The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1910-02-24
MARTIAL LAW IS
MADE A FARCE
Rioters Strip Philadelphia Militia
of Their Uniforms.
MOB, BOMB AND TORCH REIGN
Dynamltine and stoning of Cars Con.
tinues-General Strike Is Ordered
But Later Called OFF,
Man Killed.

Philadelphia, Feb. 2S.-The mob
the bomb and the torch still hold com
mand of the street car strike situa
ton here. Martial law was declared
in some parts of the city, but The
rioters made a farce of it. They
stripped the uniforms from the backs
of the State Fencibles, the one mill
tary organization that was called out
and threw coats, hats, and rifles into
the sewers. .....
Then they pelted the militia men
with bullets extracted from their own
cartridge boxes and drove them to
ignominious flight. All over town
there was rioting and stoning of cars
and there were several burnings and
one bad case of dynamiting.
-. outhursts Are Sudden.
Outbursts came with tic sudden
ness of explosions, not only in the
outlying districts but in the very
heart of the city. In most cases car
crews were driven away before the
police could come to their aid and
their trolleys were untracked and de-
molished. ....
The police were admittedly unable
to deal with the situation and their
militia helpers were worse than use
less. The blue coats drew revolvers
in some cases, bit. either from mo-
tives of sympathy or decentralization,
seldom fired, even in the air.
Bystander Is Killed.
One mantle usual innocent by
stander-was killed as the result of a
melee at Market and Twelfth streets,
right in the center of town. There
was hooting and jeering at the strike
breaking crew of a west-bound car.
The motorman got down and engaged
some OF the rioters. The victim,
while trying to get out of the rumpus,
was struck by car bound east and
crushed to death between that and a
delivery wagon. Two boys were shot
one perhaps fatally-by a policeman
in dispensing a mob in Germantown.
Only about 400 cars out of total
of 1000 were in operation and nearly
all of these had policemen standing
guard fore and aft. They carried few
passengers, for travelling was a peril
GUS pursuit when it was interrupted
every few blocks by. showers of
bricks and stones.
The strike leaders declare that to-
day there will be still fewer cars in
operation. And besides, there may be
widespread sympathetic strikes on the
part of $4,000 or 10000 other union
workmen throughout the city.
Declares General Strike.
John ]. Murphy, head of the Central
Federation unions, took a poll of the
300 unions, comprising about 100000
workmen of various trades which are
under his jurisdiction. He asked them
whether or not they would be willing
to strike in sympathy with their broth
ers of the street railways. unani-
nous yes" was the answer. Then
strike!" ordered Murphy.
But c. o. Pratt, the leader of the
carmen's strike, vetoed the PROPOSE
ton. He pointed out that If the car
mems strike was a long one they
would have to rely On their union
brethren for funds to keep alive and
they Co"'L not do tbs If the other
unions we're ort O ~-0rk too. Murphy
agreed with this logic and thereupon
called the yariCGS 32ions off, at least
temporarily.
We won't be called Off" declared
some of the workmen.
Wen strike anyhow, and show
these corporations the power OF union
ism in Philadelphia"
Murphy said he felt sure that these
workmen, numbering $4,000 at least,
and including plumbers, tile layers,
steam-fitters and garment workers,
would not report at their shops to-
day.
There will be general strike, how
over, II the car men do not win. That
is certain.
At a conference of city and state
officials it was decided, despite the
fact that there had been riOting all
day, that the situation was not yet
beyond the control of the police. AT
the same time, the mayor and the
sheriff drew up formal appeal to the
governor for troops, which they filed
at the telegraph Offices and will send
the instant necessity impels such an
action.
The biggest trouble of the day was
In the northeast section of the city. in
Kensington, where all the textile
mills, Cramps ship yards and other
big mechanical plants are located.
The workmen at these places had
holiday and thronged the streets.