The sun., 1919-09-17
RUNNERS IN WALL
ST. SECTION STRIKE
Demands Invariably Are for
Increases in Pay-Boys
Gather in Crowds.

Wall Street was treated yesterday to
its first strike. Runners. or messenger
boys, employed by half dozen or more
of brokerage houses decided that the
time had come for them to assert their
rights as American citizens and informed
their employers that they had at last
decided TO fling what they considered the
iron yoke of underpaid drudgery from
their necks. Their demands, as pre-
sented to different houses, were In more
or less mixed form. but invariably they
asked for increases in pay No ref
eronce to working conditions. hours or
other things which II has become fash
ionable to strike for were made.
Immediately after Wall Street was at
work in the morning it was evident that
things little out OF the ordinary were
happening. Here and there unusually
large groups of boys were seen, and
when policemen made Investigations they
did not find the pair of dice which
usually plays a very prominent part in
gathering of that kind in the financial
district Instead they found usually one
of the older boys haranguing the rest
and urging on them the advisability OF
getting other runners to desert their
posts in order to teach stock brokers
and other employers what they deemed
the proper position of employers in the
world of finance. The result was that
by noon the ranks of the young strikers
had been augmented to formidable pro-
portions One estimate of 1900 as the
number OF messengers out was made.
1t soon became apparent that the
usual small detail of police on day
duty in the district would be insuffi-
cient to cope with the situation and,
therefore, large number of additional
patrolmen were assigned to that duty.
At Exchange place and Broad street,
the very heart of the financial district,
ore eloquent young messenger was i'm
ploring his associates to put more pep
| into their picketing and other efforts.
! II was about the time when the stenog-
raphers, clerks. secretaries, bookkeepers
| and other employees OF the financial Sec
ton were out for lunch, Congestion, al
ways in evidence at that hour, was in
| creased greatly by gathering of impa-
tient youngsters, and the police deemed
| It desirable to break up the meeting
in order TO allow the heavy traffic of
that hour to pass unimpeded. One husky
| patrolman made his way to the centre
OF the mob and just as he was about
| to persuade the speaker to end his
| gesticulating harangue, the solid mass
OF young flesh and blood began TO move.
| So tightly was the bluecoat wedged
in the crowd that he was unable to go
| against the tide, and for a half a block
| or more he was literally swept along
with the boys before he was able to
assert his authority
Very few, If any, disturbances were.
/ reported. Picketing was restorted to at
] offices from which boys had gone out,
and many free lance messengers pressed
into service by the brokers' were per-
suaded to quit. In many cases the
strike was crippled during the afternoon
| by firmness on the part of the employ
ers. One broker reported that he had
given all of his boys until Thursday
morning to come back and that almost
Immediately they were nearly all back
! on the job. One or two liberal in
creases. granted In response to boys
please were reported. but they could not
he condrmAd