Omaha daily bee., 1909-09-20
Hold Meeting at Commercial Club and
Canvass Situation.
FOUR HUNDRED NEW MEN TODAY
Wattles Says He Was Offered Seven
Thousand of Them.
UNION HAS A PARADE SUNDAY
Trolley Ropes Cut, Arrests Follow,
but Not of strikers, who
Counsel PeRce-SerVico
Still Crippled.

Two hundred and fifty prominent Omaha
business men-bankers, merchants. manu-
facturers, lawyers and others-pledged
themselves as special deputies to suppress
violence and 1000 carmen In other cities
were offered to the omaha & Council
Bluffs Street Railway company TO sup
plant its striking employees; trolley wires
were cut and cars intercepted at Four
teenth and Farnam streets, five men-not
strikers-arrested, a car was smashed in
Council Bluffs and these, with strikers
parade and subsequent mass meeting at
Labor temple were the principal features
Of the street car strike situation Sunday.
The pledge Of police service by the busi-
ness men was made at an afternoon meet
ing OF the Omaha Business Mems
citation at the Commercial club and the
proffer of assistance from other cities
came President Wattles said, in telegrams.
Strike leaders say the business mems
services as special deputies will not be
required so far as they are concerned, for
they are not going to disturb anybody's
peace or countenance disorder Of any kind.
Service SIN Lame.
Car service was no better yesterday than
Saturday, but President Wattles says Il
will be much improved today, for he has
imported fifty-eight men and will import
400 today. He asserts that by Tuesday
morning all cars will be running on regu-
lar schedules and, on the contrary, c. o.
Pratt and Ben Commons, leaders for the
strikers, affirm that the company will be
able to give but limited service and
will soon lose the fight.
Limited service will be offered the peo-
pie OF Omaha today" said Mr.. wattles,
though tomorrow morning all cars will
be running on all lines and on time
THE 1000 men offered the local company
are experienced motcrmen and conductors"
said Mr.. wattles 'They have been Of
fered from a number of cities. Those inn
ported yesterday and those expected to-
day are Chicago men who were there in
the event a strike materialized in that
city.
The only street car strike in the country
is this one in Omaha and for this reason
the international association will pour it's
funds into this city in an effort to win the
struggle G. o. Pratt told the strikers
this yesterday at their meeting In the
Labor temple and read them telegram
from the head of their union to the same
effect. @
over Five Hundred Men out.
According to the officials at the head of
the strikers movement there are 523 out
on strike. BY actual count $50 of these
marched in the strikers parade Sunday
afternoon. over 100 men were on picket
duty during the day. said officials OF the
strikers, and others who were on duty tho
night before, remained at home to rest
instead of joining in the parade
Twenty nine blocks I'm the downtown dis
trict were covered by the striking street
car men in their parade and fifteen min
utes was required for the men 10 pass a
given point. The parade was led by the
officials followed by an omnibus loaded
with women sympathizers Those march
ing at the head Of the parade were C. o.
Pratt and Ben Commons, national officers
of the street car men; p. F. Ford, presi-
dent of the Central Labor union; Charles
Leary, president of the local organization
of the street car men, and c. L. shamp,
international secretary of the stationary
firemen.
The line of march Of the strikers In their
parade took them west on Douglas street
from the Labor Temple. their starting
point, TO Sixteenth, south to Howard. east
to Fourteenth, north to Webster, doubling
back south on Sixteenth TO Douglas. ana
east to the Labor Temple.
The strikers marched along crowded
streets and were applauded at intervals by
men wearing badges on which was printed:
"Show Your Colors, Walk and Help the
Boys" The strikers also wore these
badges.
Meeting at Labor TenDIe.
Following the parade the street carmen
crowded into the Labor Temple where the
officials addressed them briefly, urging
upon them the necessity Of remaining
sober of refraining from frsquenting
saloons, advising them not to mingle in
crowds and to wear citizens clothing when
downtown.
IF you wear your uniform and are In a
crowd when anything happens your uni
form will be mark and you will be ar
rested for the trouble" said Mr.. Pratt
Mr. Pratt read this telegram from w. d.
Mahon OF Detroit. president OF the In.
ternauonal Association OF Street Car Em-
ployes;
Say to the men Of Omaha that the In.
ternational association approves OF theiP
action and Will do everything within ol8
power 70 help them.
President Ford Of Central Labor union
told the men that organized labor in
Omaha is in sympathy with the strike and
that II the Sunday afternoon parade does
not have the desired effect OF bringing
about settlement Of difficulties he will
call general meeting OF organized laboS
and put 5000 men In a parade.
Don't Worry About Money.
Don't worry about money" said Mr.
Ford. Organized labor in Omaha will
assess its members and you will be sup
ported
Trolley Ropes Are Cut.
After the parade was over several hun
dred persons congregated on Farnam street
between Fourteenth and Fifteenth streets.
where they amused themselves by stopping
cars and cutting few trolley ropes The
conductor Of the first car they stopped
fled. The trolley rope was broken and the
car blocked the track. Two more cars
came up and stopped The crowd closed
round the cars ana completely blocked the