Waterbury Democrat., 1903-02-02
STRIKERS STATEMENT
Gives Some of the Reasons for Saturday Nights Row-Ad- wise Their Friends To
 Use No Violence
 Still Firm.

The strikers executive committee issued the following statement this afternoon.
 To-day is the twenty-third day of our strike and finds a great change i'll the situation since our last statement A riot participated in by perhaps 5000 people on Saturday night explains why to-day our city has about 800 state militlamen within it's borders.
 Concerning that riot and is subse- qnent result we can state frankly that no one regrets the occurrence more than do the strikers for whom we speak We abhor such conduct. We haven't asked for or shown any desire for such outbursts. We don't want any Friends of our cause can do us no good by law breaking or bolster ousness. Friends of our cause will not do so We can say right here without fear of contradiction. that i'll the twenty-two daily statements which we have issued prior to to-day, nothing has appeared therein which could in the slightest way be interpreted as en- couragin. any outbreak of feeling like that of Saturday night. On the con- trary, we have counSeled peaceful methods Ut all times, and we think the conduct of the strikers throughout this strike has been such as to warrant no unfavorable criticism. And now, we are going to give you Dome of the. reasons, in our mind, for Saturdays affair. We believe that we are ill bet ter positions to judge these causes than editors sitting at their desks and hgur- ing things out theoretically. or clergy whose ealing does not permit them to come into contact with the populace as ours does.
 We believe that the arrogant po- sition taken by the general manager of the company had much to do with that terrible riot To have the official of Il company which got local fran chise worth millions from this city for nothing come out publicly and state that he has been allowed by that com pany S1OO,0OO to crush out out eighty workingmen was, to say the least, an unwise publication and created considerable feeling. This feeling was increased by the imperious stand that same official took when waited upon by T reputable commits representing the business men of the city; also when the clergymen's committee called on
 
 than the city which made his company possible and hardly q public statement of his appeared without containing tinging Of sarcasm and bitterness. This morning he is quoted as saying he has a lot of hoodlums to deal with.
 Another thing which may have fos- tered ill feeling which was given full sway on Saturday night has been the action of the city court since the strike began. TeamsteTs who drove upoK the company's tracks and delayed the cars of the strike breakers were fined sixty days in jail. Strike breakers arr rested for carrying concealed weapons l were let off for s and costs. A little ! fellow found with two stones in his 1 hands, which he had not thrown. but l who convicted himself by telling the officer he was going to throw them at q car, got thirty days in jail. If severe penalties to our friends and light ones to our enemies were calculated as being a good influence toward avoiding l trouble and stopping the strike, we point to Saturday nights riot for the contradiction of that idea.
 Then the new men, the strike break ers they have had something to do ! with that affair. We have repeatedly 1 told of their insulting women along their route. They have also insulted our men who wear the white badges. And in Saturday nights crowd we know of one man whose mother had been insulted by one of the strike I breakers. Whether or not he took oc- I casion to avenge her it is not for Us to say. I "As we said before. however, we want to see no such incident as Satur. l day nights duplicated. Such outburs, are not in line with our idea of con. l ducting q strike. The action of Broth
 CTS Keavney and Kelly in taking car to the barn Sunday morning, while the
 car was surrounded with mob and I stones were flying in all directions, ex
 presses our sentiments exactly
 The one and only criticism whicl
 we have ito offer to the troops being a here is that we think the number is fal
 in excess of that which would be re
 quired if the Saturday nights affail
 were repeated. Two or three hundred
 men would answer all requirements
 and the expenses would of course be re duced accordingly.
 We have heard it stated repeatedl,
 that the management of the settlemen of this strike had been taken out, O
 the hands of MT Sewe11 If so why f
 it the gentleman to whom that prob
 lem has been left to be solved has no
 endeavored to bring about a conference
 with us with view to settling tn } whole business and bring harmony t, 5 replace discord?"
 The buses are doing land offic 7 business and if the parties in charg 5 keep it up people who do not care f, patronize the trolley cars will be abl 7 to get to and from their work withou any serious inconvenience. If the cit, : government had any authority over tn : streets at the present time it would b
 i'll order to ask that an effort be mad not to allow the soldier boys to blocl
 the sidewalks so that pedestrians can not use them. When a line of arme, ,, , men stands on the curbing facing tn , street and the points of their bayonet reach clear across the walks. it make walking dangerous occupation. Al dernan Rlakeslee, who is chairman Q the committee on Instructions, nigh 2 see General Frost about this matter an, ' fry if he can do something for peopl