Evening star., 1955-07-03
HoodIum-Strikebreokers
Made 1t Tough in IL
BY RICHARD RODGERS


The current transit strike is
4 pale discussion over the tea
,ups. compared to the riproar-
ing streetcar labor fight that
rocked the Capital in 1917.
More than 1,100 workers
,talked out then. demanding
recognition of their union and
4 pay raise. The Washington
Railway and Electric Co.. biggest
transit carrier in town, retorted
by importing more than 500
strikebreakers from New York.
Philadelphia. Yonkers and other
eastern cities.
The walkout, on March II. was
fairly quiet, as strikes went in
those days. The Star reported
only few depredations' ns'-such
as barricades on the tracks.
severed trolley wires and various
plugs jammed into the slots in
the streets where the car
''plows" ran.
Public With Strikers
Citizens were pretty solidlyI
on the strikers side. Residents
generally refused to ride with
the strikebreakers. And no won-
der.
The green hands didn't know
where to go, sometimes stopped
their cars at saloons and entered
for a slug. brazenly stole fares.
pulled out pistols when GUS
toners demonstrated, and at
tempted to live up to the names
bunch Of gunmen and blackjack
the strikers called them "a
The WR2E had 1888 miles of
the 205.55 miles of track serving
the Capitals streetcars. The
stretch on Wisconsin avenue
must have been lively. when a
strikebreaker was plotting it.
According to The Star. the
new motormen on that route
were pushing the throttle all the
way around to get every last bit
of speed out Of their careening
cars.
Rockville and Bethesda pas
sengers "held to the seats. straps
and other supports in fear Of
bodily injury =. their faces
were white with concern.
Motorman Pulled Gun
In Mt. Rainier. an imported
motorman pulled a pistol on q
crowd in the station. 1t was only
one instance of streetcar men
showing firearms.
The strikers were hardly pas
sive during all this. Thousands
of persons assembled at Ninth
and F streets NV. to hoot at
strikebreakers. A Philadelphian
new at the business managed to
get his trolley car stuck trying
to make the curve. The onlook-
ers were delighted. Their yells
of derision were audible for
blocks" The Star noted. Police
dispersed the spectators.
The newcomers got into all
sorts of messes with their cars.
A coupe Of them were wandering
around Peace Monument, un-
able to get back where they were
supposed to be, blocks away. A
competing transit line finally
pushed and pulled them out OF
the way.
Tickets were supposed to be
sold in strips, but the enterpris-
ling strlkebreakers would merely
fish out the tickets already de-
posted and sell them over again.
They didn't ring up the fares,
Ieither. but pocketed the receipts,
Slapped Children
Three children at Eleventh
and K streets Sc. ran into the
street and marked SCAB on a
Istreetcar operated by strike
breakers. The goons jumped out
and began slapping the kids. On
lockers rushed to the kids help,
beat up on the pair and sent
them fleeing, minus streetcar.
BY the strikes third day,
Things had quieted somewhat.
The transit lines president
Iloftlly announced "the only
sCrike the observer now can see
lis that reported in the newspa-
papers" He said WR&E was
building a new organization OF
men with company first as
their slogan"
According to The Star report
ers of that day, he was a mite
wrong. The strikebreaker's motto
was anything but company
first" It was "me first" Fares
continued to be diverted from
the till to the conductors and