The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-07-12
THEY HANctE
NO FREIGHT.
Members of Truck Drivers Union
Refuse to Work.
Every Freight House in Chicago
Is Tied Up.
TOOK OUT WAGONS
And Used Them to Block En-
frances to Warehouses.
Say They Fear Violence From
Freight Handlers Pickets.
ICE MEN LEND AID.
Refuse to Haul Ice to Preserve
Goods Held Up by Strike.
And Used Them to Block En-.
frances to Warehouses.
Say They Fear Violence From
Freight Handlers Pickets.
ICE MEN LEND AID.
Refuse to Haul Ice to Preserve
Goods Held Up by Strike.
jay Morton Takes ReinS and De-
livers Load of Salt.


Chicago, July 12.-Members of the |
truck drivers union, as Individuals in |
sympathy with. the striking freight |
morning and every freight house in the |
city was tied up. The men took out |
their wagons as usual in many in |
stances, only to drive them to the ware
houses and block the entrances and ex- |
its. Fully 100 drivers went in this way
to the freight house of the Illinois Cen |
trail this morning. They backed their
teams up alongside the platforms and
proceeded to wait. They chatted and
smoked, but would handle no freight.
Most of the truckmen who visited the
depotS were from South Water street
where vegetables, fruit, butter, eggs,
poultry and the like are dealt in by
wholesalers.
The other truckmen, it is said. in
many instances, refused to take out
their trucks at all, or having done so,
drove to the headquarters of their un-
ion and begged permission to refrain
from work. They pleaded as an excuse
that they feared personal violence at
the hands of freight handlers on picket
duty, such as befell a number of team
sters yesterday.
j. Thompson, secretary of the union,
told the men that it was their duty to
work as long as work was possible, but
his arguments were not successful. The
allegation of fear on the part of the
teamsters is believed to be merely an
excuse. The real reason, many of them
admitted was that the truckmen de-
sired 70 aid the striking freight hand
lers and would not deliver or receive
freight to or from the non-union men
at present in the warehouses. If the
freight handlers strike is settled today
the teamsters will at once resume work.
Should a settlement fail, it is said COM
mission merchants on South Water
street will lose $500, 900 through the de-
struction of perishable goods today.
While the teamsters were making the
situation extremely embarrassing the
freight handlers We're holding meetings
at which committees were appointed to
visit the railway managers in accord
ance with the plan proposed by the Chi
cago board of arbitration last night. So
many plans of arbitration and compro-
mise have failed that no one could be
found to predict the outcome of these
conferences.
CANAL STREET BLOCKED.
Canal street, which leads to the ware
houses of the Burlington road was
blocked again this morning, double
line of trucks extending from Adams
to Polk streets. distance of five
blocks. Several big firms. after listen
ing to the expressions of fear from their
drivers, decided not to send their trucks
out at all today.
Police guards at all of the depots
were reinforced this morning by bring
ing in more men from the outlying dis
tricts. The policemen stand in pairs to
increase their efficiency and in order to
protect each other against sudden as
Sault. The talk of the drivers was all
on one matter-would the freight hand
lers' strike be settled by noon? From
their words it was evident they were
eager to strike officially in sympathy.
President Hugh MCGEE and other off,
Gals of the truckmen's organization
were importuned ceaselessly to call a
strike, but they steadfastly refused.
The calling of strike, however, would
merely make the present action OF the
drivers authoritative; it would change
the practical situation but little.
The freight house superintendents
were in a perplexing fix Most of them,
by bringing in men from other cities
and towns, to take the places of strik-
ing freight handlers and clerks, had a
sufficient force on hand to handle the
usual quantity of freight, but the defec-
ton of the truckmen left them with no
freight to handle. The non-union
freight handlers found themselves with
almost as little to do as the teamSterS
who blocked the approaches.
The truckmen adopted a plan of cam
paign with the ease born of recent ex-
perfence in the trouble with the pack
ers. At intervals along every street a
teamster, with his truck drawn up to
ever a truck approached the driver was
stopped and informed that the men were
not working today. In this way a ces-
sation of work was brought about al
been had the officials called a strike of
ficially.
The determined attitude of the truck
men during the forenoon was attributed
to desire to furnish the railroad man
ayers with an object lesson as to what
, would happen should they fail to reach
an agreement with the committees of
freight handlers who were delegated to
meet them.
Speaking of the situation Dan Fur
man. secretary of one of the truckmen's
local unions, said:
THE men are out because the officials
could not hold them back. 1t is like
trying to stop Niagara to keep the
teamsters from going to the assistance
of the freight handlers. with whom they
have been associated in their work for
years"
At the headquarters of the teamster5'
union it was said that 5000 teamsrers
were out The addition of the team
sters brings the total of men on strike
to about 10000 men.
Twenty-one cars of vegetables were
taken from the cars at the Illinois Cen
tral yards during the forenoon but none
of 1t reached its destination on South
Water street. Butter. cheese and eggs
In immense quantities met a like fate
at other freight houses. The arrivals,
II Is saic. We're unusually heavy. as the