The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-03-28

tAAAVNh AilNI jar anu GNNIg nAk VI PO3T
session taken from them.
Men Divided.
Accordingly, when the walkout
spread over the system, the motor
men, one of the most important divi-
sions of the industry, remained aloof.
This was the greatest blow the strike
received. Not only had the INTERIOR
ough succeeded in outwitting the
Amalgamated officials but through
trickery, dOuble-dealing and fraud it
had accomplished its aim Of dividing
the men.
The Amalgamated officers must
accept responsibility for this stu
alton for the reason that leaders can
not be excused for the kind Of Grim
inal negligence which they should
have avoided. Besides the men had
been ready and anxious to act at q
time when the situation could I'M
doubtedly still have been saved.
Police Take Part
The strike began in all its inten-
sity. At first no trains whatever
were sent out. But soon with police
protection and wire caging about the
motor1nen's booths, a few Of the
trains ventured forth. The strike
breakers began to play their part as
usual in marlborough procedure.
They had been quartered and fed
at Weehawken, N. j., during the few
weeks of preparation for the Inter
borough's second great union smash
ing crusade. Some of the finks re-
belled at the company's failure to
live up to its agreement with them
to pay them in full for the period
of waiting.
The agreement had been, $3.50 per
day for the period preceding strike
duty and $500 per day for the term
Of actual service. The Interborough
double crossed even the strike break
ers and finks! In a fight which took
place at one of the agencies, fink
was murdered. Nothing was done to
place responsibility for the crime,
however. Life was cheap during the
1916 strikel
Accidents Multiply.
Every day saw a wreck, or a more
or less serious accident. On the sec
ond day of the strike fink motor
man killed two people and injured 13
others. Several more were crippled
for life and IA injured the next day
in wreck on the IL. Interborough
thugs and gunner overran the city
beating up and knitting the strikers.
The police beat up and rode down
several East Side gatherings of the
workers. All in all it was a time of
strenuous Flaw and ORDER.
No less interesting are number
of other developments which marked
the progress Of the strike. Consider
able violence was in evidence at all
times. Naturally the company sought
to prove that the leaders We're behind
it. One case Of dynamiting was the
outstanding feature of the strike.
Nothing was ever proven against the
men but they were condemned never
theless. One of them later died on
Blackwell's Island of pneumonia
while serving his sentence.
Preparedness.
Early in the strike efforts were
made to have the public service COM
mission intercede. At first the Inter
borough defied the commission but
later Shonts and Hedley, president
and vice president respectively of the
company, appeared to testify at the
hearing. When Hedley was con r
ted with the evidence of his triekery
in violating the agreement with the
Amalgamated and the public service,
he was not in the least put out. "For
thirty years., he explained, II have
been an advocate of preparedness.