Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1916-09-21
TRACTION STRIKE
SITUATION GBOWS
STEADILY WORSE
Mayor Working to Prevent
Rioting and Postpone
General Strike
VIOLENCE INCREASES
NEITHER Side WAIVERS
100000 To Be Called Out
Tomorrow If Agreement
Is Not Reached

New York, Sept. 21.-New York g
protracted traction strike situation ap-
preached crisis today. The last day
which labor leaders have allotted the
Officials of the traction companies to
accept the proposals vf Mayor Mitchell
for further negotiations was ushered
In with increasing violence and with
no sign of wavering by either side.
Unless their demands are met, union
organizers are prepared to call tomor-
row for the greatest waltout in the
history of the city, sympathetic strike
Of 100000 union workers.
President Shonts of the Interborough
announced today that the position Of
the company twill not be altered un-
der any circumstances. Organizer
Fitzgerald declared that "unless the
car mems grievances are adjusted n
general strike will certainly be called
Friday
Crowds of strikers and sympathzers
are growing more hard to handle as
the crisis in the situation draws near.
Five hundred strikers and their SYM
pathizers engaged in running battle
with the police in Central Park west
last night in the worst outbreak since
the strike began. A police captain
was knocked unconscious and an aged
woman seriously hurt,
The police department today united
with the district attorneys office and
the magistrates courts In a determined
effort to stamp out rioting. Long term
sentences have been threatened and
more than a score now face terms from
five to twenty years.
Samuel Gompers, president of the
American Federation of Labor, has not
come out flatly in favor of the SYM
pathetic strike, for which other leaders
are preparing today. He said:
- am trying to help arrange an hon
orable adjustment of this horrible sit
uation. want to bring about an early
settlement and | will do all in my pow
er to aid the carmen"
The citizens committee of seventy
five will confer with may and Oscar
Straus, chairman of the public servise
commission, at clock today in a
last effort to bring about a settlement
of some sort. First, they will hear the
side of the ear men, presented by Or
ganizer Fitzgerald at "a conference
which Gompcrs will attend.
The mayor, the police department
and city officials are now working a.
long two definite lines. One to pre-.
vent rioting, the other to secure post
ponement of the effort to call out a
general strike.
Meanwhile, in secret conference, the
union leaders are laying their plans for
the sympathetic walkout of union work
ers throughout the city. While the po-
lice several days ago were inclined 70
doubt Fitzgerald's power to call out
these workers, statements from union
heads today tended 10 show that at
least some of them would support the
ear men.
Ernest Bohm, secretary of the central
federated union, declared "that as a
last resort general sympathetic
strike of all trades and industries will
be called.
The strikers are said to have enlist
ed ten thousand women piekets who
will attempt TO urge union men and
women not to ride on the transit lines
Of the city.
Service was again normal on the sub
way and elevated lines and more sur
face cars than usual were running early
today.
early today were reported to police
headquarters and two men arrested
for violence, were charged with felony
and face long prison sentences.
For the second time subway trains
were stoned today. Several persons were
injured by flying glass.