The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-09-10
General Sympathetic Strike to
Compel Recognition of Car
men Backed by Unionists
GOMPERS WILL ATTEND
TODAY'S CONFERENCES
A. F. of l.. Head Pays Hurried
Visit to New York-Boat.
men Ordered to Move No
Coal for marlborough

New York, Sept. 9-An inrmo-
date strike ON the Second and
Third Avenue surface car lines
was called at half past 10 O'Clock
tonight.
The vote of the Second Avenue
men was unanimous. They met
in Mozart Hall, Eighty-a
Street. near Second Avenue. I'm
mediately after the Second Ave-
nue. vote was taken the strike
leaders marched to Lyceum Hall,
where the Third Avenue employees
were in session. A strike vote
followed at once.
An attempt made by Oscar S.
Straus, chairman of the Public
Service Commission, to prevent
the men Of the two lines from
striking met with failure.
Plans for one of the greatest
industrial strikes New York City
has yet encountered are under.
stood to be ON foot
The first move was . hurried visit
to this city tonight by Samuel Com
pers, president of the American Fed
Grafton of Labor: He came to hold a
conference Sunday with omcials OF
local union officials. who head about
500, 900 labor unionists. are eager to
enter the strike In order to prevent
the disruption Of the newly organized
Garments union. 4 one day demon
stration, tying up all the affiliated in
dustries IL the fsdsradon's plan.
Talk It Over With Gompers.
At the conference with Gompers
the advisability Of the general sympa-
thetic strike to secure this end will
be discussed. The threatened demon.
stra,ion IL the result Of intimationl
by President Shonts and General Man,
Transit and New York Railway lines
that steps may b taken " them e
destroy organized unions. The atua-
ton now takes the color of being .
fight by the federation for the preser.
walton OF unionism.
William B. Fitzgerald, organizer
of the Amalgamated Association.
when asked If the Industrial strike
would go into effect. said:
Just wait and see."
Fitzgerald declared that the union
lists of the entire State OF New York
would aid the carmen. The other
developments OF the day In the strike
were:
Halt Interborough Coal.
I. Issuance of orders by John r.
Reilly. president of the Tidewater
Boatmen's Union. that none Of tho
1900 members of the organization
should move barges containing coal
destined for the marlborough power
houses.
2. A statement made by Chairman
Straus that he believed that the peace
contract which brought about the
end Of the strike a month ago Is an
excellent agreement and II lived up
to. would bring about an end to street
railway strikes in this city.
8. statement by Louis Fridiger.
counsel for the striking carmen. that
he believed the Arrangement a
dandy agreement" He said the men
are willing to live up to 1t. The blow
struck by the boatmen's union was
delivered at the most vital spot OF
the PETERBOROUGH system.
1t Is taken to foreshadow the gen.
eral strike throughout the city which
1t is believed will be ordered by the
Central Federated Union as a result
of tomorrow's conference.
It was said tonight that the next
blow against the Interborough would
be a strike of the coal passers at the
power houses
Thus all trains on the subway and
elevated lines and surface cars would
Re tied up for lack of power, unless
the company could fli their places
promptly. The thousands of strik-
breaking car operators would then be
useless.