The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-03-03
Head of the Philadelphia Munic-
ipal Government
Declines to Be Dictated to by
the Politicians.
INTERFERENCE
Is His Policy in Connection With
the Car Strike.
Inclined to Let the Combatants
Fight 1t Out.

! Philadelphia, March 3.-Pniladelphia
4 ia waiting with anxiety the outcome
of the meeting of the city councils. call
| ed for this afternoon. to discuss ways
and means of Jringing about a termina-
| ton of the strike of the street car men.
What the councils may be able to ac-
| complish in view of the mayors stand
| against arbitration of any character is
rroblematical. Arbitration has been
secuted by the Philadelphia Rapid
| Transit company officials, the city's
| representatives on the board of direo-
| tors of the company and in fact by
practically all persons connected in
an official capacity with the transit
| company.
The action taken at the meeting of
the Central Labor union last night.
| when that organization made final pre-
parations to carry the Threatened SYM
pathetic strike order into execution,
has been discounted by the company
which processes to believe that only
small per cent of the 100000 or more
of union worxmen who are expected to
respond to the call Will obey the strike
order. AS it now stands the big strike
will be started at midnight Friday.
At a conference held last night be-
tween the business mems representa-
tives and @. O.. Pratt. organizer of the
Amalgamated Association of Electric
Railway employees, Mr.. Pratt said he
favored arbitration and would be will
ing to do almost anything to prevent
the gigantic sympathetic strike. He
suggested that the business men name
an arbitrator. the transit company name
one and these two men select third.
not necessarily member of the street
car mems union. But from the posi-
tion assumed by the company this pro-
position stands very little show of even
being considered by the transit COM
pany.
The Mayor Is Firm.
The mayor is so strong against any
interference by outside parties that he
has let it be known that he will risk
an open rupture with the Republican
organization rather than give in to
the men. He affirms that his only
duty as chief executive of the city so
far as the strike is concerned is to
maintain order. His position of repre-
sentative of the city on the company's
board of directors, is ex-officio and
not elective, the other two city direc-
tors being elected by councils. The
mayor therefore says he is not bound
by any resolution adopted by coun-
ellis.
THAT the mayor is Indifferent over
the prospect of q break with the poll
teal leaders is shown in a statement
he made in answer to a question as to
the result of a certain political con-
ference held yesterday. He said:
"They wanted me to change and
told me they were getting kilograms
from the political leaders in Florida
and that l was committing political
suicide if 1 did not change. told
them I did not care about State Sen
ator McNichol, Recorder Ware or
Senator Penrose, or anybody else or
whether 1 was committing political
suicide or not. That I was going to
stand just where 1 was, no matter
what the result
An extra detail of policemen has
been ordered on duty at the city hall,
in order to prevent the friends of ar
bftration from storming the council
chamber, as was done in 1905, when
a monster demand was made against
the obnoxious lease of the city gas
works.
Today the company claims about
1000 cars in operation. No regular
schedule is maintained however.