1892 - Mass Meeting in Gore Park Regarding the Hamilton Street Railway

 

“Yesterday was an eventful day for the Street Railway Company and its employees, and though nothing of a serious nature took place, it is to be hoped that a settlement of all differences will be made at an early date, so that the occurrences of the day may not be repeated, and that the public made be given perfect street car service, while the men get full justice both as to hours and wages, and the company receives just return for the large expenditure it is daily put to from a body of satisfied and faithful employees.”

Hamilton Times. September 9, 1892.

While the management of the Hamilton Street Railway may have considered it a strike, the drivers of the street railway electric cars did not necessarily agree with that description. Whatever, the cars were not running and there were definitely ‘troubles’

The drivers of the HSR had grievances as regards to number of hours per day that they were required to work, and the payment which should be paid for overtime.

Briefly there had been no service on the HSR lines but the company reacted by hiring new drivers:

“After the company had got the cars running again yesterday afternoon, large crowds of people stood around the streets evidently in the expectation of developments. As the cars passed and repassed, there was occasional hooting, and when uniformed and a third man not in uniform went up York street to move the cars that had been run upon a switch there about an hour before because there were not men enough to run them, they were jeered and followed by a small mob of small boys. Occasionally, the word ‘scab’ was hurled at a strange motorman or conductor , but the cars ran about as usual.”

Hamilton Times. September 9 1892.

There had been attempts to have a meeting between the men and HSR management which had been rebuffed by the HSR leaders. Among other things, the HSR leadership felt that the association which the drivers had recently formed was actually a union, something that they would in no way countenance.

That evening a public meeting was held about the HSR matter:

“It was decided to hold a public mass open air meeting to discuss the situation: “At 7:30 o’clock in the evening, a mass meeting in the interests of the discharge employees was held in the east end of Gore park. There were in the vicinity of 1,500 people present soon after the opening until a crowd grew until a thousand or so were added to that number. A platform consisted of a couple of lorries backed end to end. About a dozen employees or ex-employees of the Street Railway Company, in uniform, were on the improvised platform, and scores of others mingled in the crowd.”¹

The first speaker was George Sharpe who decidedly was not introduced as a HSR president :

“Mr. Geo. E. Sharp, President of the Association, which was formed on Monday evening, occupied the chair and made a few remarks in opening. Mr. Sharp is a young man who would strike a person as being of more an ordinary intelligence and his words were to the point, and well-expressed. He explained the action which had been taken by the men in forming an association, not for the purpose of striking or of giving the company any annoyance, but for the mutual benefit and for the promotion of the company’s interests as well as their own. He briefly gave the facts in connection with the association’s waiting upon the manager of the company and the result, which is already familiar to TIMES readers. His statements were those made by himself and other members of the association yesterday and Tuesday, as reported. His quiet, gentlemanly manner did much to win the crowd, and he was liberally applauded on concluding.”¹

Other speakers included two members of Hamilton City Council, Aldermen Billy McAndrew and A.D. Stewart.

Aldermen McAndrew was an alderman who generally supported workingmen, and he delivered a fiery 20 minute speech:

He said “A number of men quit work because of injustice done the men they had elected to represent them.”

 Ald. McAndrew’s remarks were frequently applauded.”¹

 The next speaker, Alderman A.D. Stewart was equally fiery in delivery: “The chairman then announced Ald. Stewart, who, on mounting the lorry, was received with ringing applause. Mr. Stewart said he had come in response to an invitation from the discharged men because he thought it was his duty to take the side of men who he considered were being oppressed, and because his sympathies were always with the workingmen. He had opposed the giving of the franchise of the streets to the present company without competition because he was opposed to the principle of giving any valuable franchise to any company with a chance being given to any who wished to tender for it. When the bylaw was under consideration, however, it was apparent that it would be carried, certain clauses had been put in to protect the employees. One of these fixed the hours of labor at not more than ten each day. For his part, he thought eight hours a day was long enough for any man to work. When the words ‘about ten hours’ were out in the draft of the bylaw, he did not conceive that ‘about ten hours a day’ could be construed to mean even twelve or thirteen hours a day, to say nothing of fifteen to sixteen hours which the men had been required to work. The bylaw had been passed in good faith by the city, but the company had not carried out its agreement. He could not conceive how a man like Mr. B.E. Charlton could issue the manifest he had, and hoped that that gentleman’s better judgement would come into play. He understood the men when going to get their pay had been asked to sign papers giving not only receipts in full for overtime work for which they had received no extra pay, but also binding themselves to make good all damages done to the cars while in their charge. Some men would not sign, and could not get their pay for their regular day work. Then when the men had the audacity to meet together to form an association and appoint a committee to ask for a fair hearing, they were discharged. The men had no idea of striking, and did not even wish to ask for shorter hours. They simply wished to have the hours more even distributed, but were discharged because they asked for an opportunity of expressing that wish. The action of the company in the matter had not, he contended, been honorable. Another good reason why the company should not have treated its men in that way was because the men were an intelligent lot. They had run the electric system in Hamilton over two months, and had not hurt anyone, while in Toronto in a few weeks, several persons had been killed. For the sake of the city and the company, as well as of the men, he hoped soon to see all difficulties settled. He had been glad to see the gentlemanly, peaceable manner which the men had acted that afternoon, showing the justice of their cause. He had also been pleased at the carefulness of his old comrades, the police. He thought it would not be possible for him to be at the City Council on Monday night next, but he felt sure that no member of Council could refuse to stand up for the rights of the men. (Applause.)”¹

The next speaker was Dr. Burns, President of the Ladies’ College, a man not known generally as a workingman’s supporter, and someone who had supported the granting the franchise to the current management of the Hamilton Street Railway:

. “The sympathy of the citizens had been aroused, and it was with the men. He cautioned the men not to stoop to anything wrong, and retired amidst applause.”¹

The last speaker was a former alderman, well-known Carter Tom Brick :

”He had seen a man working (a scab) on one of the cars that day he said, who had enough clothes on to wipe a lamp chimney with. That was the sort of men that a lot of intelligent men were put off for. Sometime ago, he had seen Mr. Griffith send a young man away to get shaved and a collar and necktie before applying for a job, but Mr. Griffith evidently did not want clean men that afternoon. He wanted dirty men to do dirty work, and he got some of the dirtiest. The Council had given the company a gold mine, and now the company was trying to screw the men down as low as possible. He hoped the citizens would refuse to ride on the cars until the men were treated like men.”¹

George Sharp then thanked all the speakers and declared the meeting over.