The labor world., 1920-10-09

- SooHS oSSleul, "uen three 111tlS
affirmative vote is required.
Defeat was Foreseen.
Z The six-cents fare ordinance, which
was beaten by 637 votes, had no one
working for it except the street rail-
way officials and employees: It is true;
tnat few citizens interested them.
selves in the ordinance, but they were.
Woefully lacking in organization. Dur
ing the last week of the campaign it
was evident that the proposition would
defeated. There seemed to be little
sentiment for it, while there was con-
siderable apathy on the part of many
voters, and bitter opposition on the
part Of others.
Nearly every former employe of the
street railway company was out with
an axe on election day against the six
cents fare. They all had a. erudge
against the management and they took
this means to get even. The merits of
the. proposition were lost sight of
through their personal bitterness
against the company.
Union Men Remembered.
Of course it must be admitted that
goodly number of the members of
organized labor voted against the or
dinance. They could not reconcile
themselves to vote for the proposition
in view Of the attitude of the COM
pany against union labor. Some of
the recently discharged employees, the
men who lost their jobs because they
attempted to organize a Street Rail-
way Employees unicn, were most ac-
tive in the campaign. They worked
with vengeance against the measure
and felt they were justified in doing
so.
But by far the larger opposition to
the ordinance came from outside the
ranks of union labor. In precincts
where employees in stores and whole
lie houses reside, employees in the
so-called "open shops" unusually
heavy votes were cast against the six
cents fare ordinance. Our attention
has been called to two homes in which
there were eight voters, all employees
in offices or wholesale houses, and
every one of them cast a vote against
the ordinance.
Did Not Come Clean.
1HSu IucTS are PROFESSIONAL ana
business men in large numbers who
were pronounced in their opposition.
They seemed to feel that the company
has not laid all its cards on the table;
that in other days it was permitted to
be strongly over-capitalized; that It
issued large amounts Of bonds upon
which it is now required to- Fay in
terest and considerable of the money
received from their sale was not used
in building or improving the system,
but, was divided among the stockhold-
ers; that large amounts charged off
regularly, for depreciation have been
dissipated, and until all these alleged
Irregularities are explained or made
right they were not disposed to vote
to legalize former crimes to help the
company out Of its present dilemma
which they claim was brought about
by high financeering in days when
everybody Was doing it.
In Bad WITH People.
One thing is certain, the present
management of the company is in bad
with the people. Against it has been
piled up all the grievances of the past.
In many respects the company is fos-
silized. Its autocratic and paternalistic
attitude towards It's empl6yes belongs
to another period. "A few anti-union-
lists who through the power of their
wealth can at times weaken and de-
stroy labor unionss. may subscribe to
Continued on pa0s tsoo