Los Angeles herald., 1910-02-28
ORDERS 125,OOO
MEN TO STRIKE
IN QUAKER CITY
Central Labor Union COun-
Gil Votes to Call Out 14O
Trade Unions
SITUATION is SERIOUS
Riots Continue Unabated;
Two Are Killed by Car
Jumping Switch
SITUATION is SERIOUS
Associated Press1

n PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 27.-After
session of more than six hours
- the Central Labor council dele
gates tonight voted to call sympa-
thetic strike of 140 trade unions in
the organization, beginning next Sat
urday
The delegates claim 125,000 men will
| respond to the call. This action Of the
| Central Labor union is fraught with
momentous consequences, the union
| officials say.
The decision was made at a secret
| session of 700 delegates in Labor Ly-
ceum hall, which lasted more than six
hours. There was apparently no ques
| tiOn but that the delegates would vote
| to strike, the split being on whether
or not the strike would be started i'm
| mediately. The more conservative
element prevailed, however, and the
walkout was put off until next Sat-
| urday.
| Meanwhile there is hope that the
Estreet railway strike will be arbitrated,
despite the repeated declaration of the
company that there is nothing to ar
bitrate"
Nobody doubts that tonight's action
of the Central Labor union makes the
situation very grave. There is
strong feeling, especially among busi-
ness people, that the strike should be
settled speedily, as all lines of busi-
ness suffer from the interference with
traffic. Consequently there is much
! sympathy for the move for arbitration,
made by the clergymen of all denom-
nations early in the week.
Vote Is Strong One
There was surprise at the unanimity
| Al, &c., So ..,1 atxrR1
pathetic strike. The matter today had
been discussed previously and there
was mixed sentiment as to the wis
dom of calling out all classes of work.
men. Leaders of various trade unions
| said they were opposed to a general
strike because it involved broken trade
agreements. Others doubted their
ability to order all workmen to lay
down their tools, and have the order
obeyed. -.
AS the gathering was secret, little of
an authoritative nature can be learned
of what transpired behind the barred
doors. That there was much oratory
is evident, as the meeting lasted from
a short time after o'clock until $3.50
o'clock in the evening.
The great crowd of working people
gathered outside the hall would occa-
sionally hear loud cheering, and a re-
sponsive cheer would go up from the
outsiders. Finally, when the meeting
was adjourned and the announcement
was made that unless the Philadelphia
Rapid Transit company comes to an
agreement with it's striking employees
by next Friday the greatest strike in
the history of Philadelphia will be in
stituted, there was a great cheer, and
the crowd dispersed,
Not only members of unions affiliated
with the Central Labor union and the
Allied Building Trades council, but of
every labor organization in the city in
any way connected with the American
/ Federation of Labor participated in the
meeting.
Two Meetings Held
Two separate meetings were held.
The delegates TO the Central Labor un-
ion met on one floor of the building,
while the president and business agents
of the other organizations met on the
next floor.
Declaring the car strike here had be-
come a battle between capital ana Ia
Dor, the members of the Central Labor
union unanimously adopted a resolu-
ton that every union man and woman
stop work next Saturday, if in the
meantime the striking car men have
not reached an agreement with the
Philadelphia Rapid Transit company
When this resolution was forwarded
to the other meeting 1t was received
enthusiastically. but was amended SO
that the strike would begin Tuesday.
This amendment was sent to the
Central Labor union, where it was de-
bated several hours, but finally 1t was
determined to abide by the original
resolution.
There was much rioting during the
day. Cars were stoned, motormen and
conductors beaten and many passen-
81 fixrtY, mic
a dozen riot calls were received at po-
lice headquarters.
But in most instances the mobS were
dispersed with riot sticks alone. Sew
enty-fiVe arrests were made.
Crowds of men and boys who usually
fill the streets Sunday were responsible
for most of the attacks. The orders of
the director of public safety that wag-
ons must not be used resulted in many
disturbances.
Car Runs Into Brick House
Driven at high rate of speed to
escape a mob that was pelting it with
bricks and stones, trolley car struck
an obstruction, left the tracks and
nloughed into a brick house. The car
was demolished and the motorman,
conductor and policeman on guard on
the car were injured.
| When a policeman on a car fired a
shot from his revolver over the heads
of a threatening mob in another quar-
fer. every window in the car was shat
tered by stones. The frightened mo-
torman and conductor sought protec-
tion in a store. The mob endeavored
to demolish the car, but state police
drove the rioters back.
Policemen were obliged to shoot be-
fore they succeeded in dispensing a
mob of 1000 gathered at corner where
a policeman had forced the driver of
a huckster wagon, converted into a
bus, to unload his passengers. This
had infuriated the crowd and they
started to wreck passing trolley car.
charged with completely in a plot
to blow UP trolley cars filled with pas
sengers, and to destroy other property
of the street railway company, Charles
! r. Copeland, striking conductor, and
William Field. a stationary engineer,
formerly of New York were held in
$4,000 bail today by Magistrate Heaton
in the central police court.
The men We're arrested by II. S. Sill
Continued on Page Twol