The Topeka state journal., 1910-10-13
WITH FIRM HAND.
French Government Is Dealing
With Railroad Strike.
Five of the Leaders Are Placed
Under Arrest.
OTHER UNIONS JOIN.
Brick Layers and PAYERS Vote
to Go Out.
Other Bodies OF WOrkmen EX-
press Similar Intentions.

Paris, Oct 13.-The French govern
ment is meeting the situation resulting
from the general strike of railroad en-
pIoyees with a firmness that challenges
the admiration even of those who sym
pathize with the men in their demands
for a minimum wage of 81 day. This
morning five of the strike leaders were
placed under arrest.
This action was in fulfllment of Pre-
mier Brands promise to punish the ag-
itators who he has declared, precipita-
ted an insurrectionary movement at the
very hour that the premier and M.
Millerand, the minister of public works,
posts and telegraphs were conducting
negotiations looking to the peaceful
adjustment of the differences between
the railroad managers and employees.
The National railroad union has sue
ceeded in thoroughly demoralizlng the
service on the northern and western
systems but it had less success in the
eastern and southern lines.
The situation this morning showed
little change from yesterday. The
men from the Paris, Lyons and the
Mediterranean road are nominally on
strike and the eastern syst~-1 is badly
hampered, but many trains are be-
ing operated as usual on the former
system. The employees of the Paris
Orleans road and the Paris subway
last night voted to go out, but the sub
way lines were being operated as usual
this morning.
Sympathetic Strike.
The hope of the strikers rests large
ly in the prospect of sympathetic
strikes. The bricklayers and PAYERS
have voted a general strike beginning
today. The unions of other trades are
meeting and are expressing similar in
tentions.
The five strike leaders arrested this
morning attempted a dramatic scene
by assembling in the office of the
Humanite, a socialist newspaper, where
they passed the night in company of
virtually the complete socialist delega-
ton of the chamber of deputies, await
ing the arrival of the police. When
the officers arrived and the deputies
began to make inflammatory speecnes
the prefect of police cut the proceed
ings short and hustled the leaders off
in cabs.
The mobilization of railroad re-
servists decreed by the government is
proceeding. The men have responded
in large numbers but as yet they have
not been ordered to take up the work
of the strikers.
Thousands of suburbanites were fur
ther inconvenienced by a deluge of
rain which made many of the roads
leading into the city impossible to
pedestrians AS a consequence many
failed to report at their offices and the
business of the city was upset.
A canvass of the Paris, Lyons and
Mediterrean road and the Paris-Orleans
line showed that in most cases the men
remained at their posts this afternoon
A number of acts of violence against
the rolling stock is reported from the
provinces. The strikers disclaim re-
sponsibility for these, saying the dam
age has been done by persons not con-
nected with the railroads.
The strike is effective on the west
ern road leading to Lemans and Brest,
Cherbourg, Havre and Dieppe and on
the northern road extending to
Amiens, Boulogne and Calais.
1t has failed up to this afternoon on
the southern divisions over which Bi-
Jon, ChalOnS. Lyons and Marseil1es on
the Mediterranean are reached. The
eastern road to Belgium and German
points was badly hampered, but not
wholly tied up.