The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-07-15
FREIGHT HANDLERS HAVE RE-
FUSED TERMS OF ROADS.
PLAYING A Lone HAND
Despite Refusal Of Federation Of La
Dor to Help Them Decided to
Fight to the End.

the freight handlers strike when the
local unions refused to accept a set.
Element proposed by the railroads and
voted t fight the battle to the last
ditch.
Transfers quit in sympathy and
Hugh MCGEE, president of the Truck
mems union, gave utterance to the
most serious statement of the day.
Mr.. MCGEE said:
1--WE have not given our men au-
thority to strike and are declaring
against such action. We are insisting
on our members living up to the con-
tracts we have made with our m
ployers, but they will not listen to
us and l believe 1000 transfers will
be mixed up in the struggle before
night. We have done our part and
intend to remain true to- our trusts,
but if the men strike despite all our
efforts we are powerless and cannot
be held responsible for their action"
If what MCGEE fears reaches con
summation the worst strike since the
great railway strike will be in prog
ress in Chicago.
Managers of the other roads assum-
ed positions similar to that taken by
the Lake Shore. The hiring of new
men will proceed with greater vigor
than ever and every possible means
of protecting them will be taken. All
the roads claimed that some of their
old men were back, having refused
to join the strike. Mr.. Brown said
that so per cent had returned to the
Lake Shore and that his force today
was much larger than he needed.
The detection of hundreds of. team
sters today and the probability of
sympathetic action on their part will
make no difference in the attitude of
the roads, the managers declare. The
curtailment of the trucking service
will affect business houses, but if
successful it will also compel the rail-
roads to check shipmets to Chicago
from outside points, as otherwise
their warehouses will soon be hope
lessly crowded. Mr.. Browns ultima
tum was received quietly by the e
Meanwhile the decision of the men to
flight to the bitter end" was made
evident by decisive movements. dele
cations of pickets marched to all the
freight houses. They stopped wagons
and vans and chiefly by persuasion
(although there were a few scuf1es)
got the drivers to turn back with their
loads. BY noon it was said that prac-
tically no teaming was being done
at any of the freight houses.
The scene at the Burlington ware
house was typical of the others. Two
hundred wagons were lined up on
Canal street when the delegation of
strikers arrived. Members of the del
egation mounted platforms and wag-
ons and made speeches, appealing to
the transfers Gin the name of union
brotherhood" to stand by the freight
handlers. The speeches went on for
fully half an hour. Meanwhile other
trucks and wagons continued to ar
rive and Canal street and it's intersec-
lions near the warehouse were soon
congested for blocks. In the con-
but the police who came rushing to
the rescue found no fighting-only
wagons going away empty or partly
loaded.
The news Of the failure of peace
plans was received by the big whole
sale houses who will be among the
greatest sufferers, with gloomy words
and faces, having brought them t a
realization that a severe struggle of
some length probably stares them in
the face. They are already much
behind in filling orders and it was
said that more men were laid off to-
day.
The cessation of work by the team
sters crippled business on South
Water street. All the loads SEM to the
various depots after the early morn
ing hours were returned to the con
signors. The big commission firms
suffered great financial losses as a
result, the goods being mostly perish
able.
Will Fight It Out.
Chicago, July 1O.-The striking
freight handlers this morning voted
to refuse the terms presented NV tha