Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1910-03-07
DISORDERS MARK
IMMENSE STRIKE
PHILADELPHIA POLICE KEPT BUSY
ON FIRST DAY.
Monster Labor Demonstration in The
Streets Is not Infertered with.
Estimates of Number of Ten Cur
Vary from Twenty TO EighiY-fiVe
Thousand.

PHILADELPHIA, March 5.-Dis-
order in many parts of the city mark
ed the first day OF Philadelphia S
great sympathetic walkOut of organi-
zed labor to back UP the fight of the
trolleymen against the Philadelphia
Rapid Transit company. Nearly
every section of the city had its tale
to tell of ours attacked. of men as
saulted by strikers or sympathizers
or CT clashes with police.
The scene Of the most general dis
turbance shifted from the hereto
fore turbulent Kensington district to
the heart OF the city. The greatest
trouble was experienced by the police
at Independence square, where a
crowd of 25,000 persons gathered 10
participate in or watch the demon
stration OF organized labor.
Police Show Discretion
Policemen in the mounted and
afoot department were there by the
score with strict orders to keep the
crowds moving.
1t is due to the patience, careful
ness and steadiness of the police that
no serious outbreak occurred. A
great crowd of strikers paraded
through the square unmoIested.
There was a wide difference of
opinion today as to the extent of the
strike. Saturday being half holi-
day, it was impossible to get more
than rough estimates of the number
OF men out. The committee of ten
CT the Central Labor Union, which is
:
tonight through Charles 4. Hope. sec
rotary of the Central Labor Union,
and member of the committee, said
that 10000 union men were out and
that the walkOut has affected 3d.
00C other workers.
No Wish to Iniure Public
Secretary Hope declared that bak-
ers, milk wagon drivers and grocery
clerks were not called out, and
would not be- 1t was not the desire
of organized labor, he said, to incon-
venience the public to the extent of
handcappiug the delivery Of the nee
essaries Of life.
The committee of ten in state
ment issued late tonight says:
''The situation at the close of this
the first day Of the general strike,
is highly gratifying to us. While We
have not been able to get reports
in from the 800 unions within the
city, we have received reports from
100 unions and their sympathizing
friends. These show that 125, 900
men and women have heard the call
.and Joined the strike
Although the entire population of
the city looks upon the strike as a
most serious affair, the city officials
from Mayor Reybun down, declare
the walkOut is not as widespread as
claimed by the labor leaders.
Henry Clay, director of the depart
ment of public safety, said that po-
lice reports showed that not more
than 10000 men were out.
Open Shops" Still Running
However, with all the conflicting
reports, it was evident that all of
Philadelphia industries are not
prostrated. The great industrial es-
tablishments, such as the Baldwin
Locomotive Works, Cramps ship
yards. Brill's car works, the Midvale
Steel Works. all of which are open
shop concerns, were operating to-
day. The greatest number of SYM
pathetic strikers was found among
the textile workers in the Kensing
ton district.
The strikers claimed that 0,000
persons were out in these two indus
tries alone and that the scattering
unions in other trades were well rep
resented. The master builders at
meeting admitted tht their industry
is seriously crippled.
There was a rumor tonight that
the labor leaders might request Pres
ident Taft to use his influence to
bring an end to the trouble or take
some step along the lines adopted by
President Roosevelt in the coal strike
of 1902.