The Connecticut labor press., 1920-03-06
BOSTON POLICE HERE TELL THEIR
 SIDE OF STRIRE
Deny Walking Out and Leaving City Unprotected as
 Charged.
RAP GOVERNOR COOLIDGE
Anti Prohibition Feeling, Not "Cop Troubles" Elected
 Him, They Say.

AS I0e Ollly 1HGd1lS or puIC1ng C161T cases in fact before the public, and in cidental1y to secure financial assistance from Organized Labor to carry on their strike until action is taken by the Massachusetts legislature, two members of the striking police force of Boston are now in New Haven visiting labor organizations and telling their story. Incidentally they called on Chief of Police Philip T. Smith of the local de- partment but received little encourage ment there, Chief Smith telling them that he considered the striking police men no more nor less than about 1,4OO fools who should be locked up in crazy house. This didn't bother the men as it indicated to them that Chief Smith, as we'll as almost everyone else in this sec tion, had taken the situation as 1t was spread out by biased persons and the biased press of Boston. .a-
 The delegates are Charles C.. Taylor and Michael P. Murphy. They ap- peared before the Trades Council Thursday night and before other or ganizations during the week. Accord ing to their story, Governor Coolidge of Massachusetts, simply grabbed the op- portunity of the police strike to make presidential propaganda for himself and
 
 called firm Stand for law and order, but simply and solely to the feeling against the Democratic party because 1t let prohibition be put over on 1t. Bos- ton itself, they pointed out, dropped from about 10000 normal democratic majority to about 1000 solely because of the prohibition measure and not for any reason having to do with Coolidge's stand on the police strike.
 Incidentally they showed up con- dition that seems peculiar even to Con- necticut. It is that the governor of Massachusetts, even though he come from Squeedunk or any other town miles away from Boston, appoints the Boston police commissioner, and the people of Boston have nothing to say about the police department except to foot the bills. The commissioner reigns supreme. The ''cops" now have bill before the legislature to remedy this and puf disappointing power where 1t belongs-with the mayor of Boston.
 As to the strike itself the men point out that they were being paid 30 cents an hour and got no pay for overtime. Often they were forced to work Is or 1o hours day and got no extra pay over the 10 or F hours as their shift might be. Any man who had griev- ance and tried to have 1t aired before Coolidge's appointee, a Eugene Curtiss, millionaire, became a marked man and might just as well get out. An inde- pendent citizens committee that investi- police were working, reported that they were shocked and hurniliated by the facts and recommended change, but the governor and his commissioner re- ,Jected their suggestion.
 The organization of the Policemen's union and affi1iation with the A. F. of L. was allowed to go on uninterrupted or without protest until 1t was com pleted, they declared, and then 1o policement were suspended and Y of them were officers or active in the union. The strike then came about but not until every means was taken to prevent it and rejected by the governor and commissioner.
 A plan adopted by the mayor, the Chamber of Commerce and all but one paper in Boston, to have an outside board arbitrate and suggest changes be- fore any trouble, without taking away any power of the commissioner, was rejected by the governor and commits sioner also. As to leaving the city un- protected the men declare that there would have been no strike at any time had not they believed what the governor and police commissioner told them-that they had 2,500 Harvard men ready to protect Boston. Then when 1t wasn't so protected they refused to call out the state guard to protect 1t and crime of volunteer policemen on the night of the strike and did everything possible to encourage 1aw1essness to cast stigma on the policemen.
 As to the protection now in Boston, the policemen state that while there are men on duty they are not citizens of Boston but were picked Up everywhere even as far west as Los Angeles. Out of the 700 secured up to few weeks ago. a check-up shows that about 200 of them had criminal records and had "done time. Among the others are 40 negroes. To get the men the commits sioner cast aside the civil service, low cred the weight from 145 to 135 pounds, the height from five feet eight inches, to five feet seven inches and the age from 25 to g, then boosted the pay $500 a year, gave them free uniform and went at it. The result has been so unsatisfactory that week ago the Chamber Of Commerce made demand that the commissioner make an improve ment by reinstating the old men.
 Of the 1,250 that went out 12O have resigned to take other jobs, 500 of the younger and active men have secured jobs in union shops on their police mems cards, but the other 600 or so are blacklisted and can't get jobs anywhere when 1t becomes known they are striking policemen. To carry these on until the legislature acts the men are asking sup port.
 The bills presented to the legislature by the policemen aside from that to have the mayor name the commissioner, call for an impartial and thorough in vestigation of the whole trouble by of the legislature and another for the reinstatement of the former policemen. The policemen are confident that with the public sentiment already aroused in Massachusetts, little of which iS known outside that state they will