Hellraisers Journal: From International Socialist Review: “The Car Strike and the General Strike in Philadelphia” -Part II

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Quote EVD, Lawmakers Felons, Phl GS Speech, IA, Mar 19, 1910———-

Hellraisers Journal – Monday April 4, 1910
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – “When the Sleeper Wakes” by Joseph E. Cohen, Part II

From the International Socialist Review of April 1910:

Phl GS, Shooting at Workers, ISR p865, Apr 1910—–

[Part II of II.]

On February 23rd, Mayor Reyburn dispatched a telegram to Governor Stuart, asking for the state constabulary, or cossacks, as they are more popularly known. Four companies of them, 158 men all told, arrived next day and remained until March 1st.

Now, the people of Philadelphia had no particular quarrel with the state constabulary. Their antipathy was confined largely to the transit company and its strike breakers. To fight against the cossacks meant to engage in bloody warfare, not with fists or bricks, but guns, and this the people were not prepared to do. Were it otherwise, the handful of cossacks would never have left Philadelphia alive. So, aside from a drubbing administered to a few of their number, they were permitted to depart in peace.

Phl GS, State Cossacks, ISR p870, Apr 1910—–

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Hellraisers Journal: Philadelphia Central Labor Union Calls Off General Strike; Streetcar Strike Continues

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Quote EVD, Starve Quietly, Phl GS Speech IA, Mar 19, 1910———-

Hellraisers Journal – Friday April 1, 1910
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – General Sympathetic Strike Called Off

From The Philadelphia Inquirer of March 28, 1910:

GENERAL STRIKE DECLARED OFF
—–
Lively Debate Accompanies Passage of
Central Labor Union Resolution
—–
Political Movement Recently Launched Also
Discussed at Length-Plans for Carmen
—–

Phl GS, John Murphy Prz Carmen, LW p1, Mar 5, 1910

Interest in the trolley strike, so far as organized labor was concerned, centered yesterday in the meeting of the Central Labor Union at its headquarters at 232 North Ninth street.

As expected, the Central Labor Union, upon recommendation of the General Strike Committee of Ten, formally declared the general sympathetic strike off and ordered all union workers to return to their employment this morning, with instructions to continue their moral and financial support of the striking street carmen.

Delegates of the Central Labor Union had considerable to say about cases in which employes who had taken part in the general strike would not be reinstated in their positions by their employers. It was decided to refer all such cases to the Grievance Committee of the Central Labor Union.

There were some warm incidents in the session, particularly when delegates tried to explain why their unions had not participated in the general strike and when the movement for the projected new political labor party was in debate.

A resolution offered by a delegate of the Pressmen’s Union, No. 16, evoked a motion which was passed, from Tobias Hall, representing textile workers, that the resolution should be tabled and the union notified that the Central Labor Union had no use for unions that did not take part in the labor movement.

Then a delegate of the milk wagon drivers’ organization tried in vain to offer an explanation of the failure of his constituents to join the sympathetic walkout.

President John J. Murphy, of the Central Labor Union, instructed Secretary Charles Hope to read the resolution recently passed by the Central Labor Union to the effect that every union that did not go on strike would be regarded, as “working against our best interests.”

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Hellraisers Journal: “You are waging a class fight!” Eugene Debs Speaks at Philadelphia’s Labor Lyceum, Part I

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Quote EVD, Lawmakers Felons, Phl GS Speech, IA, Mar 19, 1910———-

Hellraisers Journal – Sunday March 20, 1910
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – General Strike Committee Sends for Debs

From The Philadelphia Inquirer of March 17, 1910:

[Statement of Philadelphia’s General Strike Committee.]

Phl GS, Murphy n Pratt, LW p1, Newark NJ Str p1, Mar 5, 1910———-

Announcement of the plans of the labor leaders for today was embodied in the following statement issued by the General Strike Committee, from its headquarters at Twelfth and Filbert streets:

In our statement issued last night we announced several mass meetings would be held in different parts of the city, to which organized and unorganized working men and women and the general public are invited. These meetings will be held at Kensington Labor Lyceum. Second and Cambria streets; Mercantile Hall, 849 Franklin street; Academy Hall, 524 South Fourth street, and Labor Lyceum, Sixth and Brown streets, on Thursday, March 17, at 8 P. M.

These meetings will be addressed by C. O. Pratt, Jeff Pierce, organizer of the American Federation of Labor; John J. Murphy and other prominent speakers…

The committee has also made arrangements for holding a monster mass meeting at Labor Lyceum, Sixth and Brown streets, at 3 P. M., Saturday, March 19, which meeting will be addressed by Eugene V. Debs and other prominent speakers…

[Photographs added.]

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

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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:

Phl GS, Hundred Thousand Quaker City, LW p1, Mar 5, 1910

Phl GS, John Murphy Prz Carmen, LW p1, Mar 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.

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