The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-09-13
STRIKERS THREATEN
TO BAN BRIDGEPORT
Gun Making Machinists Will
obey President, but May
Go to Other Cities.
FINAL DECISION TO-DAY
Union Men in Rage About De-
feat Of Their Claims in
Arbitration.
FINAL DECISION TO-DAY
PROM .,as eorespoadea, o, Tn. srs.

F,ou siar correspondent Of Tnr srs.
BRIDGEPORT. Conn. Sept. 1.-THE
striking machinists Of the late Mr.. Bar
nuns town will defer to the Presidents
wishes and will go back to WORKOUT
rot in Bridgeport At least that's what
Trey are saying tonight as they srowi
IN the smoke flled halls of their head
quarters in Broad street.
They will go back to work because
there is nothing else for them to do II
,hey want to act like Americans, but
they are 50 sore at Bridgeport and New
England that they vow they will never
IN another tool IN this place. Whether
trey are Wanting windily or arc telling
tie truth the next day CT 30 will show.
Angry and disappointed at a War
Labor Board award which was almost
made TO order TO suit the manufacturers
ard which snatched from the workmen
The principle they had been fighting for.
the principle Of a minimum wage, the
strikers seem determined that the man
r,scturers must be made to suffer, ana
the best way to hurt them Is to leave
them fiat.
They threaten indeed to repeat the
,abor tactics that depopulated q large
section Of Danbury. II one takes any
stock in their threats. one must look
forward 10 a Bridgeport stripped and
denuded OF skilled labor. Already. indeed.
about 900 machinists have left the city
and have taken Jobs elsewhere, mostly,
Il is said. in the big munitions plants
o; New Jersey. Five thousand. at
least, now threaten to follow. Unless
the men are merely talking wildly the
situation for Bridgeport Is serious
encugh-and serious enough for the
Government.
Machine Guns Are Held Up.
About half Of the small arms that are
hing used or are needed by the Amer
lean Expeditionary Forces are made
night here in this ugly. smoky. fiivver
Alled, prosperous municipal monument to
the great P. T. 1t n the centre Of the
Browning machine gun manufacture.
Ordnance Of all sizes Is made here as
well as the tools that must be used here
and elsewhere in big gun making. This
work must have skilled labor. What will
happen-what will be the loss TO our
sighting forces-if union labor, in pique.
cults Bridgeport to get even with the
enployersf
The men insist that they are loyal.
Samuel Lavit. their leader. q young man
who used to be q GanGster on the East
extraordinary influence over the minds
Of his fellow workers in the machine
trade, says that the strikers are all
good Americans. Outside their head
quarters breezes from the Sound fiutter
lodge nag bearing SIS stars Lavit
says the Presidents order Will be
obeyed. but that obedience does not
mean that the men have to 90 back to
work here in Bridgeport and virtually
as they sec IT, surrender to the EN-
ployers. They will 60 back to work, but
it will be in New Jersey or somewhere
else-not New England IL they can
help It
These labor folks are sick of New
England. They say that employers here
and throughout New England have been
Up 10 the old wooden nutmeg trick while
Tsving the American nag. They say that
New England. always notorious as n
centre for cheap labor. has fought hard
70 keep labor cheap and has had some
pretty expert help from Washington.
They say that they simply will not let
the Bridgeport manufacturers get any
benefit out Of the Presidents request.
This Is what the men are saying to-
nght II Is their point of view. what
ever fault may be found with II.
There Is more than q possibility, of
course, that tomorrow when the big
mass meeting of the strikers IL held at
o'clock they will realize that a migra-
Ton from Bridgeport would be very in
.irious TO the interests Of the nation
Tat It would be an act Of unpatriotic
bearing, They may see in cooler hours
hat it is impossible for them to slam
re Bridgeport employers in the nose
without hurting Uncle Sam.
Machinists in Angry Mood.
They may decide. the greater part OF
them, to return to work right here. Then
again they may not. and II may actually
happen. as the strike leaders say will
c>cur, that the majority of the machin-
!sts will pack their bags and hike after
the meeting tomorrow. It's all pretty
much up in the air tonight. with bitter
and angry talk rumbling through the
halls and occasionally to be heard in
re streets.
The best posted Judges Of the situa.
ION, Isaac Russell. representative OF
ne War Labor Board. for example. think
nat the majority OF the men will re.
,grn 20 work in the Remington Arms
'acto-y and the other factories to the
-Grber of twenty or twenty-five that
have been tied up or crippled by the
strike.
NJ Russell corroborates labor state,
lndt many mdCnlnlStS nave &c
ila.ly quit the city. He believes thai
others will go. But on the whole HI
links the machinists. at the PRESIDENT
'equest. will swallow their special ant
private grievances against the employer,
and 20 back 10 work to turn out rife.
ard shells and other German killing
Hecessaries as speedily and as quantita
lively as possible.
The strikers mass meeting Tomorrow
afternoon will be a hummer. There II
- question about that. In the frs
place there Is bitter feeling against tn,
manufacturers. contempt and bitter feel
ing AGAINST the wage award made b,
ITO ~. Eidlitz. who umpired the diff
'sFenc-s, and a notion that some persons
N authority have been backing the man
u'acturers. There Is the not Immature
feentment which sprang up because tn,
government saw 1T TO give workers II
tailouading plants and airplane plant
and even in munitions plants In othel
cities a fairer deal than was granted Il
var labor In Bridgeport
There is rage at the idea of goini
back to work on the Eidlitz terms. aban
don!ng the cherished minimum wag'
principle and submitting to the manu-
lecturers. However. the Presidents mer'
request may wipe out all OF this. SO pow
srrul with any section of the people 4
the mere wish of the President OF tn
United States.
RHODE ISLAND LISTS "a, 4O5.