Smyrna times., 1910-02-23
Scores Of Trolley Cars Wreck
ed and Burned.
INJURED CROWD HOSPITALS
EiotIng Occurred All Over the City
and the Police Were Helpless to
oueII It-Three Children Seriously
Injured, Two Probably Fatally.

Philadelphia, Feb. 21-The trolley
car strike which took place on Sat
urday led to the most vicious rioting
Philadelphia has seen for years. The
hospitals are filled with persons who
were shot or beaten, mostly victims
of bullets, bricks or paving stones.
The outlook was so alarming Sun
day afternoon when the Philadelphia
Rapid Transit company withdrew
every one of its cars from service and
sent them to the barns that Mayor
.Rcyburn authorized Henry Clay, the
director of public safety to recruit
1000 extra policemen. The regular po-
lice force of $500 was utterly unable
to smother the trouble, despite the
bland announcement of the director
that he had the situation we'll in hand.
The indications are so plain that the
Rapid Transit company intends to give
G. o. Pratt and the striking conduc-
tors and motormen all the fighting
they want that sober-minded citizens
are considering already the advisa-
bility of asking the governor to lend
a hand with the state constabulary.
The police force did not cover itself
with glory last June when there was
much less of a storm at any stage
than broke out Sunday and there is
distinct fear that Clay and Tin
O'Leary, his assistant, even with 1000
extra men, may not be able to make
the streets safe for citizens. There
was never a day in the strike of nine
months ago when things looked as
ugly as they do now.
The widespread violence that broke
in twenty places at once has indicated
that those familiar with the. attitude
of the company and of the strikers
that unless somebody with a strong
hand steps in, Philadelphia is in for
big trouble.
Cause of the Trouble.
Briefly. the situation is Just this:
The former strike was settled by a
compromise that pleased nobody. The
Rapid Transit company and the strik-
ers werebfrought together by Jim Nc
i Nicho,lChar Republican boss. because
an efLlovd was imminent Gnd Phila-
4 delp,o, ..as disgusted with the atti-
tud the machine. The company
A.. but p a local union of employees
y NJ lNcSaned the Keystone Carmen, and by a
s.'system of rewards succeeded in weak
ening the Amalgamated union. The
company kept to its promises and in
many instances paid a higher scale
than the compromise agreement called
for. c. o. Pratt. who is always around
vrhnp frnffh1n innpac kko4 -
company's policy was to destroy ut
terly the old union. They sought for a
pretext to strike. The company gave
1t to them by discharging upwards of
200 men who had been stealing or
were neglecting their duties accord
ing 10 the street car company's ofi.
cials.
Ross McNichol and Billy Ware. the
ring masters of the Republican caucus
in this city, saw the trouble coming q
week age and decided that Florida
was good enough for them. They slip
ped ont Of town. and with their coins
peor,c wla realized how serious mat
tiers we're going gave up all hope thai
the Republican machine would inter
fere as It did last summer.
} President Murphy, o. the Centra
labor union. says he has the power t
cali out 100000 men. which would If,
up OF cripple every Industrial estab
lishment in the city practically.
Policemen Battered.
All of the police stations were nois,
with strikers and strike sympathizers
who had been dragged out of fight
and hauled to Jail by the nape of tn
neck. Occasionally returning patro
wagons or automobiles would bring i
policemen who arc not likely to TAX
part in the forthcoming shindies. Man
Of them had cut faces. one or two ha
broken noses and all had been bange
about and hammered until they wer
not pretty to look at
The area of dioting was so immens
that the police had a desperately di
fcult problem on their hands. Sever;
times during the day there wei
tights. in which more than thousan
persons were taking part, occurrin
simultaneously in a dozen far separa
ed localities. The northeast and mort
west were alive with trouble. It ran ,
far south as Girard avenue. Kensin
.on was particularly riotous sectiC
and there much Of the trouble toc
place
Two street cars were burned
strike sympathizers, another was fir,
but saved from destruction, and scor
were wrecked. windows broken al
fronts smashed in.
The tactics employed by the str
ers were practically the same evei
where. They tried to pull the los
conductors and motormen off the ca
Sometimes they sacceeded, but We
often the car operatives show
spunk and turned on the current. Tn
the strikers would throw brio
smashing windows and sometin
heads. They rolled crossties and ra
on the tracks and blocked car lin
Time after time fha n0Ifce ware