Evening star., 1909-05-31
Strike Situation in Philadelphia
Worse Than Ever.
BOTH SIDES CLAIM A WIN
Sanctioned by God" Says Preacher
of the Walk-Out.
MEN WANT PUBLIC SYMPATHY
But Little Disorder and Few Arrests.
Politics Playing Big Part in
Present Mix-Up.

|
PHILADELPHIA May 31.-serious
rioting Is going on in West Philadelphia.
The mayor is going to the scene to give
his personal attention to quelling the dis
order. Cars have been stoned and crews
driven from cars. Three hundred special
officers have been sworn in.
| PHILADELPHIA, May S1.-Although
the Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company
brought men to this city yesterday and
during the night to take the places of it's
motormen and conductors who went on
strike Saturday for higher wages and
better working conditions, the street car
| service is worse today than at any time
since the trouble began. Less than one
half of the regular number of cars operat-
| ed by the company which controls every
| line in the city are running today. a day
when the facilities Of the big corporation
are always taxed by the holiday crowds.
| At $50 am. the company declared that
p per cent OF it's cars were in operation.
The strike leaders said that 80 per cent of
the men were out.
For tomorrow the company promises a
coup that will end the strike. The men
are meeting with power house employees
and elevated men. hoping to get them
out before tonight.
Denounces the Police.
Sunday evening and night were the
quietest in recent history for not a car
stirred after nightfall. This morning the
Reading Railroad trains came in packed
to the guards.
Strike leader Pratt has sent out this
bulletin to all strikers:
do not be discouraged. Even if we do
not gain another man we will surely win
The police are arresting our men for
merely walking on the streets. If they
continue to fight the corporations battle
in that way. we will turn out our 5000
men in a body and let the police arrest
| them all
| The company, with an employment bu-
reau already established, is advertising
for carmen and accepting all who come
Today both sides are fighting hard to
strengthen their position. The company
| is stocking some of its car barns with
provisions and beds.
| President John 3. Parsons Of the COM
Ipany and Charles 0. Kruger, general
manager. are still optimistic on the out
| come of the trouble and they declare the
| company will win the struggle and fill
| the deserted places with new men. On
the other hand. there is much joy in the
ranks of the strikers over the demOralized
situation they have brought about.
Declares Men Will Win.
c. o. Pratt. chairman of the executive
committee of the Amalgamated Associa-
| ton of Street and Electric Railway EN-
ployes, who is in charge of the strike.
| said today that if the men now out re-
main steadfast to their cause they will
win. He issued a statement advising the
men to keep away from saloons, not to
go near policemen and not to molest the
men who are running cars.
| The Market street subway and electric
roads have not yet been affected by the
strike. the men on these lines receiving
higher pay than the surface workers.
Strikers Have Big Following.
J The strikers have tremendous sympa-
| thetic following. due in large measure
to the feeling stirred up by the action of
the traction company in raising the rate
of fare month ago from six rides for a
quarter to cents straight. Every car
is carrying two policemen. and on some
lines four of them are sent out with each
| trolley
| Considering the extensiveness of the
| strike. excellent order has thus far been
| maintained.
The unexpected strength of the strikers
has been the surprise Of the situation
today. Not one half guessed how COM
pletely the union was organized. and for
this Pratts policy of steadily refusing to
give out claims as to his strength, in
connection with the hopeful view taken
by the company, is responsible.
| The traction interests steadily MAIN
tanned that the union controlled less than
1000 of the 5000 men and that canvass
of the others showed that they would be
loyal Sunday and today the Willow
Grove Park, where 10000 is a normal
holiday crowd. was almost deserted. 1t
is owned by the traction company. and
while a few cars reached the park. per-
sons avoided them through fear or SYM
pathy with the strike.
Officials Fear Violence.
While 40 of the 1,O4O making up the
normal shift were out Sunday. they were
withdrawn at nightfall for fear of vo-
lence in the dark. Two policemen ride
on each car. Groups yelling .'scab'' were
taken in and charged with melting riot.
but hardly any car men were found
among them. Most of them were boys
under sixteen years old.
Chairman Pratt gave out a statement
early this morning, after making an all
night tour to the nineteen carbarns, that
he had won almost all of the men In the
barns and that he had warned every re-
cruit not to join in any interference with
| cars OF 10 deStroy property. OUTSIDE OF
the regular pckets, who are passing cards
among non-union men asking them to
come to the union headquarters. no
strikers are allowed by their leaders to
stand In groups in the streets Pratt has
warned them that keeping the sympathy
of the public Is his principal concern, and
that every one of them who engages in
| violence jeopardiZeS his chances.
City ministers are becoming interested.
Rev. c. E. Mcclellan, pastor of the Fair
hill Baptist Church, preached last night
that the strike was sanctioned by God,
and that persons who rode on the cars
We're ''scabs' fully as bad as the men who
| operated them. He did not want any one
in his congregation, he said. to be that
kind of a scab. The Rev. DIR. Mcclellan
has achieved much local notoriety through
his anti-administration sermons
Politics to the Front.
Politics is deeply involved and the Will
liam Penn party looks upon the moment
as the one in which to strike successfully
at the republican machine. which is con-
trolled, they allege, by traction interests.
The statement of Director of Public
Safety Henry Clay that he will put city
Il L.