The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1912-06-01
over 5000 STRIKERS
AND FRIENDS MEET
Hear That They Have "ClOscd
Up" 30 Leading Hotels
of the City.
NEG ROES "ALL IN UNION"
Rose Pastor Stokes ExhOrts the
Men TO Stick Out for Union
Recognition.

The striking walters and their friends
held big meeting last night in the
Amsterdam Opera House in West For
ty-fourth street. There were 1900 in
the auditorium, a meeting of 500 or so
cooks upstairs, n small meeting Of those
who couldn't speak English In another
room and 1000 formed an overflow
meeting on the street in front. Rose
Pastor Stokes and william d. Haywood
were the chief speakers.
Joe Elster, one OF the organizers Of
the walters. announced that the strikers
had CLOSED up thirty of the most
prominent hotels In the city and that
the cooks were standing by the walters
Loyalty. He quoted Oscar OF the Wal
dorf as saying with regard to negro
walters that he didn't like to have them
but that II he was forced TO take them
he'd have to. Elster said that every
negro walter was carrying a union card
and could be called out II necessary. He
prophesied that If Mr.. Sterry put in all
,olorcd help at the Plaza the society
men and women would go to some other
hotel
The meeting thought 1t a huge joke
that Harvard college boys" were to he
/ brought in as strike breakers, and said
that as for using women. they were not
strong enough tn do the work required
Leader Elster said that the hotel as
sociation to-day had called upon the
Elite Hea dwaiters Society for extra cap
tains tn bring in food from the kitchens
at the rate Of So q day. He read list
purportins To be the number of these
extra captains asked for by various ho-
tells. 1t included the following: Wal
dorf. II extra captains; Astor. IL; Elk
club. .; Imperial, 3; Ereslin. 3 Plaza
:. Louis Martins. .. and Knickerbocker
| 10. Reading from the paper. which be
said was the order. he read: Must have
clean wardrobe. Experience not neces.
| sary. No questions asked. Only non.
union men need apply" There was
much laughter at the exclusion OF eNpe.
iiencc as a qualification.
Rose Pastor Stokes was greeted with
| applause when sir entered the hall. and
another outhurs' came when she rose &c
! speak Half way through her talk she
was interrupted To- receive big
bouquet Of American Beauties and a
smaller bunch of whit. roses When she
went out a man carrying the flowers
| ahead of her, the crowd stood and the
| men along the aisle down which she
| passed raised their hats over their heads
I in salute.
! Miss Stokes called herself an agitator
I and added that she made it her "busi-
ness. as other agltators do, To urge YOU
| To help yourselves" She urged all the
! employees of the hotels to get together
with the walters, and said that IL they
/ did this no hotel men in the city could
win against them. why do your mas
| ters-l won't say employers" she said
fear your union" Why are they willing
| IL grant every concession except recog-
! milton Of the union" They know that Il
| you ar" not organized they can take
away, later on, everything they gran
! YOU to-day She continued with an ap.
/ peal 10 the policc-who were not pres
ent in the hall. but We're outside ant
she asked those inside To carry tn,
word out 10 them that being the son.
II workers. they should sympathiz,
/ with the workers
Haywood said that there wasn't q
, hotel man or hotel patron who did no,
| know now Of the existence of the union
ll heard one instance this afternoon.
he said, where q man rich enough tc
buy half the hotels in New York wen,
into hotel and couldn't get ham anG
eggs That man was Judge Gary Yo,
are not only bigger than the hotel asso-
Ciatinn- YOU are bigger than the stee
trust tMuch laughter, The speaker
advocated the uniunZing Of the hote
workers all over the country and sal,
that III" walters ought To be able I,
stay out as long as the Lawrence
| strikers, IL necessary, for the rich
though they have money. must also
have food. and they have never learned
To feed themselves [laughterl, tn Cooh
| nr,. fnr ..r Ia. r,sll. TlttI
more laughterl,
you can imagine a college boy strike
breaker ordering dinner for a swell
party from a French menu" said Hay.
wood, and then he shouted "Rah Rah
ltah'' while The crowd howled with
slcs. Ind can YOU imagine what on.
of our fellow workers from the Bower,
would do If, brought in to take one %
your places. he had to listen To n kicl
because the roast beef was little To,
well done" He'd spill that roast bee
down the diners neck"