Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-01-31
Thousands of Workers Quit
Places-Socialists Want
Reichstag Called.

0dus Stutt va
siege has been declared at Ham.
burg, Altoona and Wandsbeck, nc.
cording to the Hamburg Echo, \
Socialist newspaper.
Altoona and Wandsbeck are In
the Hamburg district. Altoona ad-
Joins Hamburg. Its population In
1900 was 161 900. II Is the seat
Of important industries. Wands-
beck is three miles northeast Of
Hamburg. In 1900 its population
was 2S,OOO. 1t has large brewing
and distilling establishments.
Amsterdam, Jan. 3l.-The num-
Der Of strikers in Berlin Ia esti-
mated at about one hundred and
twenty thousand, according to
Semi.Official statement issued In
Berlin yesterday when there had
been a considerable increase In
the strike since Tuesday.
London, Jan. 31.-The cessation OF
work in Hamburg is now virtually
complete, according to Daily Tele-
graph dispatch from Rotterdam. The
strike has extended from the Vulcan
shipbuilding works in Hamburg to the
works of Blohm & Voss, another large
shipbuilding concern. The strikers
demand an immediate peace on the
basis of no annexations and no in
IDENTITIES.
The German strike is still growing
in magnitude, the Exchange Telegraph
correspondent at Copenhagen reports.
In Berlin 100000 persons are on strike.
he reports, $4,000 Of these being
women.
A great number of Socialist leaders
have been arrested in various German
towns according to this authority.
The Socialist party leaders In Ger
many, according to statement In the
Berliner Tageblatt, forwarded by the
Amsterdam correspondent Of the Cen
trail News, have asked President
Kaempf of the reichstag to summon
the reichstag Immediately in view OF
the alarming events of the past few
days.
At meeting Of the Berlin strikers
on Wednesday the Tageblatt adds, a
resolution was passed declaring that
the strikers would oppose to the ut
most of their power any reprisals
against their leaders or represen-
tatives.
Swiss Frontier Closed.
No one has been permitted to cross
the Swiss frontier from Germany since
Tuesday morning, according to the
Daily News correspondent at Geneva.
Private reports received in Switzer-
land represent the strike situation a.
having taken serious turn late Tues
day night. The refusal of Herr Wal
raft, the minister of the interior. to
confer with the strike leaders is said
to have Infatuated the strikers.
Opinion in Geneva, the correspond
ent says, is that the strike movement
will reach a crisis soon 1t is felt that
the movement either will collapse or
take a turn which may force the Ger
man government to its knees.
Movement Is Spreading.
Amsterdam. Jan. 31.-Both in Ber-
lin and the provinces the strikes are
spreading, according to Wednesdays
edition of the Koelnische Woke lei
tung, which reports that representa-
tives of labor in the various cities in
the industrial regain were expected to
meet in Berlin on Tuesday.
Agitation for general strike in
Munich is said to have failed after a
stormy meeting but the movement
spread to Nuremburg and Furth, the
largest manufacturing towns in Ba-
varia. The newspaper says tina. ths
demand of the fatherland party for
the continuance of the war and the
bad food supply in the towns were
the reasons given for the strike at
several meetings
10000 Quit at Kiel.
Fifty thousand workmen have quit
work at Kiel. The strike Is now gen.
eral in the Chemnitz district, which is
the most important industrial section
in Saxony. Field Marshal van Hin
denburg's proclamation appealing to
the workers to stop striking appeared
on all the street corners Of Berlin yes
terday.
The Germania of Berlin says that
Herr Walraff, minister of the interior
still refuses to meet delegates Of the
workmen and strikes continue to grow
Newspapers Suppressed.
(By Associated Press.)
Three important Be.lin newspapers
including the Socialist Vorwaerts
have been suppressed. The head OF
the great krupp gun works and Field
Marshal Won Hindenburg have appeal.
ed to the workers to stay at theil
tasks. the field marshal declaring thai
the strikes must cease, Before It's
suppression the Vorwaerts printed al
ultimatum to the government In which
the workers demanded general peace
without annexations. amelioration Of
the food situation. the lessening Of
military law and the characterization
| of state institutions.