Omaha daily bee., 1909-09-19
Company is Seeking to Fill Places Of
Men Who Quit.
SAYS IT WILL SOON BE NORMAL
On the Other Hand Union Men Claim
Balance of Power
PUBLIC SUFFERS FROM STRIKE
People who Don't own Autos or
Carriages WhIk-PoIice Active
to Suppress Any Outbreak
or Disturbance.

Not a street car wheel turned last night
after o'clock, the company desiring to
take no chances Of trouble with the
striking employees. The strike went into
effect with the beginning Of the work
day saturday and the service was seriously
crippled all day. though some cars were
run on all lines.
President Wattles asserted last night
that by today the service would be much
improved and as he is in telegraphic com
municaton with various cities where street
car men are available he expects within
day or two TO have normal schedules
resumed. lie said there were $500 men
in Chicago who had been available for the
strike threatened, but which did not ma
terialize there.
Service between Omaha and South Omaha
has been provided for by the use of Union
Pacific passenger cars over the tracks OF
that company and they will be stopped
at every crossing The state Railway
commission yesterday granted permission to
do this.
Persons whose business or pleasure took
! them downtown last night had to get
home without the aid OF street cars and
many walked.
! Large stores closed at D. m, so that
| their employees would not have to be in
convenienced in getting back to their homes
! and IL customers appeared at the stores
! after that hour and were disappointed they
/ had the consolation of knowing that the
! big employers had done well by the people
| who work for them.
| The strike has already cut n vital figure
| in the general transaction of business The
base ball interests suffered seriously by
losing their usual large Saturday attend
ance.
Opposing Statements Made. -
| Diametrically opposite statements are
made by the company and men as to the
cause The company says it is nm effort
TO enforce the closed shop principle against
an understanding had between employer
and employe that this would not be done.
The union says the company refused to
/ treat with It on any terms and that conse-
! qUently this is a lockout and not a strike.
| I'VE are operating on a fifteen minute
| schedule on Farnam street" said Assis-
tant General Manager Leussler. "On
! Dodge cars are running every fifteen
minutes also. Harney has cars every
! twenty minutes. On the Hanscom lines.
cars are fifteen minutes apart, while 10
| South Omaha there is a difference of
| twenty-five minutes. Council Bluffs serv-
/ ice is on normal time, both from Omaha
and through the city. Benson is twenty
! five minutes There are no cars on the
Leavenworth line"
How Many Cars Running.
How many cars were operated the
company declined to state. This because,
! according 10 Leussler, 1t would be mislead-
ing to the public, which he holds imagines
| more cars were running regularly than
there were, so that the present reduced
number would seem proportonately smaller
! than II actually is.
As 10 the number of men out, Secretary
J. Randall of the union, said;
There are more than sou on strike"
The company admits something more
than 200.
There are 900 at the outside" said Presi-
! dent q. w. Wattles. We have 1000 TO 1, 100
employees, of whom $50 conductors or
/ motoTmen."
Secretary Randall of the union declared
! that a number OF crews had run their
cars into the barns after making one or
two trips. Assistant General Manager Lues-
| sler denies this
Concerning future moves nothing has
been given out
The company viii go on operating the
/ best II can, said WTttles.
! There Is no prospect of a conference be-
! w cen the two sides and immediate efforts
will be concentrated on the question OF
Fervice, the company striving to maintain
it and the strikeIr labOrirg TO get men 70
leave their places
NO Great ExcitemsnG.
The general public took the fact thaA Q
strike is on without extreme excitement
Many men walked to business for the first
time in a long while and some waited a
good while for cars without knowing that
the men had gone out at midnight. Mer-
! chants naturally felt the greatest concern,
but had no reason TO complain OF business
Saturday, for the number OF people on the
downtown streets was far larger than any
previous day Of the week, excepting during
the hours OF the Eagles parade.
''Hows walking2" was the invariabIe
saIutation addressed TO every man whom
acquaintance knew lived some distance
from the center Of the city. Men who al
WAYS ride when they have farther than
TWO blocks 10 so were heard declaring that
they always walked anyhow"
The strike was voted az midnight FRI
day at a meeting at the Labor Temple.
The Central Labor union had previously
voted TO extend financial and moral aid
to the strikers.
Men in Charge.
| The men are being directed by c. o.
Pratt and Ben Commons ana the officers
/ OF the local union. Pratt is chairman and
/ Commons member Of the executive com
mittee Of the Amalg amated Association OF
Street Car and Electric Railway EN-
plOyes. Commons recently conducted the
lost Louisville fight and Pratt the success
fu venture In Philadelphia.
Pratt told the striking street car men
/ h. 4
we are making excellent headway There
| will not be a wheel turning by nightfal"
! p. J. Lenihan, financial secretary Of the
union. asserted that the strike will not
last long It may be over In twenty-four
hours. We are mighty pleased with our