The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-04-21
Think Government Prepared
to Accept Conciliatory
Motion
REFUSAL MAY BRING
GRAVE SITUATION
Leaders May Not Be Able to Hold in
the Strikers-Socialists Declare
There Will Be 100000
Men Out Today

Brussels, April g-The opinion now is
general in political circles that at the
session of the. chamber Of deputies Tues
day the government will be prepared TO
accept the conciliatory motion of the lib
eral leader. M Mason. This provides
that If the parliamentary committee. ap-
pointed recently to consider the reform
of the provincial and communal fran
chise system evolves a plan which appears
to be manifest improvement on the
present methods then the advisability OF
revising parliamentary election along the
same lines shall Immediately be consid-
cred
The adoption of this motion by the
chamber would mean the end of the strike
which is paralyzing Belgium's industries
a strike which, judging from present in
dications, has not vet reached anything
like high water mark
It is known that several of the more
moderate clerical deputies do not sym
pathize with the government uncompro-
missing attitude. The clerical deputy, M
Goblet of Mons. said today:
- was prepared last Friday to support
NJ Massons S motion If it had been put.
sincerely hope that it will be adopted
on Tuesday"
Compromise Needed
1t would require the detection of only
nine clericals to assure the adoption of
the motion and there is little doubt that
the socialists would accept the olive
b,.o, ,ol,
an article by the socialist deputy. NJ.
Destree of Charferoix, in which he speaks
of peace, which must necessarily be
based on compromise" and also: Every
solution which sacrifices totally the opin-
ions of the government or of the work.
ers will not be a concliatory solution and
cannot prevail"
There is no doubt that the situation
will be very grave if the government
refuses to accept a compromise at the
coming session of the chamber. Ii is
questionable whether the leaders will then
be able to hold in the strikers. The num-
Der of those who have Joined In the move
ment remains almost unchanged with a
slight tendency to increase. The social
lists assert that there will be $4,000 men
out tomorrow.
The burgomaster of Brussels received
notification tonight that the municipa,
gas workers will go on strike Tuesday
night. The printers have decided to re-
turn to work because of the fact that the
clerical papers have the field to them
selves, but will contribute half their
wages to the strike fund. On the state
railroads passenger traffic for the week
fell off So per cent.
Already the strike has caused great
losses to Belgium's Industries about 70
per cent of which have to do with ex-
port Leading business men say that
most of this has now gone abroad and
that 1t is their experience that 1t will
not easily come back.
The same condition applies to the coll
lieries which are losing more than $780,
900 daily.
Alost, Belgium, April 20.-The families
of IA strikers in this district left here
today for the United States.
Charlerio, April 20.--The burgomaster
has sanctioned a meeting of all the
strikers in the province on Thursday on
condition that the strikers themselves ap-
point police to preserve order. The lib
erals will participate actively in the dem
onstration
Antwerp, April 20-The diamond cutters
by a vote of 1921 to 152 today decided to
join the strike movement. A detachment
of clerical union workers will also go
out.
Three thousand members of the civic
guard are protesting against further de-
tention from their business since there
has been no trouble.
g.
Hold Rio Meeting