The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-04-29
THE STREET CAR TIE-UP.

| The street car employees walked out
yesterday morning because Mr.. Ban
croft, for the company, would not agree
that in future controversies with them
the company would arbitrate all diff
fcrcnccs. This was the point of di'
vergcnce, The agreement TO arbitrate
the scale of wages was reached, and
so far as this, the main question was
concerned, ii was in as good situation
as could be desired. We cannot but
think, therefore, that the action of the
employees in peremptorily walking out
was unduly precipitatc. Prudence and
a due consideration for the public
would require that the chief point be"
ing in arbitration, the insistence upon
an agreement for the arbitration of
something that did not exist, but that
might exist some time i'll the future,
that which did not press, might fairly
be waived, and attention be concen-
trated on the practical point at issue.
The great point was gained; arbitration
was established as a precedent.
The crowds that throngcd the streets
yesterday morning were for the most
part eood,natured. and the street car
employees, so far as we are aware, took
no part in the demonstrations or egglng
or nagging the motormcn or conductors
of the few cars that appeared But
some ruflians and mischievous youths
took advantage of the occasion to per"
petrate acts Of violence that were thor
oughlv reprehensible. It is certainly
true that those who engaged IN the
violence and trespass ought to have
been promptly put under arrest, for
they were merely willful misdemean-
ants; they were no friends of the strik-
ers, and their course tended needlessly
20 apgravate a situation already suf-
ficiently acute.
The public sentiment is unmistakably
with the strikers in their demand for
better pay. But, as we have explained,
that was not the question at issue; both
sides had agreed to arbitrate that, and
peaceablc settlement of il was pre-
sumably coming.
Shortly after noon, the Mayor gave
orders to have the disturbances
quelled; and that sufficient force should
be added to the police to render this
certain and speedy. In the afternoon,
accordingly, the streets were reasonably
quiet for the remainder of the day. The
Chief OF Police explains that he was
not at first aware of the strike nor OF
the demonstrations that ensued,
Later on, there were conferences be-
tween the contestants which apparently
promised good results, but these came
to naught in the evening, the employees
insisting upon Mr.. Pratt as their repre-
sentative, and Mr.. Bancroft declining,
as he had declined heretofore, to recog-
nize or deal with him.
In the meantime, we can not too
strongly dcnounce the hysterical howls
raised in some of the papers, that the
city is in the hands of mob; that
the enforcement of peace and order has
broken down, and so on. Besides tend
ing falsely TO give the city black eye,
these representations are such gross eX-
aqCerations as 10 be essentially false.
The disorder was not general and it
was quickly over with, thanks TO the
timely orders OF the Mayor and the
eiLcient activity of tho police depart
mcnt. And the quiet demcanor of those
actually engaged in the strike is
worthy of emphatic recognition.