The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-08-08
THE DIES MONIES STRIKE.

/
! two fares. The conductor denied the
charge and accompanied his denial
with an offensive epithet Believing
| the charge against the conductor to
be true and objecting to the epithet
applied to its accredited representa-
tive. the street car company dis
charged the offending conductor,
whereupon all the other conductors
and employees quit work in a body.
While the strike was in progress
there was considerable rioting and
other evidences of disorder-all on
account of ten cents and an epithet.
After being in progress the better
part of Gay the strike was settled
by Judge De Graf of the district
court who issued an order compelling
the street railway company to rein
state the conductor it had discharged
and ordering the striking conductors
and other employees to resume work.
This order was obeyed by both par
ties to the contest, and the cars are
now running as before. At first the
attorney for the street railway COM
pany was disposed to question the
validity of the judicial mandate, but
on reflection thought better of it as
affording legal means of dealing
with employees who threaten to resort
to strike in order to enforce their
demands. A dispatch from Des
Moines says as to this:
That new method of handling
labor difficulties has been discovered,
was the statement of n 7. Guernsey,
attorney for the street car company,
tonight, following the acquiescence of
the company in Judge De Graff'a
order.
"At the same time, he said, his
clients were by no means satisfied
that the court was within its juris-
diction in issuing the mandatory in
! junction, but for the present they
/ were willing to abide by it, leaving to
! a later date the trial Of the case on
1 its merits.
We hope we are wrong he said,
and that the city is right with regard
to this order. If this order stands it
means that public service corpora
ton, having contract with labor
union, has right to go into court
and secure a mandatory Injunction
prohibiting the labor union from strik-
| ing, and requiring it, in case strike
| has been called, to rescind the order
calling the strike.
1t is obvious that If this is law,
| a way has been pointed out for han
ding these labor difficulties which
viii be more economical and efficient
than any method that has yet been
suggested"
The city OF Des Moines is certain
to suffer severely from the strike
and the developments attending it
That city has spent hundred thous
and dollars in advertising itself in
leading magazines, with the avowed
object of attracting factories and cap
ital investments, to the end that "a
Dor may be well employed in thai
city and its population increased
But just now, through an incompetent
administration, ii is giving the lie tt
all the promiseG and inducements thai
! il has held out 1t Is now advertis
ing the fact that Des Moines is abou
the worst place in the world for mer
to invest capital in factories or il
other forms OF employment for men
+ In view of these things the Cedal
Rapids Republican INDUCES in tn.
/ following structures which are non,
t too severe:
One institution discharged an EN-
: ploye, not because ne is accused o
I knocking down two fares, but be
cause he used abusive and vile Ian
guage, which he admits, when his al
tention was called u the matter. TIL
S right for his employers to discharg
j. him for even such cause was cha
q lenged. In Des Moines a man has
right TO quit work when he wants +
do SO. but an employer does not hav
: an equal right to dispense with hi
r services when they are no longer sa
n isfactory.
n But that is only the beginnin;
Z After all the men in the employ {
!. the corporation quit their work. b.
cause the discharged man was nc
taken back, they combined, backed
. seems by the city government and tn
II whole community, including til
e preachers, to keep others from rul
l. ming the business OF that corporation
,e The commissioner of public safet
% made an open announcement that h
would not afford the company any D
lice protection and in practice, tt
only men the police will arrest al
u those who have been hired to wol
~ tor that corporation.
N Refusing to protect the company
In operating its business, the subsu
It Went city council threatens to me
&C and to declare the franchise of ii
- corporation vacated and void becaus
: forsooth, it has not kept It's sire
u cars in operation as required by Il
IS, terms Of the franchise
ey Is that called consistency? w
IL there ever such spectacle enact
T." before in any civilized community?
,es They tried TO make out it v,
:, "unionism," but there is no vi,
~ question of rnionism involved.
ny question as to wages or as to hou
?" nothing fer which unionism stan,