The Washington times., 1917-06-05
ANTTSTRIKE MEN
HEARD In CAR CASE
Senator's Listen to Vice Pres
ident Ham and Employees.
'BADGERED," SAYS CONDUCTOR
UniOnists Pestered Him, Declares
Francis P. Darlington.
'BADCERED," SAYS CONDUCTOR

Practically the entire session Of
the special Senate committee investt
eating the street railway strike, to
day was taken up with the hearing Of
Washington Railway and Electric
Company men who operated cars dur
ing the strike. All the testimony
was along the same general lines. a.
to influence brought to bear upon
these men to Join the union. and their
experiences in operating cars during
the strike
Francis P. Darlington. a witness,
declared he had been ''badgered' in
the hearing room by a man who had
called him ''old Scab-"
On demand he named John Ander-
son as the man who had aimed this
epithet at him. Anderson was called
upon to rise.
Attorney George P. Hoover. coun-
sci for the company. objected TO
such treatment OF witnesses. and
Senator Pittman. acting chairman OF
the COMMITTEES, gave warning that any
such disorder in the future would
lead to exclusion from the room.
Ham Again TestIaes.
william F, Ham, vice president Of
the company. resumed the stand wheu
the hearing opened this morning.
The committee was prepared for an
sll-day session. Mr.. Ham testified
with respect to the case of a motor
man who. he said. was dismissed In
1914 for allegedly causing a rear-end
collision on the Glen Echo line Of the
Washington Railway and Electric
Company, in which thirty persons
were injured.
The motorman was later give .
place as a switchman on his applica,
tion for unemployment in any ca,
pacity- The man had a mother and
sister dependent upon him Mr. Ham
said that as a motorman he had had
a number OF accidents.
On cross-examination BY Attorney
James II. Valley. counsel for the men,
the motorman said cars were running
on a Roadway OF from two to three
minutes and that the night was woEKy.
William NJ Disney, an employe at
the Brightwood barns, told OF how
the men attempted to persuade him
to DIN the union. He said he had
kN+N = 1eAAaAF 11N hAl hCNGE aNAcuQGQ
a meeting or taken any other step to
DIN Counsel Vahey offered him his
dollar back
He was inspector OF brakes and ties
titled that when he attempted to run
cars out OF the barns for service dur.
ing the strike ne found nearly all of
them had been disabled He told Of
cars comink back with broken glass
and OF gathering stons out OF the
cars. He said he was In one car when
a stone was hurled through both
sides.
He was cross-examined by Counsel
vahey as to his services and eondi-
lions OF work ~off and on" since 1894,
and as to details attending and sue
ceeding lapses in his service.
MOtOrman ON Stand.
Mr.. Darlington, the next witness,
on direct examination testified he had
been a motorman since 1900 and had
served through both strikes. He told
of working conditions on the road
before the Amalgamated Association
was organized, during the period OF
organization and afterward. He said
epithets had been hurled at him by
strikers They were too bad, he said,
to repeat. in the room where women
were present.
II was called an old rat up here"
he said This brought a protest from
Counsel Vahey, who demanded namea
Darlington replied. John Andsr-
SON"
Counsel Hoover, for the company,
asked John Anderson to stand up, and
a man arose in the back OF the room
Later the witness testified he had
did not believe Anderson had any
animus against him. He had known
he said. seventeen years.
Darlington testified he had no com
plant against working conditions. He
said his hOuIs were satisfactory, that
he was willing to work ten or twelve
hours day. but that he wanted all
OF the money he could get
Worked On Horse Cars
John A. Bowers, who was a driver
for the old Metropolitan railway In
the days of horse cars, was the next
witness called for the company. He
said he had been employed for the last
years as a motorman. Testi
flying as to conditions during the
period OF organization of the union,
he said he was constantly rugged" to
join. but would not do so.
He declared he told the men who
tried to get him to Join that he
wouldn't contribute any part OF his
pay to highly paid organizers OF the
union. and that he would have abso-
lutely nothing to do with the Ameri-
can Federation OF Labor.
He said many men "pestered" him
to join. He was told, he said. by
union men, that they were going to
run c. p King out OF town, and that
IL he didn't join before King was gone
he would lose his job.
He said the men told him all kinds
of stories about the relief associar
tion. telling him that officers OF the
company were doing away with the
money. He had frequently borrowed
from the relief association, he said,
to make payments on his home,
which otherwise he could not meet
Doesn't Like Union.
On REORGANIZATION, he empha-
sized that he had no use for the
union. and declared the officers draw
ing high salaries ARE taking money
from these fellers here who are out
of a job"
William II. Glasscock. conductor on
the Columbia division. said that early
on the third day of the strike he saw
a man stand in an automobile, pass
ing his car, and fire a rifle shot
through a window. 1t narrowly