Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1910-01-27
Mritten for lie Majority

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most strikes are forced upon the
menu? 1t is true, not only of the
street railways, but of almost every
other industry in America today.
! Now we must understand that
street railway companies are in busl-
ness for the sole and simple reason of
money making. To do this, after fix
ing the highest possible fare for the
shortest possible haul, three things
are necessary: to operate cheap,
cheap, CHEAP! Look at the New
York, the Philadelphia, the Chicago
lcars A stranger from another coun-
TRY would think they had been used,
as barricades during the civil war
But paint, and tenders, and safety
and comfort appliances cost money
And this expenditure would cut down
the dividends and wreak pitiable
havoc upon the widows and orphans
whom they tell us own the stock: It
is not necessary to provide street car
Accommodations for these widows and
orphans for the passengers generously
provide THEM with autos. This is
the treason that, when you cry for
seats, the company orders new sup:
ply of straps.
Tho Cleveland Strike.
| The Cleveland strike has been rep
resented to the public by the daily
papers as shining example of the
unreasoning attitude assumed by the
unthinking majority of 4 bor union
lists when led by scheming demagogs.
Yet it was nothing of the sort. The
men asked that the newly organized
company (formed as the result of the
amalgamation of the street railway
interests by permission of a referen-
dunn should carry out the contracts
of the old companies. AS business
man you would not consider this un-
reasonable. But the new manager,
/ Dupont, thought it an opportune time
to break contracts and destroy the
union. Contracts, you know, are
sacred only when Labor organiza-
ton can be accused of breaking them.
This wrecking of the union was
thought easy there as there were two
4 unions, one composed of the officials
of the companies, and the other COM
posed of the men who operated the
cars, one a fake and one a real one,
Division No. 26S of the Amalgamated
Association. So the employers union
members stayed at work when the
but the service was seriously crippled.
Vice-President Brennan of the Anal
gamated. fresh fnom the Chester
strike, took charge, having as lieu
tenant, Business Agent Ingersoll, and
they Immediately placed pickets, with
instruction to prevent disorder and
forcible obstruction of the service.
Tom L. Johnson has been mayor for
many years, elected aud 1fe-eleeted as
':Labor's. friend, but Mayor Tom"
Lcould not be seen, somehow, in the
4 emergency; and when finally located
by the reporters, insisted on ignoring
the strike and discoursing on the
work he was doing in machine
shop.
The company having the courts
and police at their disposal. while
the union man had right on their
side, but as they found out later
Rights are second to might the
club and organized hirelings Of the
company we're stronger at every
point, but every man in the City of
Cleveland had confidence that the
strikers would win. Win? They must
win, have they not elected as Mayor,
Ia man avowed asG Labor's friend?
Just wait, they used to say, till our
Johnson will take hand and watch
flor results.
1t is true, the company did mot i'm
port strike breakers. 1t was not
necessary, as the news of the strike
spread all over the country, the COM
pany issuing statement to the effect
that no one but Cleveland citizens
would be hired to "Finck" the cars,
but the Cleveland citizens refused to
take any cars out, even if some of the
company's officials took several cars
out of the barn, to be abandoned later
on the street. The Press" had it
that Tom johnson would take a car
out, but even this did not create any
surprise Tom had to protect his divi-
dends, and also he was busy in his
new machine shop, incoming freight
trains brought tens of the Hincky-
Dink members and the company op-
ened an agency atS the Lake Wick