The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1913-02-27
CHARGE IS
BROUGHT AGAINST
ELECTRIC WORKERS
oUTGRoWTH or A STRIKE
Malicious Destruction of Tele-
graph Wires Charged-Un-
Gle Sam Comes to Rescue
of Postal Company.

Chicago, Feb. 25.--Two local unions
Of the International Brotherhood Of
Electrical Workers were sued by the
federal government here today under
the Sherman antitrust law for alleged
Interference with messages OF the POS
tai Telegraph Gable company in inter-
state commerce. Local unions Nos. y
and 1874 are named as defendants.
AS part OF h labor war against the
telegraph company, the government
unions with combining and ~conspiring.
through acts OF violence and depreda-
tons, to injure the Postal Telegraph
wires, to interfere with the transmits
sion Of government and commercial
messages In Interstate commerce. The
alleged interference Is declared to have
been deliberate.
Allege Trade Restraint.
While restraint Of interstate COM
merce is alleged, the Sherman law is
not specifically mentioned in h gov
ernment's bill of complaint, which gem
orally declares that he defendants al
legged unlawful acts have violated the
rights granted under the constitution
and laws of the United States to the
telegraph companies and he
of messages. The government asked
tina the defendants be enjoined from
obstructfng interstate n government
messages over the Postal, from cutting,
burning or otherwise injuring its tele-
graph lines and from interfering by
threats, intimidation, persuasion or
force with employees or prospective en-
ployes of the company.
Pending final hearing, the petition
pleads for a temporary injunction
against the alleged unlawf acts.
List of Defendants.
The following are named as defend
ants:
International Brotherhood of Electri-
cal Workers. local unions Nos. 8 and
1874, Martin j. Healy, Michael ]. Boyle,
LAME, J. j. Elliott, w. Conrad, E.. p.
Shanks, G. Florian, w. Saunders, H.
Warner, w. Sinclair, S. O.. Minor, A.
v. Breckner, F. S. Allen, H. Cogill, M.
O'Day, j. G. Carroll, j. Gaul, Berg Cog
hill and Frank H. Carroll, all of Chi
cago.
Pointing particularly to the packing
house industry centering in Chicago,
and the operations of the Chicago board
of trade, the bill declares that without
prompt and uninterrupted telegraphic
communication between Chicago n
points In other states and foreign coun-
tries, the sale and shipment of pro-
ducts, the merchandise In Interstate
commerce would be seriously inter-
ferred with and adds that the efficiency
Of the departments of the government
of the United States would be greatly
impaired.
Labor trouble between the Postal and
the electrical unions arose in Septem-
Der, last, when, it is alleged, union Of
fcials insisted that the telegraph COM
policy. The company refused. 1t is add
ed, because it would have necessitated
the discharge of old and faithful en-
ployes, not members of the union. Some
of the defendants are alleged to have
informed the Postal company that If
fhoyy rof,Icad To agree fheV would call a
strike.
History Of Strike.
At this stage, When a strike was i'm
minent, the government says, the tele-
graph company on October 10 dis
charged employees who were members
Of the union and supplied their places
with non-members. Threats against
officers and employees of the telegraph
company Immediately followed, it is
charged, and acts of violence began to
be committed daily in Chicago against
the company's property, whereby tele-
graph lines were cut, injured or de-
stroyed by the use Of acids or other
means, interfering with and Gripping
the company's service.
These alleged acts of depredations,
said to have been repeated almost
daily during the entire period since the
discharge of the former employees, ave
been performed or directed or con-
nived at, it is charged, by the defend
ants, Healy and Boyle, and others.
The telegraph company, the govern
fnent continues, has been power1ess to
prevent frequent re-occurring acts of
violence on it's cables and wires and
unless relief Is afforded by the court,
the petition maintains that these al
legged acts of violence will continue, to
the ~irreparable injury Of the telegraph
company and users of its lines.
The governments bill, signed by At
torney General Wickersham and his as
%sistant, James A. Fowler, was filed by
United States Attorney Wilkerson, Of