Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1910-08-05
Rutland Street Railway Men
Strike.

The strike of the street railroad con-
ductors and motormen in Rutland Satur-
day did not prevent the trolley company
running its cars Sunday. The cool
weather prevented the usual heavy traf-
fic of Sunday and acted in the COM
pany's favor, the regular cars being
ample to accommodate the public.
Only two of "a regular men were on
duty Strike breakers brought to Rut-
land in anticipation of trouble and EN-
pioyees from other departments of the
electric company moved the cars. The
son of President G.. Tracy Rogers is act
ing as conductor.
The senior member of the firm of
Wadell & Mahoney, among the best
known strike breakers in the country, is
in Rutland in charge of 80 men, who also
are armed, as the company will take no
chances, although the 30 striking en-
ployees have said that there will be no
violence on their part.
All the ~ deputy sherifis in Rutl md
county have been placed on duty. G.
Tracy Rogers, of Binghamton. N. Y +,
president of the company, says:
1--WE won't recognize the union under
any consideration. We've started in to
break the union and we'll do it if it takes
all summer"
When traffic started Saturday morn
ing the union men who had not accepted
the company's proposition of an increase
from $3.50 to $3.50 day, repudiating the
the carmen's organization, were not al
lowed to work. Eight union men had
signed that agreement and made runs in
the forenoon. They joined their locked
out brothers, however, Saturday after
noon when the strike was declared.
The last effort to reach a peaceable
settlement failed Saturday forenoon when
George S. Haley, general mananager of
the company, refused to entertain a writ
ten proposition from the union to arbi-
trate the controversy. He said that the
union would not be recognized but the
individuals if they would drop their
membership in the union.
There is intense feeling in some quar-
tiers over the company's action. The I'M
ion has given out white ribbons on hich
are printed the words, I'VE Walk"
and they are beng worn generally.
Some women walked from West Rutland
distance of four miles, and back again
at night, rather than ride with strike
breakers
The first trips of the cars were omitted
Saturday morning on the line to Fair
Haven and the belt lines in Rutland.
Afterward, however, the schedule was
fairly we'll maintained with the eight
regular men on the through trips and
strike breakers on the belt line cars I'M
til the strike was declared at o'clock
Saturday afternoon. The extra trips on
the line to Lake Bomoseen were aban-
doned.
The trouble came to head Tuesday
night July 26, when division PAT met to
take the strike vote. When the
ballot boxes were turned in Thursday af-
ternoon it was found that considerably
more than two-thirds of the 20 members
had voted for a strike. The result was
forwarded by Resin Orr, treasurer of the
national organization, who is looking
after the interests of the union, to the
national executive committee. For some
time the union has been negotiating for
higher rate of wages, asking % cents an
hour for all conductors and motormen.
The wages of the men were increased
two years ago from IS to IS cents an
hour the first year of employment and 90
cents for experienced men. The men
say General Manager Haley promised a
one-cent increase and gave them encour-
agement with President Rogers of two
cent advance. This was considered
sufficient.
For mild, easy action of the bowels,