The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-03-07
Mayor and P. R. I. Com
pany Counsel Charge
Conspiracy.
STREET RIOTS CONTINUE
Policemen Club Crowds and
Make Many Arrests in
Philadelphia.


OF checking riots and Furnishing the
men who are directing the war
against the car company was de-
cided at a conference this morning
between the city officials and Fran
els Skunk Brown. counsel for the
Philadelphia Rapid Transit Com
pany
Neither Mayor Reyburn nor Di-
rector of Public Safety Clay nor
Mr.. Brown would breathe a word
of what took place in the confer
ence, but the information is posi-
tive that the authorities have deter
mined TO arrest and clap into jail
ten or a dozen men who are re-
garded as responsible for the pres
ent conditions.
Clarence O. Pratt, captain of the
striking carmen, and John J. Muir
ply, president of the Central Labor
Union, are under indictment al
ready for melting to riot, and it IS
known to be the intention of the
mayor and his advisers to go down
the line and corral every union
chief who had a part in forcing
10000 men to quit work
BASIS FOR LEGAL ACTION.
Action is to be taken against these
men under the common law of Pennsyl-
vania which broadly defines conspiracy
as the attainment or attempt 10 attain
a lawful thing by unlawful means OF the
attainment or attempt at attainment Of
an unlawful thing by lawful means Lee
gal authorities have assured the city
officials that they have strong case
against the union leaders in question.
The common law is TO be applied TO the
labor bosses in this way:
There viii be afidavits and evidence for
the grand jury to demonstrate that in
attempting 10 force the Philadelphia
Rapid Transit Company TO arbitrate with
the striking motormen and conductors the
committee OF ten OF the Central Labor
Union and others lave caused merchants
ana manufacturers TO lose heavily
through the shutting down Of plants or
partial suspension Of business. and have
brought hardship and suffering upon the
general body o. citizens.
Evidence will be procured from employ
ers who are known TO have been gravely
injured by the sympathetic strike. The
city officials are confident that they can
multiply evidence Of that character. They
have been assured that they can use
such evidence as the basis for a criminal
action, while individual employees could
do no more than bring civil suits to re-
cover damages.
Means Disaster for Strikers.
So far as the effect upon the strike is
concerned. some of the officials are con-
fdent that nothing would be more dis
astrous to the union forces than drastic
prosecution Of the leaders
The names of the men to be arrested
have not been mentioned specifically, but
the general strike is being bossed by a
committee OF ten, which was selected
from the two organizations that are most
prominent in the strike, the Central La
Dor Union, and the Allied Building Trades
Council
The decision OF the authorities to iail
the leaders was partly assisted by the
assurance that the political bosses would
keep hands off It is understood that the
machine will not interfere in any way
with whatever action Reyburn and Clay
may take TO punish such as they believe
are responsible.
Arrests to he Prompt.
The arrests are expected within the
next twenty-four hours. So far none of
the union leaders has had a hint of the
tactics to be employed by the city Of
fieials. It is not supposed that they will
dodge, since hitherto they have tried TO
make capital out OF the jailing of Pratt
and Murphy for melting to riot.
There was hardly a spark of trouble in
the morning or the afternoon to-day. /
The coming OF evening brought trouble. (
Outbreaks were reported constantly. Riot /
calls 10 the city hall arsenal, where au-
tomobiles were in readiness and SQUADS I
of men with clubs and revolvers were
on tip-toes. told of cars stoned and
wrecked. of men shot, and of fierce fights /
the police were having with mobs in
sections where the strikers we're most in
force
A crowd of BOYS began tantalizing a /
policeman at Sixth and Carpenter streets
The policeman rushed the crowd and ar I
rested one of the boys The crowd at |
tempted rescue. and. while the police /
man was struggling to keep hold of his
prisoner, he was reinforced by a squad /
from nearby station. The crowd was
hriven away. but 1t reformed at Eighth /
Ind Carpenter streets. There were sew
iral thousand men and boys in the mob.
nd BY this time every ear that came
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