The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-09-06
new YORK'S LAST CAR STRIKE
1T BEGAN WITH GREAT PROMISE
or TROUBLE, but FIZZLED orr.

|
Maybe ChIer De,ery's Policemen Killed
It--They Did Club the Violence Out
OF II and Enabled the Cars TO Run
| More Policemen Are Available Now
There has never been serious strike
on the elevated railway system in this city
There never has been street car strike
in this city, under modern conditions, in
which the strikers were not utterly beaten
The last railroad strike here was that on the
Brooklyn trolley lines, in 1899. 1t began
with promise of great trouble, and it lin
gered on for just five days before the last
! vestige of life fizzled out of 1t.
| 1t was generally said then and as generally
accepted as true. that William >. Devery,
then chief of police, killed that strike.
anyway, but Chief Devery and his police.
men did club out OF it the violence and
| disorder which were the last hope OF the
| strikers for stopping the cars: In smaller
| city troops might have been needed
able to quell disorder, guard property
and protect non-union motormen in their
right to work. And they were.
Police Commissioner McAdoos state
ment to Supt. Hedley Of the Interborough
last Saturday, that 5000 policemen could
there be strike on the elevated now, to
protect the marlborough company in it's
right to run trains, recalled these facts
to many persons and indicated that the
police would demonstrate the power of the
law again II necessary.
The last Brooklyn car strike began on
July 10, 1890. Other car strikes in Brook
Ign had resulted in weeks OF violence
The strike was called at l+5 on Sunday
morning and the men were ordered out at
4:30 the same morning.
At midnight, nearly two hours before
the actual strike order was issued, 400
policemen, drawn from all the precincts
in Manhattan and The Bronx, started over
the Bridge to Brooklyn. When the time
came for the men to quit work under the
strike order every one OF these police
men had his post, and the posts reached
from Greenpoint to Coney Island. Brook
Ign had at that time about 400 police
men regularly in the borough, which made
total force Of $500 to deal with the strike.
haitian police should form the fighting
line, II there was any fighting to be done.
They had no friends In Brooklyn was
the reason he gave. He let the Brooklyn
men form reserve army, although plenty
Of Brooklyn men had disorder to quell.
In some way which was never explained,
Devery knew that the strike leaders in exc
cutive session had decided on a strike
and knew what time the strike was to begin.
just from looking around Brooklyn he
%Rs be G hours Ssfos
the strike meeting broke up he sent
strike" order to his own men. and it was
that order that did the business.
1t recalled all men on every kind OF leave
and all days Of y put every police
man in Greater New York not on duty on
reserve in his station and started the de-
tachments already detailed on their way
over the Brooklyn Bridge.
1t was not until people noticed the Bridge
cars filling up with policemen that anybody
had an idea what was happening. The
strikers didn't know until they discovered
that Brooklyn's police force had suddenly
doubled itself while they had been reach
one captain, carrying out Devery's com
mands, addressed his men on their de-
parture for Brooklyn in that trouble:
Men, you are to remember that you are
policemen and have nightsticks Re
member that first and last. Remember
next that you are to protect property, and
then remember that II missiles are thrown at
you that you are policemen and not targets.
In that strike, when car was manned
with motorman and conductor the police
went. They did protect it. Cars were
stoned all over Brooklyn. but never did
crowd throw many stones before a squad OF
Devery's men with nightsticks came from
somewhere. The clubs whacked the head
Of every stone thrower until the crowd
ran.
Policemen, singlehanded, jumped of
cars and dubbed their way through a crowd
and back again II a stone was thrown. In
five days the strike sympathizers had had
enough, and so had the strikers. The cars
ran In peace.
Meantime it was threatened constantly
that the strike would be extended to Man
haitian. The strikers finally did spread the
trouble to one Of the Metropolitan lines.
Their. purpose was to draw on Devery's
men from Brooklyn, but it failed.
The men sent to Brooklyn had weakened
the Manhattan force by about one-third.
Before rioting began on the Metropolitan
company's Second avenue line Devery
had drawn men from Richmond and Queens
for Manhattan. He called back only $50
men Of the army he had sent to Brooklyn.
For just few hours, while the rioting
here was at its height, posts in this borough
we're deserted. In that time the men on
guard in this borough dubbed all the vio-
had done across the Bridge. 1t ended
the strike for good.
Since then the police force OF this city
mas been increased by more than 1900 men.
1t is now an army Of 1000 men or more
II there should be strike now and violence
or train stopping should complicate that
strike, under orders such as were given
in Brooklyn in 1899 and would be given
again, that army would wipe out disorder
in this city as quickly as Devery wiped 1t
out In Brooklyn five years ago.
At the time OF the Brooklyn strike Chief
Devery said he could mass 900 men at any
given point in this city in two hours. The
same thing could be done with 5000 men
to-day. Long as the lines Of the elevated
railroad are, therefore, even were the
than the law-abiding citizens they seem
to be. there would be no need for appre-
hension that this city may be given over to |
the rioting which has marked railroad |
and labor troubles elsewhere.
ANXIOUS TO SETTLE.