The San Francisco call., 1908-05-17
R|OTNG ATTENDS
STREETCAR STRIKE
Municipal Traction Company of
Cleveland, o.. Willing to Ac-
cept Arbitration Proposal
Union Leaders Refuse to Take
initiative Toward Peaceful
Settlement With Employers


midst of day of incipient rioting, some
bloodshed, general disorder. incenven-
fence to the car riding public and a par
tial stopping of the street railway SER
vice incident TO the strike OF the con-
ductors and motornnen of the Municipal
traction company came a proposition
tonight to- stop further violence and
submit the whole matter to arbitration
This was the situation late tonight
created by Joseph Bishop, member OF
the state board OF arbitration.
Bishop arrived here during the after
noon and went into conference with
Vice President Adolph Behner of the
amalgamated association OF street and
electric railway employees. He proposed
that overtures be made to the company
looking to peaceful settlement of the
controversy. Behner, although salts
fed with the progress of the strike
from the standpoint OF the union, was
apparently willing to enter into such
negotiations
WILLING TO ARBITBATE
Bishop at once called upon President
Dupont of the Municipal traction com
pany, who said the company was will
ing to arbitrate, but that the PROPOSE
tion should come from the union
With the union unwilling to take the
Initiative, the matter of peaceful set
tlement and the immediate termination
of disorder still Is an open question
All night Bishop labored with the union
and with the head OF the traction COM
pany.
In the meantime the discord contin-
ued. The night was made eventful as
result of the company resembling an
order made during the day 1t first was
proposed to stop all cars at dark and
make no further attempts to operate
until tomorrow morning. Later today
the company decided to maintain the
service.
From the moment the strike went
into effect early this morning there was
more or less rioting.
TAKE MEN FROM CARS
At first the men who remained at
work We're appealed to by the strikers
10 leave the cars. When they refused
70 quit work efforts were made by the
union men and sympathizers to force
them to leave the cars. This resulted
i'm motormen and conductors being for
chilly taken from cars.
Cars were stopped by the placing Of
obstructions upon the tracks. Trolley
wires We're cut, tracks were ripped out
and switch points broken.
One of the earliest disturbances oc-
CURED at the Lakeview car barns.
when one car attempted to leave. A
mob surrounded the car. The police
attempted to rescue the men. Stones
and clubs were hurled. The officers
used their clubs. Chief of Police Koh-
Ter was struck by stone, but not
seriously injured.
PROC CLAMATIoN BY MAYOR
AT noon Mayor johnson issued the
following proclamation:
violence resulting in destruction of
property and injury to persons having
already occurred on the streets conse-
quent upon the street railway strike, I
have instructed the chief of police to
preserve order and protect property
with all the force at his command /
hereby notify the public that I will use
the full power of>the city to supply all
necessary assistance to the police au-
thorities. and 1 warn all persons that
disturbances will not be tolerated and
disorder viii be met with force ade-
quate to suppress 1t.
tom L. JOHNSON, Mayor"
Motorman John Dubler was beaten
into unconsciousness late tonight and
left lying on the street. He is thought
to have been fatally injured. Many
others were roughly handled, but
their wounds are not considered seri-
Gus.
Mayor johnson. who also Is treas
urer OF the traction company said the
strike was all foolishness and a great
waste. and that he hoped to bring it to
a close speedily.
SERVICE FOURTH OF NORMAL
While the general car service was
seriously crippled during the early
hours of the strike the company made
rapid headway In restoring schedules.
Tonight fully rs per cent of the normal
service was maintained.
Late in the day the company posted
the following notice in the cars:
Notice. To the, PubIic-These cars
belong to you. You should protect
them"
To give the men who worked all
possible protection heavy wire screens
were placed in front of the cars to
shield the motormen from stones and
clubs. A policeman rode on each car
No call has been made for outside
assistance.
The police claim to be able to handle
the situation. There has been no talk
of asking for military protection.
The. funeral and mail cars were not
interfered with. The suburban cars
were allowed to run in the city. ex-
cept in cases where the trolley wire
had been cut to obstruct city cars
which necessarily interfered with the
big suburban cars.
MERGER EMPLOYEES STAY
The 800 motormen and conductors
formerly with the Forest City rail-
way company, the original three cent
fare line, and later merged with the
old Cleveland electric company now
being operated by the Municipal trac-
tion company, rena ned at work.
President Dupont of the Municipal
company gave out the following state
ment today:
I'VE have been ready from the be-
ginning Of the trouble to arbitrate all
differences between the employees and
the company.
"As TO the men who have been dis
charged, that was rendered inevitable
by the merging of the two systems
We laid off old Cleveland electric and
Forest City men impartialiy. From the
time the Municipal traction company
took charge there was a spirit of dis
loyalty and characterization on the
rart of some of the old employees, max
ing their services inefficient and sub
jecting patrons of the road to intoler-
able discourtcsy and Inconvenience.
The Municipal not only raised the
wages of the men one cent an hour
when 1t took over the system. but it
gave them free uniforms. This made