The sun., 1917-08-22
NAVY YARD MEN
URGED TO STRIKE
General Walkout in Marine
Shops Here Voted by Ship
yards Workers.
WASHINGTON WILL ACT
Plans Special Board to Hear
Mems Demands and Halt
Shipbuilding Delay.

DeSptto tno 1ACt tn8t tno lehoefu OF
the striking shipyards men. who met in
Tammany Hall yesterday to discuss the
situation. did all in their power TO coun-
sci moderation the delegates ran away
with the meeting. After . riotous three
hours. punctuated by all sorts Of verbal
abuse and . fist Asht they voted to cali
out all ths workers In the Brooklyn
Navy Yard ~ we'll ~ the other marine
shops on New York harbor.
It was evident from the start that
the delegates Of the men who have been
on strike for seven weeks were bound to
force the strike issue II they could. in
the hope that Il would bring the Govern
ment to grant their terms, and Just -
evident that the leaders did not believe
II Wise at this time to take the position
OF obstructing the ship building pro-
gramrne BY stopping work. They we're
finally Obliged to let the bowling crowd
vote its strike resolution, but explained
afterward that II would not be binding
on the navy yard workers and that the
whole difficulty probably would be
settled in forty-sight hours.
Wilson AeAiatoRs at Work To-AaS. |.
They based this belief on the fact that
the mediators appointed by PresideAt
Wilson arrived in the city yesterday and
will meet the Representatives Of tho
strikers to-day IN . ANAL effort to ad-
Just the differences between the men and
the employers. The council Of the vari-
Gus trades involved met last night to
devise some plan to- head of the threat
ened general strike. which. II 10 believed.
would not rebound to the credit Of the
labor movement At this time. and prob
ably will announce their decision to-day.
About 1900 men packed the main
to handle that william Dickson, the
president Of the Marine Trades
Council. has had In 4 long time He
had to plead and threaten them to get
any order at all. and when he finished
his collar was wilted down on his shoul-
ders and he looked as II somebody had
dropped him overheard. Joseph J. No
Intse, business agent for the Interna-
tional Machinists Association. was the
frst speaker.
Mr.. McIntee's words were hailed with
wild cheers. that were redoubled when
he read / telegram from the New Jersey
State Federation Of Labor convention in
Paterson. which said:
Wv HaOd6O WI AVyel DupVOrI cIIC8
70 your guns and victory will be yours. /"
I'VE have boilsrmakens on the rail-
roads too" shouted another delegate.
Pull them out Pull out the railroad
workers and make the Government and
the bosses realise that We are making q
nght."
When things got this far J. J. Keep
pier. nrst vice-president OF the Inter
national Machinists Association, tried to
bring some reason back to the excited
crowd. most OF whom had shed their
coats and were standing up. shaking
their asts at tho platform and all trying
to speak At once.
pull the navy yard~ yelled the
crowd.
You can win without pulling the navy
yard" Keppler shouted back at them
Don't 20 on record as saying that you
will return to work unless the navy yard
10 pulled tomorrow. OFFER this reso-
luton
Never mind tho resolution" they
cried. pull the navy yard"
Keppier after several attempts sue
ceeded In reading tho resolution, which
provided that all the marine shops be
pulled" with the exception OF the navy
yard. where the men be given an oppor-
tunity to hold . meeting to determine
strikers. Then he went on:
There has been talk that some officers
Of the unions, one Of them, have been
receiving German money. That talk
went on during the Bridgeport strike
To the employers I say: Pay the men
the money they are entitled to and We
won't need no Kaisers money"
That made . great hit with the dele
gates. apparently. and whom Dickson got
. chance he attempted to bring about z
favorable vote on Keppler's modsrate
resolution. instead OF one which had
been introduced earlier calling for a gen.
eral strike that would include all the
navy yards.
But the little trick didn't work The
delegates would have none Of that reso-
luton and got % excited about II that
one Of them punched another on the
Jaw and started . lively scrap. Dickson
gave Il up then and put the general
strike resolution TO vote. IT WAS passed
almost unanimously with cheers that
lasted a full minute.
The meeting adjourned then and the
heated delegates went out into Four
tesnth street 20 cool or. After II was
all over ofYicers OF the unions said the
meeting had no power to call out the
navy yard workers and that the effect
Of the resolution would be merely tc
ask the navy workers to meet and de.
eide what they could do TO heip out the
striksrA