Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-05-16
1000 MEN ARE INVOLVED.
Trouble Originated in the Institu-
ton of the Three Cent
Fares.
Strike Sympathiaers Attack Nom Union
Crews-Mob With Crowbars Tried
TO Tear Up the Track.

Cleveland, o. May l6.-Cleyeland's
street car system was tied up at
| o'clock today by an almost unanimous
vote of the local union of the Amalga-
| mated Association of Street and Elec-
trio Railway Employees
To reach this conclusion. meetings
were held last night beginning at
o'clock and lasting until o'clock this
morning. At the conclusion of these
sessions, International Vice President
Eehner Of the street car mems union
said:
The vote stands as an evidence OF
the feeling of the body polite of our
organization Officially, ] could not
declare a strike. 1 put it up to the
men in meeting assembled, and they
agreed that the time to cease quibbl-
ing had arrived. Therefore the
strike is on. Cars win cease TO run
Just as soon as We shall be able to get
word 10 the various barns. The men
feel that they have been discriminat-
ed against, and take this means of en-
| phasizing the fact"
Enthusiasm marked the sessions OF
the night.
Approximately 1850 voted accord
ing to official statement
only at intervals was a negative
| vote registered. Variously estim-
| atcd, between 100000 and 100000
patrons of the urban lines began this
morning to seek a means of transport
tation. city officials, 1t was stated.
mad not made preparations To combat
the situation, Union men, however,
asserted that for two weeks Presl-
dent Dupont of the Municipal rail-
"a hoe tss,tI =
| ditional help. They claimed this
assistance would be inefficient
| Nomnally, the strike of the street
car men declared today involves ., 900
men The division is made as fol-
| lows:
Cleveland Electric Railway COM
pany, LOO men; Forest CITY Rail-
way company, 800 men.
ORIGIN OF STRIKE.
The strike had its origin in the insti-
tuition OF Scent fares. a subject of poli-
| tical contention in Cleveland during
seven years past Following the mun-
| cipal election last November, when the
| prlncipal issue was the question OF
municipal control of the traction com
| panies and an ultimate rate of fare OF
cents within the city limits. a oonsol-
| ldation of the street-car lines came
about At that moment 1t developed
that the Cleveland Electric Railway
| company, the major traction corpora
ton, had signed contract with the
| Amalgamated Association of Street and
| Electric employees. whereby 1t WAS
agreed that, in the event of 'con-
tinuation" Of their franchise or it's
equivalent the conductors and motor
men would receive a specified increase
OF cents an hour and an adjustment
of other minor alleged grievances.
The merged properties having been
leased to the Municipal Traction COM
pany, the traction infant" took the
position that the contract was not bind
ing upon them The new company did
| however. offer an increase OF cent an
| hour In the pay of the men, to take ef-
feet April rs, upon which day cent
fare was put into operation. The new
| company also ordered that all employ
es should pay carfare when riding upon
! the company's cars, while not al work
The company also proposed TO supply
! the men with uniforms free of charge
The propositions OF the new COM
pany In lieu Of the previous arrange
mcnts with the old company, were not
| satisfactory to the employees Talk OF q
strike followed. President Dupont OF
the Traction company would arbtrate
only the legal effect OF the old con-
tract and insisted that all or none OF
the points be thus submitted 10 peace
| full settlement.
Bottle sides stroye for strategy posi-
ton.
II is anticipated that there win bo
trouble at the barns If new men at
tempt 10 operate the cars. Whether
| regular barn men and power house em-
ployes win join in II sympathetic strike
| is not known.
The claim Is made that 300 lnotornlen
| and conductors, formerly IN the em-
ploy OF the Forest City Railway COM
pany, viii not strike.
At o'clock there were IS men ut
the Denisson avenue barns ready to
! begin work In the morning. Supt w.
y. Cook was at the barn az ] o'clocla
| and ordered all the men into the barns.
/ Runners were sent out and within an
| hour nearly 100 men had reported OF
hcers Of the Forest city union at the
barn said that tho men were ready
| for work
PLENTY OF MEN
'Wo can get an the men We want to
run the cars" said Supt, Cook. There
| viii be little interruption In the service,
We have 500 men 10 throw into the
J breach"
About 300 motarmen and conductors
| formerly employed by the Fureset city
! company, the original 3-cent fare line,
! did not join In the strike There were
! quite a large number VI the men cm-
! pA,yed on other lines who did not
! quit work. Tho latter were largely
| made up Of men who have been broken
! In since the strike was first threatened
| 10 day ago on many lines there was
no attempt made TO run ears early to-
! day. although later an occasional ear
| was manned and sent out from mo
/ barn These cars were greeted general
! ly by boots and yells from the thronss
| OF working people who were walking
( 10 their places of employment
CROWDS GATHER,
AT the corner Of superior avenue and
East Ona Hundred and rum street
] large crowd collected early this morn
ing when "a car bound downtown ap,
poarod. The non-union motormah ana
conductor we're pulled on and mar OF
the car windows smashed me ponce
rescued tho motorman aud conductor
ana prevented further trouble
A large crowd gathered az the iah'T
wood barns this morning when an ~,
tempt was made 20 start our Se'e'"'
cars ..,,lsea the