Los Angeles herald., 1906-09-05
LABOR WAR IS
TAKEN TO COURT
SAN PEDRO MEN WANT RELIEF
FROM INJUNCTION
AffldaVIts From Both sides TO Con-
troversy Show Widely Divided
Opinions Regarding Action
Of Striking Longshoremen

More than two score affidavits were
produced and read In court yesterday
when argument on injunction was
taken up before Judge Conrey In de-
partment three of the superior court
In the suit Of the Crescent Wharf and
Lumber company against the Long
shoremen's union of San Pedro.
The injunction recently issued by
Judge Conrey and enforced by seventy
five deputy sheriffs on duty at the
wharves has so effectively put a stop
to the strike that the attorneys for the
strikers are making desperate effort
to raise the ban of the law and allow
the men to resume what they call their
legal right to interfere with the work.
men employed at present by the COM
panies.
Yesterday Judge Bicknell, represent
ing the wharf company, began the ar
gument. He produced affidavits from
many people in San Pedro all against
the methods used by the unionsts One
affidavit stated that the strikers had
swarmed the wharves calling the nom
unionists hard names and threatening
them with violence if they did not
quit work.
Many affi6avlts were to the effect
that the strikers had rented small
boats and had sailed about the San
Pedro harbor calling to the workmen
to quit work or suffer the consequences.
1t was alleged that when threats failed
rocks were thrown on the decks of the
vessels where non-unionists were en-
ployed.
Strikers Present AffldaVlts
One affidavit was sworn to by a
woman, Mrs. Anna e. Wilson, who con-
ducts restaurant. She alleged in her
statement that she had seen the strix-
ers standing about her restaurant and
that some were armed with clubs, 9TH
ers with rocks and still others with
guns and that they made threats about
using the missiles on the non-union
men. She further alleged that the
strikers had threatened to burn down
her restaurant because she had served
food to some of the non-unionists and
that she had heard them plotting to
burn the San Pedro wharf in retalia-
tion for the fight made against them
by the corporation.
other affdavits made similar accusa-
tions against the strikers and after
reading them Judge Bicknell asked
that the injunction against the strikers
be made permanent and that they still
be restrained from frequenting the
wharves or even going near the COM
pany's lumber boats.
In answer the attorney for the strik-
ers spoke at length. His statements
4 were backed by affidavits from people
of San Pedro. To show that the strik-
ers were conducting the strike in a
legal way he produced an affidavit
from the justice of the peace at San
Pedro to the effect that there had not
been a single disturbance of the peace
charge filed in his court during the
strike. The attorneys for the strikers
further contended and cited cases from
the supreme court to back their con-
tentions, that the strikers had right
to post pickets and challenge nom
unionists, warning them that the COM
pany for which they were about to
work was unfair in the eyes Of organ
lied labor He contended that the
strikers at San Pedro had not gone a
step over the bounds and that their
pickets had been ia all times orderly.
He charged the wharf company with
violating the. law, accusing them of
employing outsiders after assuring the
nom -unionists that there was no strike
on.
The case was taken under advisement
by Judge Conrey.