The Forrest City times., 1899-07-21
AN EPIDEMIC OF STRIKES.
Street Railway Employees Strikes in New York, Brooklyn
 and Cleveland.
AHor FIGHT IS PROBABLE IN NEW YORK.
Brooklyn Strikers Arrested in Con- nection With Tuesday Nights Explosion and Charged With va- grancy-Little Change In fhs Cleveland Situation.

New York, July 20.--A strike has begun on the Second Avenue line Of the Metropolitan Street Railway Co. This is on the Manhattan side of the river. About one-half of the men quit work.
 Not Authorized by Leaders.
 The strike was not authorized by the leaders. Scme of the more enthusi- astic men who attended the Cooper Union meeting, Tuesday night, got to- gethsr and decided that the only thing to do was to strike. They formed themselves into committee and went to the Second Avenue car stables and asked the men to come out. Every car was stopped as it reached the stables, and each man on the car was asked to strike. About half the men responded to the call, and pickets were then de- tailed to go to the men of the other branches of the company's lints and try to get them to quit work.
 Meeting at Parsons' once.
 A meeting was held in General Mas ter Workman Parsons office, which lasted for three hours. Parsons plead cd with the men not to strike, but they wanted to go out. He said it would be of no use at such time, but he could not restrain the men, and he ie said to have used strong language, telling them that he would have noth- ing to do with them.
 The strike spread to the Sixth Ave- ur,o li,a rf xha lfaS.c-ols%., where a number of mortormen quit work. The conductors refused to strike.
 Men Reluctant to Quit.
 An attempt was made to get the men on the Madison Avenue line to strike, but most of these men were re- luctant to quit the cars unless the strike was to spread to the other lines. On the Second Avenue line. only ten runs were made on the night schedule. This is less than one-third of the usual number. This road employees 500 men, and during the busiest hours of the day, run from 15O to 200 cars.
 Ready to Arbitrate.
 Commissioner Delahanty, of the state board of mediation and arbitra- tion, said that the boad stood ready to meet and try to adjust the diffi- culties between the railroad men and their employees as soon as both sides asked for their services.
 Says There h No Strike.
 President Vreeland of the Metropoli- ian street railway said: There is no strike, and defy them to tie our lines up. You can look on the streets and see for yourself that all our cars are cunning"
 General Master Workman Parsons said that while he had advised against . strike in New York, he would stand by the men to the last
 The Fight of His Life.
 '1 advised delay for day or two" he said, but now the strike is on. I will make 1t fight of my life, to sus- tain the men in compelling an ob- seryance of the ten-hour law and the redress of other grievances. Now that the men have determined to act. the important issue that will most interest organized workingmen is to secure for the railroad employees not only an ob- keryance of the ten-hour law, but the right to maintain an organization. without any special reference to what national organizations their unions nsy b1 attached
 THE BROOKLYN STRIKE.