Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-03-26
STRIKES IN CHICAGO
What Mayor Harrison Has to
Say About Them.
LABOR AND CAPITAL
CITY rs NOT AS BLACK AS 1T rs
PAINTED.
Value Of Trade Unions-A Mixed
Population-Municipal Own
ership-The Presidency.
Copyright, 1904, by Frank G. Carpenter)
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star

carry big democratic city like this in it's
inside pocket 1t is fifty-seven years since
Chicago was incorporated, and more than
one-fourth of that time 1t has been ruled
by the Harrisons. Some of its most turbu-
lent days were passed under Carter H.
Harrison, the elder, and for the past seven
years 1t has thriyen under the iron hand Of
Carter II. Harrison, the younger. 1t is
thriving under his administration today,
growing bigger, broader and richer, not
withstandng it's strikes. it's communities
or socialists and anarchists and its holo-
causts Of fire.
like these Harrisons They have an
honest ring to them when you fling them
down on the counter of municipal and
national politics. They all come from the
same stock. Carter HarriSons great great
great grandfather was the father of Benja-
min Harrison who signed the Declaration
OF independence, and whose son, William
II Harrison, was the ninth President of
the United States.
Young Carriers great-grandfather was
the first cousin of John c. Breckenridge
and also of President Ben. Harrison; and
his own father was a statesman of radical
ideas and no aversion to using the ma
chineFy OF politics to carry them out.
The Mayor Of Chicago.
The present mayor of Chicago is chip
OF the old block. He is a politician. but
at the same time is conservative practi-
cal and safe. He is a friend of the work
ing man, but is ready to enforce the laws
when the business interests are attacked;
and as such he today forms part of the
grist which is being here ground out be-
tween the upper and neither mill stones of
capital and labor Indeed, it may be be-
cause the grinding is SO hard that he is
tired of the job. At least he tells me that
he is so and wants to retire.
The governing of Chicago is no small
matter and its worries have begun to
sprinkle the mayors hair with gray. This
is no goody-goody Sunday school town.
and its two million people need careful
supervision. The city covers vast area.
1t has 1000 miles of streets, 1000 miles
of sewers and it costs about $50. 100000 a
year to pay its running expenses. The
mayor has i2, 900 employees under him. and
there are also the city council and subordi-
nate officers, but it is Carter Harrison who
doesst the thinking and acting, and it is he
who gets the blame.
Chicago the Great Strike Center.
The reason of my call was to ask about
the labor situation. I began with: Mr..
Mayor, why is Chicago the strike center of
the United States? There are more labor
troubles here than in any other place in
the country?''
zone reason" said Mayor Harrison, sis
that we do more business than any other
diversified Chicago is perhaps the manu-
featuring center of the United States. 1t
has great factories and factories of al
most every kind Pittsburg, for instance.
leads the country in iron making, but we
have the Illinois Steel Company here, which
is one of the largest in the world. We do
more packing than any other city and we
have car works. furniture works, and, in
fact. almost every kind of works The re-
suit is that If there is strike in any
branch of business the Chicago branch of
that business strikes in sympathy. This
gives us a variety of strikes. which are
magnifed by some of the newspapers,
whose sensational reports are telegraphed
all over the country.
Picketing the Dead
'"Then Chicago is not as bad as 1t Is
painted" said I.
mo 1t is not" replied Mayor Harrison.
ut is not an angel city. but it is far from
being the devil city that some people who
have never been here think 1t to be. On
the whole 1t is about as good city any
in the country and just about as full Of
Christian charity. common decency, good
order and brotherly love-"
But you certainly have many violent
laboring men, Mr.. Mayor. How about this
stopping funerals and stationing pickets
about the houses of the dead to keep nom
union men from aiding in their interment."
Most Of those stories are lies" said
not re1uSG TO Drive H6dTSeS, us mas D6eH
alleged. They would not drive the car
riages. but 1t was the liverymen who held
back the hearses, saying they would not
let them go out unless the carriages went,
too All such statements were exaggera-
lions. AS to picketing the dead, as soon
as 1 heard there was any danger. of
such thing ordered the police to see
tent were allowed to linger about within
two blocks of any house in which there was
q death or within that distance of church
where funeral ceremony was being held.
"And them" continued the mayor, why
single out Chicago for the sole condem-
nation of the public when other cities
have been equally guilty as to strikes In
case in ST Louis: but so far Chicago has
received all the opprobrium and st. Louis
is hardly mentioned
The Nom nionists in Chicago.
..How does your labor compare with
that of other cities as to peace and quiet
nessT'
.sIt is just about the same" said Mayor
Harrison. If we have more strikes 1t is
only because we have more men and more
business"
How about the non-union man; has he
any chance for work in Chicago"
Yves. We have a large number of es-
Establishments which employ non-union
men only, and many which employ both
unionists and non-unionists The nom
but he Is protected in 1T, all statements
to the contrary Notwithstanding"
Gould non-union factory be started
In Chicago with any hope of success?"
Eyes, IL that success depended solely on
the use of non-unfon workmen. Its men
would not be molested and it would have
as fair a show in that regard as any
union factory. As to the financial results,
these would lie with the owners of the
business and their management thereof"
A Word for Organized Labor. !.
do you think, Mr.. Harrison, that trade
unionism has, on the whole. benefited the
workmen OF ChicagoT
Eyes, do replied the mayor. IT think
organized labor has done much to improve
the condition of our working classes. 1t
has caused them to be more respected, it
has increased their wages and shortened
their hours of work At the same time 1
do not deny that organized labor has
abused its privileges. This 1t has done at
times but / have no doubt that on the
whole the movement has been for the good
of the whole class of workingmen, unionsts
and non-unionists.'
"But can you hold the union men back
from violence at times of strikes?''