Waterbury Democrat., 1903-01-14
The TroIleymen. Issue Another Statement to The
 Public This Afternoon.
ATTORNEY JOHN ONEILL'S OUTsPOKEN VIEWS
With Lot of Waeed Stock the Backers of This Company Have Become Mllonares- Considerable Telephoning Between Police Station and Car Barn This Afternoon Rumor That Power House Men Will Go
 Out if Strike Continues

Attorney John O'Neill was askru what he thought of the strike and he replied that so far as he understood it the men were perfectly right in strik- l ing, and they could not fail to have the sympathy of the people with them. 4Ihe trolley company have got to keep down the ahen's wages in order to pay dividends on their watered stock. Their last report to the legislature shows that they watered their stock to the extent or $12,OOO a mile for every one of the twelve miles of track between here ana Naugatuck. They built the whole local | system for about $5,OO0 a mile. They gor the right of way in the streets for absolutely nothing. Not a penny did l they pay for it. And yet a. few yearS l after they sold out for a quarter of q million and the whole system through out the state is now owned by a few men living in Philadelphia, at leasf they l nave got their head offices there. Inink of lts They got quarter of q inllllOn dollars for something they didn't pay one cent to the city for. And now they nave watered their stock. Their l report to the legislature shows thaf and to pay dividends on that they have got to rob the men. to keep down their wages. They cannot pay dividends any other way; it is absolutely iunnos- slDle for them to do it. The men. If course, have the best side of the argu- ment so far as I can see'
 The police do not believe there are F9nkerton men in town. If there were they would in all probability report at police headquarters.
 This afternoon two of Tracy Bros l carpenters who were doing the work or npt1ng up quarters at the car barns I were called off by the executive com- mlttee of the Carpenters union.
 The team drivers at their meeting last evening indorsed in full the ac- ton taken by the Central Labor union with regard to helping financially and otherwise the trolley employees now on strike.
 I There will be a meeting of the Elec- trical Workers in Carpenters and Joiners' hall tonight at 10 o'clock. Ac- tion of some nature will probably be taken in regard to the trolley mems strike.
 At meeting of the Building Trades council last night it was unanimously II employees and pay sucn assessmeut to l help them out as may be decided upon: by the Central Labor union. Similar l action was taken at a meeting of the horseshoers' union.
 Authoritive information came to l town this forenoon to the effect that a large batch of men would leave Bridge port on the 11:12 train for Waterbury, and an additional car was to be put on. It was not stated whether the men failed to reach Bridgeport, or what was the cause of their non-appearance. l MT SeweH and MT Wales were flying around town this forenoon in a hack. It seemed to be their busiest morning since the strike began. The strikers do not believe there are any on-union men in town and that the erection of sleeping accommodations at the barn is merely an attempt to deceive the men, nothing more nor Jess than what the men call bluff"
 I More interest was centered in seeing the trolley cars to-day than there was when the street railroad cars were first started in Waterbury While all eyes were turned toward West Main street, still it would seem from what people were saying that they hoped to look in vain for one electric car until the strike has been settled. They felt like. the man who was searching for
 something, but hoped he would not
 find it.
 Regarding the reported readiness of
 the trolley men in Bridgeport being T ready to strike if the local system at tempts to use non-union men, corrob-
 orative information to that effect
 reached town this morning. The fact is
 that the executive board of the direc-
 tors of the company have no possible
 idea of the end of the strike, nor how
 long it will last. They are aware that
 it is a very serious matter. far more SD
 than when they discussed it with MT
 Sewell in New York Saturday after noon.
 Says the New Haven Union: A gang of men supposed to be employed by tha
 Connecticut Railway and Lighting Ca
 for the purpose of breaking the trolley strike at Waterbury arrived at the
 Union station this morning. There
 were about forty men in the party and
 they embarked from an early Shore Line train, coming, it is believed, from Boston and Providence. The men were
 in charge of an agent for they were | given breakfast at a restaurant neat l the station and the man who, 1t is pre-
 stunned employed them, paid the bill.
 The party left the city in Berkshire train for Ansonia, where connection IS l made for trains up the Naugatuck di-
 vision to Waterbury, which is believed to be their destination. It was a rough looking gathering, apparently just suit ed for the purpose for which they vera employed.