The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-11-25
PEACE DECLARED.
Chicago City Railway Strike
Brought to an End.
Agreement Signed and Ratified
by Both Sides.
STRIKERS TAKEN BACK
Question of Wages to Be Settled
by Arbitration.
Company Appears to Get Best of
Settlement.

Chicago, Nov. 25.-The Chicago street
car mems strike was brought to a close
today by the ratification by the men
of a compact agreed upon by their lead
ers and representatives of the company.
After thirteen days of turmoil, service
on the various lines of the Chicago City
Railway company, operating an area of
80 square miles, was resumed.
The strikers met in Federation hall,
their headquarters, and the place was
crowded when President Buckley of the
local organization called the meeting to
order. The first act was to exclude
newspaper men from the hall and for
nearly two hours thereafter the public
was ignorant of the details of the pro-
ceedings.
Sounds indicating that speeches were
being made and frequent cheering gave
evidence that the terms arranged by
the strike leaders were acceptable to
the men. The first news from the hall
was that the men, by practically a un-
animous vote, had accepted the PROPOSE
ton to arbitrate the matter of wages
the scale to be based on wages paid in
other cities. Soon a second announce
ment proclaimed the acceptance of the
whole compact. With this announce
ment came the statement that the union
men had been ordered to report to the
various barns ready to take out cars
Immediately.
The agreement as ratified by the
men and previously accepted by rep
resentatives of the company, provides
for the settlement of the wage queS-
ton by board of arbitration Their
present wages are not to figure in the
calculations, but instead the new
scale is to be based on the market
value of the mems services AS the
company claims to pay the best wages,
the new arrangement it is thought may
not esult in an advance of the pay
of the employees.
Clause of the agreement provides
for the betterment of the working
by the company in conference with a
committee of trainmen. The company
retains the right to run as many cars
6S are necessary at all times, "endeav-
oring always the agreement runs, ito
make the work as agreeable to the
men as is consistent with the per-
formance of its duty to the public"
The third and last clause provides
! that the strikers shall be taken back
without prejudice. Membership in the
union shall not constitute proper cause
for discharge from the conDany's en-
ployment. With this exception, the
company retains the right to employ,
/ discharge or discipline its employees as
/ it sees At.
The agreement was passed unani-
mOusly, but not without careful consid-
GRAFTON. About two-thirds of the mem
bersbip of the union was present. Some
dissent was expressed in the discussion
by the cablemen. but they raised no
protest when the vote was called for.
There is general satisfaction among
them and the peace as arranged by the
officers was overwhelming
AT MAYORS OFFICE.
Chicago, Nov. 25.-The strike of the
employees of the Chicago City railway
was settled at an early hour this morn
/ ing at a conference between the mayor,
/ dent Hamilton and E. r. Bliss, counsel
for the company, and the executive
board of the local union of the strikers.
! The basis on which the settlement was
! reached is a complete victory for the
company as far as the original demands
of the men are concerned.
| The only important concession made
by the company was an agreement to
reinstate all the strikers, including the
outside unions who went out in sympa-
they with the trainmen, with the excep-
tion of those who restored to violence
/ during the trouble.
The arbitration of the scale is to be
according to the wages paid outside of
Chicago and not on the basis of the
! local street railways. These are the two
points that have been the stumbling
block to a peaceable adjustment of the
strike for the past week.
The company has insisted that it pays
higher wages than any similar corpora
/ ton in the country. The men were fear
full that the arbitration on the scale
paid in other cities would decrease their
wages and they fought stubbornly for
their point
With the strike leaders and the COM
pany officials formally agreed on terms
of a settlement, interest today centered
on the ratification meeting of the men
called for o'clock
An hou< before the time set many
carmen gathered in the vicinity of the
meeting place in Federation hall The
tenor of the mems comment on the
agreement reached in Mayor Harrison's
office after midnight was that the peace
act should be ratified, despite the fact
that the men do not get by it nearly all
they asked.
President Mahon, of the Amalga-
mated Association of Street Railway
Employees, said:
I think the men will be back at work
by noon and eat their Thanksgiving
turkey with consciences satisfied with
the good fight they have made since the
walk out thirteen days ago.
1t is estimated that the strike has
cost the company loss of $254, 1S9 in
receipts alone and has cost the men
$50. 54S in wages lost.
| Street car service was resumed be-
fore the ratification meeting on prac-
tically the same basis as at other times
during the strike. A few more cars
were used, and there were fewer police
men aboard No attempt was made to
open new lines.
I'VE are going ahead just as if no
agreement had been reached, pending
ratification or rejection of the peace
terrns.'' said Mr.. McCulloch, before
starting the cars out