The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-04-25
FRENCH STRIKE MAY
 CAUSE BLOODSHED
Authorities Fear Trouble When
 Crisis Comes
ANARCHISTS GET BUSY
Sixty Thousand Troops Will Be Avail able for Use In Paris May 1-Min- ing Regions Have Also
 Been Strengthened.

Paris. April 24-The gravity of the strike movement throughout the country which assumed alarming proportion last week during the height of the excitement caused by the San Francisco disaster has momentarily improved but the peo- pie have been wrought up to a state of apprehension concerning the immnence of a crisis May l. when all ranks of labor will make a gigantic eight-hour demon stration.
 Whether this will be accompanied by violence and bloodshed Is only conjectural, but the people are intensely alarmed and the authorities are adopting extreme mill itary and police precautions. The garrison at Paris is being rapidly strengthened, and it Is expected that 1000 troops will be available here May l. In the mining regions there is another camp in which an army corps is ready for eyentualities. and similar precautions are being taken at other centers
 Will Make Supreme Effort.
 The labor organizations do not conceal the fact that it Is their intention to 'tNiNH partly composed of anarchists and revo- lutionists who counsel violence, but the responsible leaders insist that the move ment has pacific object, similar to the American eight-hour demand Neverthe- less it is feared that the lawless element may get the upper hand and this in- spires the public with feeling of terror bordering on panic.
 Some of the newspapers freely assert that the movement is the prelude of a revolution, in which the proetariat in- tends to overthrow the existing regime. The alarmist rumors add to the real dan ger of the situation. Some of the re- ports picture the business and residen tal parts of Paris as about to be sacked, the streets barrieaded, and in brief a veritable renewal of the commune. This had had the effect of greatly alarming the more nervous of the people. some of whom are sending then valuables abroad, and are preparing their residences to resist attacks.
 The actual state of the labor agita- ton is follows
 Troops Have Restored Calm.
 About i0000 miners in the north are still on strike and frequent affrays take place. but the presence there of 25,G0 troops and wholesale arrests Of the ring leaders, have measnrably restored calm. In the same part of the country the iron and glass workers of Denain arc on strike, but most of them resumed work today, owing to the stern repression of the au- thorities
 In Brest all branches of labor have voted for general strike similar to the general strike at L'Orient, and at many other points.
 In Paris the striking postmen have re- sumed work, but 400O book printers, coco employees of the jewelry trades, and 2OO0 persons employed in the paper trades are still out These strikes, however, have not been accompanied by ,-oience
 Officers Extremely VigiIant.
 The military and police are extremely vlgilant. Squads of soldiers are stationed outside and inside the factories whose workmen are on strike anc mounted pa trols traverse the streets and boulevards. giving outward evidence of strong mii- tary preparations
 The foregoing is merely precursor of the national labor movement to be n- augurated May 1, when 1t is expected that the entire proletariat will quit for a day and perhaps for a longer period of time. The nasons and many other branches of labor decided to quit May 1 to May b, without violence.
 Employes of groceries. dairymen, butch CTS and bakeries and all purveyors of food supplies as well as hotel servants, are meeting tonight and there is promise of q decision for similar cessation of work. A complete suspension of operations throughout the building, food, industrial, commercial and other branches are prob able. Fears are entertained that the gas and electric public utilities, on whcih the public is dependent will be affected. but the companies assert that they have no fear of Interruption. Special pre- cautions are being taken to prevent the means of eommunes Many jewelry and other stores carrying valuable stocks probably will close to prevent the poss- biIity of excited crowds engaged in loot Ing.
 Stern Measures Necessary.
 In the meantime. the government ap- pears to have awakened to the necessity of stern measures. This is indicated by the assembling of troops. An official com munication tonight announces that the ministers will meet on Saturday 10 com piete final precautions.
 One of the chief difficulties Is the fact that the approaching elections makes the political elements hesitate to offend labor by threats of severe repression. However. the early temporizing with the disorderly miners in the Pas de Calais district has been succeeded by vigorous measures, the massing of troops, and the arresting of disorderly persona.