Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-07-17
Labor Leaders at Arms
Plant Ask American Fed
GRAFTON to Provide Or
ganizer to Lead Fight of
Workers.
General Walk-out, They Say,
Will Affect Every War Ma
terial Plant in Country-I.
w. w. Leader Starts for
Bridgeport to Recruit Fol-
lowers.

BRIDGEPORT, Conn, July T-Abso-
lutte refusal of the officials Of the Reming-
ton-U. NJ. c. Arms Company TO meet the
committee appointed by the local machln-
lists union in an effort to discuss the
pending general strike, which will, It is
believed. ultimately involve all the thou
sands Of employees of companies engaged
in the manufacture OF munitions in this
city today brought the local labor stu
alton to a crisis.
]. ]. Reppler, international vice presi-
dent of the Machlnists' Union, and John
A. Johnson, first vice president of the
| International Structural Iron Workers
Union, who constituted the committee,
announced. following the refusal to meet
them, that a general strike of metal
workers and probably all allied trades
seemed inevitable. Keppler sent to Frank
Morrison, secretary OF the American Fed
Grafton of Labor, in Washington, tele-
gram today asking for an organizer to
organize all the employees OF the Reming-
ton plant into federated union. 1t
was predicted that the strike would ulti-
mately involve not only local workers,
but possibly those in New Haven, Bos-
ton and other parts of New England.
1t was upon conditions surrounding the
bricklayers' strike, little more than six
weeks ago, that Major Penheld based his
statement that $1,000 in money-he be-
lieved 1t to be German money-had been
used to cause the brlcklayers' strike. He
declared today that he would stick to his
original statements that German influ-
ences caused the first strike and were
back OF the second.
ADMITS HE WAS APPROACHED.
When asked about attempts to bribe
him. O'Brien showed a strong disposition
to keep out of what is very evidently a
hot situation. Finally he consented to
-t6lp hib story.
'~'TThree days before the brIcklayers'
strike" he said, II was approached by
a man outside of the Remington plant,
where / was working, who asked me IL
wanted"to make some money. asked
him what he meant, and he said that he
would make 1t worth $500 to me to call a
strike Of the brlcklayers on the big arms
plant. i refused him.
The lext day near the trolley bridge
that goes to the Remington plant, 1 was
approached by two well-dressed men, who
asked me the same question and offered
me the same amount. $500.
ETToR SEES FERTILE FIELD.
Bridgeport business men, who dread the
consequences Of the big strike. were wor-
RED today over the presence here OF ].
wellington Broadhead, who said he was
the advance agent of Joseph Ettor, the
j. w w. leader, who was tried for muir
der In connection with the killing of sew
era men In the riots at Lawrence last
Broadhead said Ettor was in -Danbury
Conn, and believed that unsettled condI-
tlons in Bridgeport made this a Fertile
neld for him He applied TO CHIEF of
FoIice Birmingham and to Mayor Wilson
for permission 10 Ettor to speak IN
Bridgeport He did not get the ,ar,,t
sion. Ps4 '"is-
In sympathy with the iron workers and
the mlllwrights who have struck al the
other Remington plants, the millwrirhts
IN the Middiestreet plant of the Reming-
ton u M. G. Company walked out al noon
yesterday, The plant, which was taken
over by the Remington Company three
taontns ~ age, is being fitted out as a plant