Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1893-04-19
MAY END THE STRIKE
Leaders Of the Belgian Trouble
Advise Abandonment.
RIOTERS LOYAL TO THE KING
t'oiice and Strtker~ Have 6evcrsl
Pitch na.sses In which tho Law
Wa Badly Thrashcd

bhtS -tHfh lc-in strW ~ ttc
action Il the deputies the labor leaders
resolved. at the meeting held this even.
ing, To advise the abandonment 81 the
general strike. AZ the same time they
decided 10 issue 10 the people q mani
festo against the Nyssen bill. which pro
poses the combination u plural voting
and universal suffrage. The leaders
will urge the people 10 follow up their
victory 10y agitating for universal suffrage
pure and simple. Edmund X. Yard. u
barrister II this city. was arrested talay
for making a speech. in the courss of
which he used threatening language
against the burgomaister. Police and
workingmen have had several encoun-
tcrs this evening. and seven rioters have
been seriously injured. Nevertheless the
end Of the riots is believed Ia be- near
The decision 81 the labor leaders 10
abandon the strike has produced gen
eral feeling Of relief. The police have
worked night and day and are CON.
pletely exhausted. Were the strikers
and riots Ia continue a few days more.
preservation of order would be left en-
tirely to the military. ar the police could
not endure the strain forty eight hours
longer. Many arrests of socialists are
reported from the provinces.
Sympathy With ssrikcr..
Dispatches from all parts 1T the king
dom inhabited by the working people
bring disquieting news. Disturbances
occurred in several places during the
night. but there WAS no concerted at
tempt to rebel against the king. The
movement is directed entirely against
the chamber of deputies and the minis
ters who oppose the workingmen's de
mands for the right to vote when they
reach legal age without any property
qualification whatsoever. The king. 1t
is known. is in favor of wide extension
of the suffrage and the crowds Of ex.
cited workingmen who are now demand
ing what they believe 90 be their right
have nothing against him per
the situation readily lind sym
thy for tho strikers. Belgium
is. with the exception Of Russia. per
haps, the only country where there is
absolutely no Law protecting the work
ingman from the rapacity and greed of
his employer. The Belgian workingInen
have seen within the last few years their
brethren in other countries placed under
the protection IT special laws enacted
for their benefit and have secn em-
! ployers held 10 strict liability when
these laws were violated. The Belgians
have had nothing and tho bourgeois
class. which rules the country. evidently
intends that they shall have nothing il
they can prevent
Salvation Of the Kingdom.
Hence in their desire to assert their
manhood and secure their rights the
spectacle presented itself Of "A gigantic
strike to obtain the right to elect repre-.
sentativcs among the lawmakers. We're
the strikers armed and disciplined there
is no question that the industrial revo-
luton now shaking the country would
| quickly become bloody contest. AS il
is. the strikers have in many instances
| routed the armed police and have not
hesitated tn attack the soldiers. The
peace effective Of Belgium. officers and
men. is ASA. exclusive of the civic
guard. numbering 436i7 men. and twill
therefore be seen that the disorganized
mobs of workingmen. only a few of
whom possess Weapons. have little
chance OF overthrowing the government
by resorting 10 attacks upon the troops.
Yet with their passions in!amed 10y the
words of their leaders the strikers do not
hesitate 10 fight. and unless extreme
steps are taken against them the trouble
will result disastruusly to the trade and
commerce Of the country.
Fatal Tee or the Bayonct.
The most serious disturbance that has
occurred today Is reported from Bour
gcrhout, a village a short distance from
J Antwerp. Many candlemakcrs are en-
! ployed in the village and majority of
them have joined the movement in favor
81 universal suffrage. These who re-
mained at work were attacked by the
strikers today and the troops were called
upon Ia protect the workers and restore
order. The appearance ~ the soldiery
hal little or no effect inquelling the riot.
and the orders 10 tho rioters to dispcrse
met with no attention.
The strikers continued their attacks
upon the "blacklegs" as though no
troops were present. The officer IN
command II the soldiers ordered
his men to fix their hayoneis and then
followed the order to charge. On full
run. with levcled bs,onets the soldiers
charged upon tho rioters and drove
them away. Four II the strikers. how
ever. were killed and fifteen others re
ccived more or less serious bsyone'
'hrusts. IN - certain that some ~ the
wounded will die. Great excitement
prevails in the village. and IN. strikers
threaten vengeance for the death ~
their comrades Here a. in other parts
- the country the men are IN many IN
stances spurre,i on a. riot ty women.
Uark Outlook ~ Antwerp.
IN Antwerp fe-iss the cutlcok is
more Threatening than IL vas yesterday
and this despite the fact that estraof
dinary military precautions have h-en
taken o. preserve the pace, Among
th. more prominent - tho asiis,crs IN
An,s-rp are number n anarchists
N ,hc-c. two Fsbgy and Weiters have
ms'le themselves particularly chDos
iu,Is 80 the v-,lic-. and toiss ihey wers
placed undsr arrest The striking dcs
iais,rera tsgsn th@ir di~orderls demon
sirallons again thsa morning 1hes
t,-,s t<sse.alcn - the docks and
marched along the satrr front. attack
ing the usen who us~ al work. cHn
pellsns MACY - thefn g. quit tine cap
iatn - . s-ssei frs,gB hieh the men hsr
ixta driven sN ~ prste@feJ ~ The iesd
sFs q tbs fintsfs whereupsn the NOD
promptly stoned him sn3 fsseed him Z
iire ft,e f-siice 50 fat,r were rnaill
ossiersi g. dsspefs~ Tie meters \
sAnsi esofifrt ~nsssei during shseh -