The sun., 1916-09-10
CARMEN PRESENT
THEIR SIDE TOP s. G.
"Time Ripe to Defend War on
Cnionism," Says Louis
Fridiger.
"ROADS WANTED STRIKE"
After Five Hour Argument He
Announces lie Requires
Three Hours More.
"ROADS n T STRIKE"

II would seem that all that could be
said on the cause OF the traction strike
had been spread upon the record Of
the Public Service Commission in its
hearings Of Thursday and Friday. hut
Louis Fridiger. counsel for the ANAL
gamated Association OF St- eet and Flee
trio Railway Employees, consumed five
solid hours yesterday to go deeper into
the basis Of tie strife. HIS fow Of talk
was ended only BY adjournment; he
stiil requires about three more hours
completely TO .unburden himself. y He
will be given opportunity 10 exhaust his
subject mex. Monday. The priYciple that
seemed to'be paramount In the hearings
thus far was ex'c essed some months
ago In the Cohan Revue
What have you got to say? What nav.
You came here to testify. now what have
you got TO say?
What Fridiger had to say was that
the union has been wronged since its ad-
vent In local traction. In crisis after
cr!sis-to summarize the Impressions Of
the counsel--ihe union always has been
In the right. bu. Frank Hedley or Theo.
dore p. Shon:s or James l.. ouacken-
bush. or sometimes all three officials Of
the Int1 borough and New York Rail-
ways. worked to thwart the unions sin.
cere purpose.
Commando strict Attention.
The young advocate OF the curnen
Is a new type Of union lawyer In this
town. Il was plainly ev!den. yesterday
that Fr!d!ger believes sincerely the
unions have been put Trough a martyr
dom, Forcefully. at times p~assionately.
he put f0 ward his side. His Intensity
held Mayor Mitchell. Oscar S;raus, the
chairman. and the members o. the com
mission In rap, attention during his
entire talk. Fsidiger II q frstrard IN
some ways. but he has nothing OF the
usual illogicality OF the professional
player on emotions his arguments at al
items are founded on sound reason.
Therefore. to the Mayor and the Pub
lie Service Commissioners he has an i'm
por,arce that ,ranscends that of William
h. Fitzgerald. Leader Of the Amalga-
mated strike. They have deferred 10
him on all subjects thai, AFFECT the union
side.
Fr,dlger held that the union always
asked for arbitration except in the dis
pu;e about ti.e i;s,aaTs.i -,np;o, se, the
company refused to reinstate. The de-
nance OF the New York Railways on this
point. ne explained. was not a difference
In a dispute. but q fragrant violation OF
the terms OF the agreement OF August
:. There could be no arbitrable COM
mon ground 'on that proposition. he in
sisted.
Felt Time Was Right.
1t would have been a little thing for
the PETERBOROUGH TO suspend issuance OF
the working agreements IS the union
demanded. he said.
" did not have the Mayor counter
signing this agreement with the Inter-
borough we did not have the chairman
OF the commission doing II. We We're
not II a position to demand anything
OF them. We were therefore only able
TO look to our employers. the New York
Railways Company. We had asked them
to do only one little thing for ,s. ana
that was to suspend circulating these
contracts until the men could he In
formed az to what they meant. and that
was turned down ard absolutely refused.
THAT. taken IN the light 81 Mr.. He'd.
ley's statement that he would not re-
turn them. We felt convinced We were
with men who did not want TO
deal with US on the marlborough the
as they were compelled TO on the
New York Railways.
I'VE felt convinced they were acting
In absolutely bad faith. We had heard
and this IL an element not injected into
these proceedings yet-:hst for "A long
they were importing strike break
ers: that they were maintaining them
In different places In the city that they
were building and taking care OF quar-
tiers for the men: that they were pre-
for a strike that they wanted n
that they wanted to provoke us
into n strike, and they felt that the time
was ripe to Night unionism IN this city.
we fe,t that the time was rine to de-
a fight on unionism which we
they were going TO wage and which
we saw they were going to irs'i'ute. and
which they had really wac'' and In
privately. not openly, FOR the
past few weeks"