Hellraisers Journal: War in Philadelphia as Thousands Join General Strike in Sympathy with Striking Carmen

Quote Joe Hill, General Strike, Workers Awaken, LRSB Oct 1919 ———-

Hellraisers Journal – Thursday March 10, 1910
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – Thousands Quit Work to Support Carmen

From the Duluth Labor World of March 5, 1910:

Philadelphia, March 4.-Ten times ten thousand union workers of this city have consented to quit work and to join forces with the striking carmen as a rebuke to the arrogant attitude of the officials of the Philadelphia Transit company towards the strike.

This action was decided on at a meeting of the union workers of this city Wednesday night and promptly at midnight Friday went into force.

Throughout the week the company’s officials have been obdurate in regard to arbitration. Delegations of business men, ministers and other Quaker City interests have appealed to them in vain but could not induce them to recede from their position.

Late last week after a few gays of turmoil they with Mayor Reyburn and Director of Safety Clay weakened and were ready to go to arbitration.

The overwhelming force of “Cossacks” as the State constabulary is called, which was poured into Philadelphia to awe the striking carmen, however, stiffened the spines of the autocrats and they now refuse to entertain anything but an absolute surrender on the part of the men.

Strike-Breakers Can’t Mend Traffic.

But a small portion of street car traffic has been resumed and the force of strike-breakers brought into the city, the scum of the big cities of the continent, has been entirely inadequate to cope with the situation.

The general strike was the only weapon left the men in the face of the insolent and defiant attitude of the street car officials and the sympathy of the public, at first withheld, has now turned to the men fighting for better wages and conditions of work.

From the Seattle Socialist Workingman’s Paper of March 5, 1910:

It seems to be the fate of Philadelphia, the Cradle of American Liberty, to become the Grave of American Liberty.

The brutality and tyranny of the authorities in Philadelphia during the present street car strike surpasses anything heard of in recent years.

* * *

Organizer Pratt Arrested

PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 21.-Police officials took the initiative tonight in the war between the striking car men and the officials of the Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company, when they arrested Clarence O. Pratt, the national organizer of the Amalgamated Association of Street and Electric Railway Employes, on a warrant charging him with “conspiracy to incite to riot.”

The warrant was served on Pratt as he was leaving in an automobile after he had attended today’s mass meeting of the union car men. He was locked up in the city hall and held to await a hearing tomorrow morning.

* * *

[Photograph of C. O. Pratt added.]