Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1910-03-11
PLAN GIANT Strike.
6oMPERs coNFERs WITH LEAD.
ERs ON SPREAD OF QUAKER
CITY WAR.
STRIKE LEADERS JUBlLANT
Newspaper Canvass Of philadelphia
Mile and shops Shows 100000
Men and Women Have Quit Work
Riots Cease.

Chicago. --Samuel Gompers, presi-
dent of the American Federation OF
Labor, who has been In tho city since
Saturday. Is planning for the calling
Of a general strike Of street car EN-.
ployes in every large city In the coun-
try In sympathy with the Philadelphia
car men, according to dispatches that
reached Chicago from the eastern
strike center. 49,.
All Monday morning Mr.. Gompers
and other labor leaders were In con.
ference in his apartments in the Kais.
erhof hotel. Repeated efforts were
made to see the labor chief. but he
would receive no one except his con-
ferees. ..... ..s .e..
1t was rumored in labor circles, how.
ever, that the subject Of nationwide
strike was under discussion in the
conference. '..."
Cleveland. Pittsburg. Omaha and
San Francisco, 1t is said, will be the
first cities to be given the general
walkout order. II the plans are carried
out. These were selected by the labor
head because the Philadelphia com.
pany has large holdings In the railway
systems Of those cities.
Philadelphia.-The industries Of this
city are practically paralyzed because
of the general strike that started Fri.
day at midnight.
Disregarding the extravagant claims
of the strike leaders who said that
between 125,OO0 and 100000 workers
had left loom and bench. and disre-
garding, likewise, the claims Of the
police and Rapid Transit Company,
who declared that only $4,000 had quit.
leading newspaper of this city Mon
day made mill to mill and shop to
shop canvass and visited every affect
ed part Of the city.
Its report was 100000 men and
women have Joined the 5000 motor
men and conductors. More than that
number, according to the talk Of those
already on strike, will be out to-day"
The impartial Investigators found
that the sympathetic strikers" were
divided about as follows:
Building trades, 10000; Hebrew
trades Clothing, etc.). 10000: textile
trades, 10000; unskilled workmen de-
pending upon skilled textile unionists,
10000, and miscellaneous, 5000.
These figures may be taken as at
least fairly accurate. Certainly there
were no less than $4,000 or $4,000 idle
men upon the streets of the city. An
automobile tour through all the Ken
Bington and Richmond districts In the!
northeast section of the town proved
that conclusively. In that section
alone there must have been $4,000 peri
sons on the streets who would not
have been there on normal day.
Yet withal there was less rioting
than any day has witnessed since the
beginning of the car mems strike.
There was only one sizeable fight, and
not very much damage was done In
that.
The leaders Of the strike professed
to be jubilant over the way that not
only union but non-union workers
turned out and behaved themselves.
Mayor Reyborn and the city councils
have refused to take any part in any
scheme that might bring aboutfan ad.
5ustment Of the differences between
the street car men and the company.
The labor leaders assert that their
general sympathetic strike" will as.
sumo surprising proportions. although
they make no estimate of the mum.
Der who will walk out. The police
and the officials Of the Rapid Transit
Company say that the general strike
will turn out to be fizzle and that
in couple Of days not only the strik,
Ing motormen and conductors, but
those who are striking in sympathy
with them will be begging to have
their jobs back.