The Butte inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1901-1912, 1902-07-12
DRIVERS WANT OFFICERS
TO DECLARE A STRIKE
Sixteen Thousand Men Now Out-Some
Drivers Claim That They Are Afraid
Of Violence and Others Openly Admit
Their Sympathy for the Freight Hand
lers-Have Plenty Of Men to Take
Strikers Places in the Freight Sheds.
IBy ASSOCIATED PREss.1

Lbi ho9o,lHlGD IRESo.J
Chicago, July Is.--Members of the
Truck Drivers union, as individuals, in
sympathy with the striking freight hand
lers, refused to haul freight this morning
and every freight house in the city was
tied UP. The men took out their wagons
as usual in many instances, only to drive
them to the warehouses and block the en-
frances and exits.
Most of the truckmen who visited the
dcpots were from South Water street,
where vegetables, fruit, butter, eggs, poul-
try and the like are dealt in by whole
salers.
The other truckmcn, it is said, in many
instances, refused to take out their trucks
at all, or having done so, drove to the
headquarters of their union and begged
permission to refrain from working. They
pleaded as an excuse that they feared per-
sonal violence at the hands of freief
handlers on picket duty, such as bcfaS
number of teamstcrs yesterday.
J. Thompson, secretary of the uni,n
told the men that it was their duty to
work as long as work was possible, but his
arguments were not successful. Many
teamstcrs admitted that they desired to aid
the striking freight handlers and would
not deliver or receive freight to or from
the non-union men at present in the ware
house. If the freight handlers strike is
settled today the teamsters will at once
resume work. Should settlement fail, it
Is said. commission merchants in South
Water street will lose $500, 900 through the
destruction of perishable goods today.
While the teamsters were making the
situation extremely embarrassing the
freight handlers were holding meetings at
which committees were appointed to visit
the railway managers in accordance with
the plans proposed by the Chicago board
of arbitration last night.
Police guards at all Of the depots were
were reinforced this morning by bring
ing more men from the outlying dis
tricts.
The policemen stand in pairs to in
crease their efficiency and in order to pro-
tect each other against sudden assault
Practically on Strike.
President Hugh McGee and other off.
cials of the truckmen's organization were
importuned ceaselessly to call strike, but
they refused The calling OF a strike,
HoWSNSI, WOulu IhSICiy uldkC TIC dCIlOUS
Of the drivers authoritative; it would
change the practical situation but little
The freight house superintendents were
in perplexing fix. Most of them by
bringing in men from other cities and
freight handlers and clerks, had suf-
quantity of freight, but the detection of
the tr,,cl,,y1af, 1eff tbe,,, with fro;,bt
to handle. The non-union freight handlers
found themselves with almost as little to
do as the teamsters who blocked the apv
proaches.
The determined attitude of the track
men during the forenoon was attributed to
desire to furnish their managers with all
object lesson as to what would happen
should they fail to reach an agreement
without the committees offering and others
who were delegated to meet them.
Speaking of the situatAn, Dan Furman,
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 try
ing to stop Niagara to stop the teamsters
from going to the assistan)e of the freight
handlers, with whom they have been as
sociated for years"
At the headquarters of the Transfers
Union it was said that 5000 teamsters were
out. This, it is said, left less than 200
men in. and these, it was stated, would
drop their reins as sod, as word could be
got to them.
The addition of the teamsters brings the
total number of men ON strike to about
10000 men.