New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-09-05
Men to Make Final
Demands This
Morning.
800 MEN STORM
LEADERS HOTEL
Strikebreakers Allege Fitz-
gerald Hired Them to
Refuse Jobs.

Theodore P. ShontS, president of
the Interborough, announced last
night the company would not accede
to the demands of the union and can
eel the individual contracts it had
obtained with az" and subway men.
William B. Fitzgerald, leader Of the
car mems union, insisted that unless
the contracts were cancelled a strike
would follow, and the possibility of
a tying up of the entire traction sys-
TEN seemed strong this morning.
Mr.. Shonts met reporters at the
Fiftieth Street barn at II o'clock last
night.
as there going to be striker" he
was asked.
"Well," he declared, 81 must say
the situation is pretty serious. We
are going to stand by our contracts
with a majority of the men, just as
we expect them TO stand by their
contracts with us. We will not yield
to the demands of the union for the
cancellation Of those contracts"
Appeals to Governor.
Have you any strikebreakers"
81 don't know anything about
strikebreakers. We don't need them.
In case there is strike, here is what
we will do:
Mr.. Shonts produced copy of
letter he said he had sent to Mayor
Mitchell and Governor Charles ).
Whitman. In this letter, after stat
ing a strike vote had been passed and
a threat made to tie up everyline from
the battery to Yonkers, Mr.. Shonts
declared the company expects the
union will to-day demand the can
collation. Of the contracts 1t objects
to. which, he says, are approved by
the Brotherhood Of lnterborough
Employees, which, he asserts, includes
$500 of the company's 11,7O0 em-
ployes. Eight thousand have signed
the contracts, he stated.
ANY strike the letter says,
could not hope for success except
through violence and intimidation"
This, Mr.. Shonts declares would
start Immediately upon the inception
Of a strike, and the company, he
says, could protect its men.
If," he adds, adequate measures
are taken in advance, the police, under
ordinary circumstances, will be fully
able to protect the public snd the COM
pany's employees. For such protection
to be effective it must be furnished
before disorder takes place. and not
after acts Of violence have been COM
mitted and the men coerced into leav-
ing their posts"
Says City May Lose.
In this letter, as in a long statement
to the public, given out at the same
time. Mr.. Shonts refers TO the fact that
the city has a large sum invested in
the subway, declaring any losses
through failure TO earn interest charges
will fall upon the public. The state
ment also reviews at length the welfare
work done by the company and reiter-
ates most Of it's men are loyal.
In a statement to Interborough en-
ployes Mr.. Shonts declared the inten-
tion Of the company to stand by tho
contracts and its purpose TO drop all
men who may strike and not reinstats
them. A similar notice is being posted
in the barns Of the New York Railways
Company.
The letter to the Governor, identical
in language with that sent Mr.. Mitchell,
is sent that he may have full knowl-
edge in the event that troops are called
for and the intent Of the company TO
stand by its guns as announced in page
advertisements this morning.
One professional strikebreeker was
Killed yesterday. A mob Of 300 strike
breakers invaded the Hotel Continental,
headquarters Of the union leaders, de-
maniing TO see Fitzgerald. who they
said had sent men nto hire them. Fol-
lowing their failure to get at FitE-