The labor world., 1911-08-12
Writ Of Injunction Issued Against
Both Street Railway En- -
ployers and Employees. :
RAILWAY MEN QUICKLY
OBEY ORDER OF COURT
Officials of Railway Attempt to
Evade Service-What Does
New Order Mean?
(By w. E. McEwen).

(By w. e. McEWen).
A street car strike was settled In
Des Moines this week.
A state judge, taking advantage OF
a strong popular sentiment IN favor
Of the men on strike, issued novel
injunction.
It is the first injunction ever issued
during a labor controversy that
seemed to recognize the rights of men
with the rights Of property.
This was the situation: A street
railway company at Des Moines had
been operating under trade agree
ment with a local union of the Anal
gamated Street Railway Employees.
This agreement contained an arbitra-
ton clause and was to be used in
the event of any controversy arising
between the company and the men
during it's life. A prominent member
of the union was discharged from the
service of the company, and the union
seemed to have good reason to be-
lieve that his activity in the organiza-
ton of street railway employees was
the cause of the discharge.
Company Officers Arrogant.
This mans reinstatement was de-
manded. The company refused. Tho
union then invoked the use Of the ar
bitration clause in the agreement. The
manager of the street railway COM
pany refused to meet the union un-
der this provision and the agreement
was violated. Committees from
prominent civic bodies, the clergy and
representatives of the city govern
ment attempted to wait upon the
management and urge a peaceful set
tlement of the difficulty. The officials
of, the public service corporation as
sumed an arrogant position and re-
fused to meet any, and all commit
tees no matter from whence they
came.
Finally a strike, which was inevi-
table, was called. Every employee Of
the railroad left his car. The whole
system was completely tied up: In
anticipation of the strike a number
of professional strike breakers were
boarded about town in boarding
houses and other institutions con-
trolled by the railroad company.
Public Sentiment With Union.
The morning after the strike was
called an attempt was made to run
the cars with strike breakers. Pub
lie sentiment, as we have shown, was
strongly in favor of the strikers, and
a determined crowd stood about the
barns ready to stop the first car that
pulled out.
Good organization among working
men tends to promote thorough dis
cipline. None know the folly Of dis
order in a strike so much as trade
unionists. The evidence in the Des
Moines case shows that the union
men did all within their power to
prevent violation of law. The nation
al organizer, Fred Fay, thoroughly
alert to the situation, repeatedly hur-
ried to places where disorder was
threatened and earnestly plead with
the people to commit no wrong
against life or property, and in sew
eral instances he succeeded in in
ducimg the crowds to disperse.
Strike Breakers Cowed.
The temper Of the citizens of Des
Moines was so strong that even the
women crowded together and en-
phatically threatened violence to the
strike breaker "who would dare run
a car" The police gave little SYM
pathy to the railroad company, and
the chief Of police refused to assign
any of his men to act as guards for
strike breakers. So these profession
al mercenaries, whom President
Eliot characterizes as typical latter
day heroes, lost their courage and
refused to take any chances on a
street car in Des Moines without a
police officer beside them.
The situation was critical Not a
car had moved for forty-eight hours
People were willing to walk several
miles to their homes without pro-
test. The manager Of the street rail-
way, fearful of public sentiment
ment of the strike over to the leader
of the strike breakers.
City Officials Impatient.
City officials. were becoming i'm.
patient. Des Moines has had few ex.
periences with industrial troubles
but some of it's citizens had heard
of the use Of the injunction during
strike. So the city attorney looked
up the record Of court decisions, and
found that there was practically nc
limitation in the use of the injunc.
ton for the benefit of employers.
The three great factors affected By
q strike, particularly in a public ser.
vice corporation, are the employers
employees and the public. The first
two We're the belligerents, and the
city attorney representing the pub.
lie, which was suffering great in.
convenience, thought he saw an op.
portunity for invoking the extraor.
dinary process of Injunction along 8
new and untried line for. the bene.