The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-05-08
BLAME CALHOUN.
San Francisco Carmen DenOunce
Head of Street Railway.
Hold Him Responsible for Riot
and BlOOdshed.
FIERCE STREET FIGHT
Grows Out of Attempt to Oper-
ate With Strike Breakers.
A Number Of Persons Shot,
Some Fatally.

San Francisco. Cal. May Sat the
Garments union conference held late
last night the committee issued the fol-
lowing statement:
I'VE would ask Mr.. Calhoun one re-
quest and that is to cooperate with
us in keeping the peace of this city. We
are lawabi6ing citizens and we want
no trouble. Therefore We would ask
Mr.. Calhoun to stop turning his barns
into fortresses and exhibiting armed
men on the streets. Nobody is going to
attack the barns and all his display of
force serves to draw crowds which no
power. on earth can keep from becoming
unruiy.
Only yesterday afternoon Mr.. Cal
houn you started five of your cars
through the public thoroughfares of San
Francisco armed by thugs and rufr1ans
who fired right and left at citizens on
the streets without cause or provocation
and not only were they shooting from
the cars, but they were stationed on
the roof of the stockade shooting
through the fence at inoffensive citi-
Zens.
You speak of members of the Car
mems union as being lawless strikers,
but now we ask the public who are
the lawless, the Carmen of San Fran
cisco or Mr. Calhoun and his thugs?
THE union has advised and ordered
its members to preserve peace and or
der. But Mr.. Calhoun sends out his
armed thugs and blacklegs and orders
them to shoot right and left regardless
Of whom they kill or MAIN One inspec-
tor of the United Railways boasts of
emptying his revolver through the fence
and as a result of these reckless and
unlawful acts II persons have been shot
down like dogs. Mr.. Calhoun is re-
sponsible for these unlawful acts. He
has secured the eastern cities for thugs,
blacklegs and criminals. He has brought
them here and turned them loose on the
unoffending public of San Francisco and
yesterdays unlawful shooting is the re-
suit
In the name of peace and common
sense, Mr.. Calhoun withdraw your gun
fighters and do not continue to provoke
riot in our streets"
A Peaceful Night.
The city was peaceful last night and
the downtown streets showed no indica-
ton of the bloody fray which for a time
threatened to assume serious proper
lions. The crowds which during the
day packed the streets in the vicinity
of the United Railways car barns, grad
ually faded away as darkness set in
and later in the night only few pickets
of the Garments union on watch and a
few scattered policemen on guard
against any impending trouble marked
the locality as a storm center.
Both sides continue to hurl defiance
at each other and the trouble is not
ended by any means, judging from the
hard feelings which exist and which
were certainly not softened by the
the day.
''If he, Calhoun. keeps up his pres
ent methods he will get his fill before
the strike is over" says Cornelius, the
representative of the car men.
MY company will spare no effort to
resume lawfully the operation of its
cars. but will fearlessly defend its,
rights says President Calhoun of the
Street Railway company.
The chief of police threatens to arm
his men with rifles today and shoot
down strikebreakers on the company's