strikers
All the lines are being operated today
without police protection and are ex-
periencing but little interference. Cor
oner Lloyd has resumed the taking of
testimony in the inquest to fix the re-
sponsibility for the death of Rine and
Thomas. 1t is believed the inquiry will
be finished today.
Edward Burkhardt one of the strik-
ing street car men who were shot
Sunday last in the riot in front of the
posse barracks. died today as The re-
suit of his wounds. This makes the
Coroner Lloyd announced that Ed
ward Burkhardt, one of the strikers
who was wounded at the same time,
died in St Luke's hospital today The
coroner stated that this inquest would
also take the death of Burkhardt IN
der consideration.
Louis Myer, Den Haley, W. E. Can
non and Jesse A. White, strikers who
were in the ranks of the parade, tes-
titled to seeing Burkhardt shot and
described the deputy who shot him as
a young man. Policeman James King
testified that after he took the body of
Thomas to the morgue he went to the
posse barracks to get information so
that he could make a report to Police
Captain Kiely.
fColonhsl Cavendar referred me to
Adjutant Webster he said. Il asked
Webster if he knew the name of the
man who shot Thomas He gave the
name of Gardner Mcknight, and said:
| Thomas would have shot me if the
| deputy had not shot him "
H. J. Mccormick, real estate agent
and deputy sheriff in company F, said
| that his company, including Mcknight,
| did not go out in the street until all
the shots had been fired.
J. w. Wilton Cunningham, artist,
| deputy sheriff, company F, testified
/ that he saw Mcknight and Chester H.
/ Kerum come out of the barracks to-
| gether, and that he saw Thomas dying
| in the street before they came out
!
/ that the first volley was fired from the
first story windows of the barracks.
Claude Mathen, deputy sheriff, said
that he was on the third floor of the
! barracks, and that so far as he knew
no shots were fired from the windows.
| Sylvester F7ulghan testified that he
| was discharged from the posse Sunday
| evening for refusing to go out in the
street armed. after the men had been
| killed. Fulghan said: I saw what
caused the trouble. A man in the pa
rade was waving a short stick over the
| head of cOmrade when the stick Slip
ped out of his hand and crashed through
| a window of a car Deputies then ran
out but they caught the wrong man.
Several other witnesses were exam
ined and the inquest was adjourned I'M
til Monday morning.
NEGOTIATIONS DECLARED OFF.
st. Louis, June 16.-The conference
| broke up at 1870 p. M, and President
GomperS announced that all negotia-
lions between the strikers and the
| Transit company were again off Presi-
| dent Whitaker refusing to accede to
| that section of the proposal providing
that the reinstatement of striking en-
ployes should be settled by arbitration
| President Whitaker said the best he
| could do If the strike were declared off
| would be to place the strikers at the
| bottom of the list.
President Gompers made this state
ment regarding the failure to reach an
| agreement:
After three hours and a half dis
cussion with President Whitaker I am
sorry to have to announce that the
| company had declined to submit the
| question of the reinstatement of the
men to arbitration.
| president Whitaker said that as far
as he would go was to promise to place
the striking union men on the list and
give them work as they were called
for
Il suggested that the matter be sub
nitted to a board of arbitration, COM
posed of representatives of the COM
pany and the union as we'll as of honest
and reputable citizens The suggestion
was turned down by Mr.. Whitaker
THE company having declined to
arbitrate the negotiations were OH and
my mission there was ended.
IT am not prepared to say now what
my course will be until 1 have had
time to think the crisis over carefully"
President Gompers explained that the
negotiations had been arranged in this
fashion:
Il sent President Whitaker a letter
Friday morning asking for an inter
view and explaining that done so
pursuant to the laws of the American
Federation and at the request of labor
bodies all over the United States and
of a large number of prominent bust
ness men in this city.
In reply l received a letter from
President Whitaker inviting me to
meet him at his Office in the Security