Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-07-30
CHICAGO RAIL
STRIKE ESTILL
ON; TO VOTE?
May Take Referendum of
ALI Workers on Tieup
Seek Settlement.

chicago, July 5U.-SLrlKe-DOunU
Chicago found hope of relief in the
announcement today that chiefs of
/ the surface and elevated mems
unions planned a referendum vote
of the entire union membership to
! determine whether the strike vote
taken at Monday nights mass meet
/ ing should be sustained. The union
membership is $4,000; the attend
ance at the meeting where the
strike vote passed with a shout
over protest of the leaders was g.
i 900. 1t was stated that another "a
hours may pass before the referen-
dunn vote can be completed.
No Effort to Run Cars.
Meanwhile the tie-up on this, the
second day of the STRIKE was as
complete as yesterday. Officials OF
! the companies said no effort would
be made to run cars with the aid of
strike breakers; that they would
simply wait until the situation had
! cleared somewhat before taking any
action. Leaders of the unions of
surface and elevated men awaited
! the arrival of W. D. Mahan, presi-
dent of the International Union of
! Carmen, who had been summoned
from Detroit, before putting into
operation a referendum vote which
the conservative element believe
will result in showing that the
strike vote does not represent the
majority of the unions member
ship.
Business Men Handle Traffic.
Working Chicago found it's way
to business today by the various
methods brought into service yes
terday, but the congestion to traffic
was greatly reduced. Four hundred
business men organized for the
purpose and provided with the
authority of a star, did duty as
traffic officers, every available po-
liceman being on riot duty.
Notices were issued calling on au-
tomobile drivers to- observe speed
regulations, wholly disregarded
yesterday, and also urging automo-
bile owners to aid pedestrians by
conveying them in the direction in
which the drivers were bound. This |
''help Chicago" notice brought a !
gratifying response, the officials |
said. Operators of vehicles convert
ed into passenger conveyances were !
notified by forty deputy collectors |
from the United States internal |
revenue collectors office that they |
would be compelled to pay a gov
ernment tax of $40 placed on all |
conveyances for the purpose of |
carrying passengers.
Keep up Good HumOr.
Not even the long lines of pedes-
trians who trudged downtown,
many carrying coats on one arm
and hats in hand, had lost any of
the good humor with which the |
conditions were accepted on the |
first day of the strike. All the big |
mercantile establishments gave no
tice through the public prints of
increased telephone facilities and
urged their customers to do their
shopping by telephone.
Every railroad in the city ran
additional cars to regular trains and
in some instances extra trains, to
accommodate the suburban popula-
ton. Some of these trains were not
run into the regular terminals, but
to points near these, in order to
avoid congestion in train sheds.
Railroads running west of the city
weretaxed to their capacity, a strike
during the early morning hours of
several hundred employees of the
Elgin and Chicago electric
railway sending traffic from west
ern suburbs to the steam roads.
Conference. Called
w. D. Mahon, international pres
ident of the street car employees
union upon his arrival in Chicago
today, took personal charge of the
strike of 5000 surface line and |
elevated road employees and prom
ised to do everything in his power
to settle the dispute without unnec-
essary delay. His first action was
TO send a letter to the officials and
members of the executive commit
tee of the unions calling a confer
ence this afternoon.
Seeks Details of Strike Meet.
President Mahon said he wanted
to learn from the local leaders, ev- ,
cry detail of the union mass meet
ing which resulted in the calling of
he strike. He declined to discuss
he situation until after he had OBJ
aimed this information 1t is be- =
ieved that he will urge the union
20 take a referendum vote on the |
offer of the transporta-
ion lines granting maximum I
scale of 65 cents an hour to the en-
)loyes of surface lines and 81 cents
o the elevated road men with an
sight-hour day and time and one ]
laIf for overtime. '
At o'clock this afternoon Pres I
dent Mahon will confer with Gov
,rnor Lowden, Mayor Thompson. :
md officials of the street car lines.