The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1926-07-19
GOVERNOR ASKED
TOACT IN STRIKE
Continued From Page u

Todd's warning indicates that the
two men are not agreed upon this
form Of arbitration action"
With no word from Harry Boggs
missing union president, the strikers
held their daily meeting at Plumbers
Hall this morning.
The report follows:
After a full investigation, both
sides to the controversy giving as
full and brief information, we the
citizens committee desired to report
as follows:
l. Our primary object was to Sc
cure arbitration Of the question at
issue between the street car man.
ayers and the striking employees. This
the strikers are willing to accept,
but the company is not.
2. Our secondary object was to dis
cover the reasons for the strike and
the justice of the causes given, and
to inform the public as to merits
of the case. This, because the street
car company Is a quasipublic cor
poration, the conduct of whose bust
ness affects every citizen Of the city.
3. We find the fundamental
grievance of the men to be that of
wages~ To contend that the wage
scale, 81 to AZ cents per hour, to =,
be one of the lowest il not the
lowest, paid by any such company
In cities whose population runs
from 100000 and up; that the
wage is too low to afford a decent
standard of living unless the men
work about seventy hours a week
and that II Is too far below the
scale prevailing in other Occupa-
lions i'm our city, the requirement
of skill and responsibility In which
are comparable to that of running
street cars.
4. We find a secondary grievance
to be that there are no adequate
arrangements for collective bargain
ing; that collective bargaining ex-
pressly is denied the men.
5. 1t is contended by the men that
the purported contract, which the
company claims every employee must
and does sign, is not valid con-
tract; that there is no honest and
intelligent meeting Of minds and
that the men are ready to provide
many employees who are willing to
take a new oath that they have
never signed such contract: that they
signed a blank sheet of paper, pre-
sumably as a receipt for a badge,
without seeing or reading any such
contract or having the same read to
them, and without so much as know
ing any such contract existed.
6. Inasmuch as we have failed
to induce the street car company
to accept nay sort of mediation,
aside from that provided in the
purported contract with the men,
and since the validity of such con-
tract is a matter of dispute and
therefore precludes the public
service commissioner from func-
tiOning as an arbitration body, we
again respectfully petition Gov
ernor Jackson to use his powers
under the laws of this State to APP
point, upon his own motion, a me-
dating commission, and beg him
to use his powers and influence as
our chief executive to see that all
differences that cannot be settled
through Cancellation shall be sub
mitted to arbitration, as provided
by law.
This we ask because we believe
that with the refusal of the company
to arbitrate without reference to
said purported contract there Is no
other means to a settlement. More
over, we believe it was the will of
the people of this State, in enacting
this law, that the chief executive
should use it on behalf of public
peace.
Signed by Frank s. Clarke, Alva
w. Taylor. William p. Hapgood,
William T. Quillin. Alex Vonnegut
and Arthur Zinkin.
Letter to Todd
Thesletter to Todd follows: "Ycur
letter written July II. 1926, post.
marked 1880 p. m. on THAI date,