The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-07-15
NEARING A CRISIS
Freight Handlers Strike in Chi
cago Shows No Abatement.
500 Policemen Held in Reserve
In Anticipation of Trouble.
GROWING DESPERATE.
Wholesalers Declare Their In.
tention Of Moving Goods
If q Call for the Militia is Neces-
sary to Do 1t.

Ii Call for the Militia is Neces-
sary to Do 1t.
Chicago, July 15.-Eight hundred po-
licemen were held in reserve at down.
town station or at the railroad ware
houses this morning in anticipation of q
possible attempt to raise the embargo
on freight occasioned by the freight
handlers strike and the sympathetic
walkout of the teamsters.
The situation was regarded as even
more serious than yesterday, as the
failure of the conferences was believed
to mean that the merchants, who are
suffering over million dollars loss
every day of the strike, would assume 3
yesterday ), houses in different lines of bus
mess, but especially those handling
perishable goods, declared their inten-
ton of manning their trucks and at
tempting to take freight from the ware
houses Of the railroads After the meet
ing of the teamSters after midnight last
night when 1T was arranged that the
freight handlers should make one last
proposition to the managers the mer-
chants changed their plan of action the
first thing today to await the result of
the conferences.
Few were found to express hope that
and their former employees would
were Instructed among other things.
to demand 171k cents an hour for
truckers and on this point the railroads
have taken a decided stand. Secretary
Driscol of the Team Owners associa-
ton is quoted as stating that eight Of
the railroads were willing to pay 17E
cents, but this being true there would
remain eighteen still pledged to pay no
more than IL cents.
TROUBLE LOOKED FOR.
The extra large force of reserve men
on hand at police stations this morning
was a reflection of the feeling that to-
day more than any other day since the
strike began, was liable to bring forth
trouble. Any attempt of the South Wa
ter street commission merchants to re-
move perishable goods, scores of cars
of which lay spelling on the tracks or
| in warehouses, was regarded as certain
| 70 precipitate conflicts between the po-
| lice and pickets. The tentative plan of
| the big wholesalers and manufacturers
| to deliver freight would, it was judged.
| result in similar conflicts. Said one
wholesaler this morning:
| I'VE are waiting the result of today's
conferences. Should they fail as the
| others have failed, then it Will be a
fight to the finish. We have got to do
| business even if the militia has to be
| called out. few hours VIE tell the
story" =
1 Others expressed themselves in a SINH
| lar vein. One man said that the fight
would be to completely crush the team
sters' union. This union, he said, had
broken IT'S contract maze only IL kew
weeks ago, and as it could not be re-
| lied upon to keep a contract, nothing
remained but to crush it if it persisted
in staying out in violation of its agree
mentS.
Business conditions this morning were
| the same as yesterday, only a little
worse on South Water street. where the
bad effects of the strike have been
felt most severely The warehouses were
almost deserted save for the police who
stood between the warehouses and the
| pickets.
The full membership of the state
board of arbitration, headed by Fred
erick w. Job, held a meeting this morn
ing at which 1t was planned to resume
negotiations towards conciliation as di-
rected by Governor Yates yesterday.
A continuance of the strike threatens
| to tie up building operations in the
city. Several cars of brick were on tho
tracks today, where they have been
| for some time The supply comes in
| day by day, and it is said that the pres
| ent supply will last only a little time,
possibly not more than "a hours Bush
ness Agent Hanks of the Brickmakers'
union declared that should the freight
| handlers continue to refuse to permit
| the removal of brick, between 10000 and
| 10000 men would be out Of work within
| a week.
| Some of the merchants prepared to
| move freight this forenoon, while the
| majority preferred to wait in forlorn
hope this morning to confer with rep
l
means to get their goods started.
| MUCH FOOD RUINED.
| Hundreds Of freight cars loaded with
Pead aards and no eort IS benR
to unload them owing to the freight hand
| fruits and produce. There are cars Of de-
| caying tomatoes. watermelons. berries OF
| every description, butter and the count
less other products Of farms shipped into
the city in the expectation Of being speed,
lily unloaded and transferred to the retail
markets Nor have the cars been re-sup-
A majority of the cars have been stand
ing long that their contents are wholly
spoiled and will have to be burned. The
loss to commission merchants and farmers
will be very heavy.
Hundreds of tons of food. It is said.
The amount is estimated to have been
twice the period of the strike.
The faint hope of settlement of tho
freight handlers strike entertained this
forenoon was dashed shortly after noon
when President Curran received word
that the Erie and the Santa Fe roads
had refused to entertain the compro
mise proposed in petitions presented BY
committees of the strikers There war
only the barest possibility that the other
roads might prove less firm Inc
Northwestern, the Wabash and the
mittees to return later in the day II
was believed the delay was wanted II:
order that conference might be had
| with the other roads. The Erie and the
Santa Fe managenents told the com
mittee they would accept no other set
tlement than that proposed July /. This
is a sitter stand than they have taken
at any time since the date named
Temperatures of Large Cities
Chicago, July 15.-7 a. m. tempera-
lures: New York, IA; Boston. 76; Phila-
| no CHI a. On