The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1920-08-06
TWO DIE IN
CAR RIOTS
AT DENVER
Street Railway Tieup
Brings Outbreak-City
Te1rorized by Mobs.

quiet today following reign OF ter
row last night in which striking
street car employees and sympathiz-
ers roamed the downtown streets,
elashing with police and strike
breakers, and wrecking property.
Two men were killed and 80 ser
iously injured.
Civilians were responding today
to Mayor Bailey's call for 1000 vol
unteers to aid the police in main
tanning order. Although the rioting
had died down city officials were
apprehensive Of renewal of
trouble when expected attempts to
renew street car traffic were made
later in the day.
VIII Call for Troops.
Should the mobs break loose
again it was believed an appeal
would be made to Governor Shoup
to call out STATE troops.
The dead were John Blake, union
sympathizer, and A. G.. Smith, both
of Denver.
Indications late yesterday were
that the strike would be settled
peaeeabIy. There had been no hint
of such disturbance as was Gre
ated last night. So confident were
the Denver newspapers that the
strike would be terminated success
fully and without bloodshed that
stories were carried in yesterday
afternoons papers to the effect that
the strike was ended and normal
service restored within a few days
Ask for Settlement.
Then at 5 o'clock two thousand
men assembled at the city hall
while a union committee presented
a petition to Mayor Bailey request
ing an arbitration for settlement OF
their demands for an increase in
wages, approximating Is cents an
hour and suitable working agree
ment which the tramway company
had refused and which caused the
walkout Sunday morning. The
mayor promised to consider the Pc
tition and was cheered by the
crowd, whose leaders promised
there would be no violence
Ten cars had been in operation
all day and although but few pas
sengers were carried, city and tram
way officials believed the moral ef-
feet of running cars would tend to
discourage striking employees and
bring them to a peaceable settle
ment. The company, however, was
firm in its stand that the demands
of the union would not be granted
Officials announced that strike
breakers would be given permanent
! jobs and operation of cars be re-
sumed with an entire new force o.
employees if necessary. There wa.
no disorder as the heavily screened
cars traversed the city. Striker.
seemed content to allow the car,
to run, as few persons took advant
age of the tramway company's eff
fort to break the strike and ride.
Mob Attacks Newspaper.
Meanwhile two new mobs hat
formed. One of these moved oI
the Denver Post and did not leav,
until the Office had been partl,
wrecked. Slight damage was don,
to the machinery but the front offic,
destruction was complete. Agail
the rioters resisted police inter
ference. They had work to do AM
they didn't leave until the task wa
finished.
The other mob assembled at tn
! South Broadway car barns. Her
strikebreakers quartered in tn
building repelled the attackers b.
a fusillade of shots, resulting in tn
killing of two members of the mo
and the wounding of a score O
others.
Ri0ting Spreads.
| Word of the rioting spread lik
wildfire throughout the city an
thousands Of persons watched tn
rioters as they wrecked propert
and fought with strikebreakers.
! Near midnight the men who ha
participated in one Of the wors
riots in the history of the city wer
weary of their work and disperse
and went home.
! Union officials today said the vic
lence was perpetrated by men ou,
side the union. I'VE had preache
against this very thing for days
declared Harry Silberg. president {
the Tramway Employees Unio,
But We could do nothing last nigh
It was mob and you can't do an,
thing with q mob"
Mayor Closes Town.
j Mayor Bailey this afternoon 1,
sued q proclamation ordering 4
the stores and theatres to close /,
Ia O'Clock tonight. The police d,
! | partment have requested citizens
4 rsmain ct home tonight IN tAa ho1
kof m nntjnS 1nenxro1eo e xtr11S
2 - ~