East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1915-06-29
IMPORTANT LESSONS
LEARNED FROM BIG
STRIKE N CHICAGO
RECENT TIE-UP SHOWS HOW CITY
is At THE MERCY OF ONE
OF IT'S PARTS.
For Two Days Not a Wheel Moves on
Over 1900 Miles of Rails-Yet Chi
cago Is at its Desk or Counter or
Observation-Disclosures Got TO Work
Despite Handicap.
BY GEORGE R. HOMES.


Omitted Press staff Correspondent
CHICAGO, June 29.-Chicago's re-
cent street car strike, the greatest one
this nation has ever seen from the
standpo mt Of effectiveness and the
number Of men involved, demonstrate
ed two things conclusively-how com
pletely a great city is at the mercy OF
one of its parts, and how the ingenu-
ity and initiative Of the American peo-
pie comes forth with a smash and a
bang and oyercomes all obstacles.
For two days the second largest
city in the country was ted up. Not
wheel turned on over 1900 miles of
rails to carry million workers to
their places Of employment. Yet Chi
cago was at its desk, or its counter or
workbench the second morning on the
specified time. When one takes into
consideration the vast amount of ter
ritory covered by Chicago. II makes
this feat stand out even more remark
able. Some people were fifteen and
eighteen miles from their jobs. Yet
they got there-and on time, too.
1t was somewhat of shock the
first morning, True, there had been
talk of strike and tie-up. but with
Characteristic American unprepared-
ness no arrangements had been made
to get down to work" So when Chi
cago rubbed the sleep from its eyes
the first morning, there was a great
problem confronting it. A million
jobs were waiting in the loop with
million workers from one to 1S miles
away from them. And no cars. Some
walked. Some rushed frant cally to
the telephone to get a taxicab or a
friend who had car, some went out
on the street and hailed grocer wa
gons. The more fortunate hustled to
the steam roads But they all got
there.
Getting home at night was prob
lem. There were a few elevated trains
running carrying policemen, detec-
tives, reporters and photographers.
but chance Of stopping brick with
their heads didn't appeal to Chicago
ans. In the two days, the elevated
ira ms didn't carry over half dozen
passengers and those did it for the
sensation because they got on not
knowing there was strike
That evening. from to o'clock,
Chicago was a strange looking city. In
the loop district there was a veritable
army Of every kind of vehicle except
a street car The incessant screech-
ing Of impatient automobile horns
made bedlam Of noise. Big moving
vans, horse drawn. lined the curbings.
each with a driver and hawker.
Sandwiched in between the big horse
and motor trucks were surreys, bug
gies, strange looking contraptions
rescued from vehicle graveyards, and
a scattering Of farm wagons. They all
got home somehow. 1t cost them all
the way from five cents to five dol
lars but they got there.
The next morning everybody was
set Things went off as smoothly
as clockwork. Chicago walked down |
to the corner and grabbed bus with |
he same equamlty that It had grabbed |
a street car the week before. When |
they reached the loop, the newsboys
calling the extras, announcing that the
strike was over.
One Of the most remarkable fea-
lures Of the whole thing was the good
nature with which everybody took II.
There was a spirit Of adventure in go
ng down town and not being sure how
me was going to get home. They
trimmed at each other across the bus
ops. Another thing -neighborliness
vas proven. The papers called on the
'eople to be neighborly with their
ars and they responded loyalty
Hardly an empty back seat was seen
n the streets. Everybody was TAX
ng everybody else home and calling
or them at night
The "hawkers" helped lot too.
hey joked the people into enjoying
II sorts OF discomforts. One was es
ecially noteworthy. He was collect
1g fares and as he went along he