New-York tribune., 1919-08-18
Mayor Appeals to I. e. Z.
Strikers to Arbitrate
Pleads for Hearing and Says He Can Prove They
Are Being Misled-Declares Hedley Refused
SO Per Cent Raise Even if Given Scent Fare

Mayor Hylan issued personal ap-
peal yesterday to the striking Inter
borough car men. He made it in writ
ing after futile efforts to get the con-
sent of officers of the Brotherhood of
lnterborough Employees to address the
men.
The Mayor again charged that the
lnterborough was using the men only
for the purpose of obtaining eight-cent
fares. He charged that If the higher
taro was allowed the men would not
get the so per cent increase in wages
they arc demanding.
lie asked that the $1,000 1nterbor-
ough employees meet him at Madison
Square Garden and discuss the strike
SITUATION "Any hour of the day or
night is suggested by the Mayor for
the meeting.
His appeal to the men follows:
Friends and Fellow Citizens:
'Since your representatives first
called on me at o'clock Friday after
noon and said you intended to strike
at 4 o'clock this Sunday morning,
have been cndeavoring to get them to
call you together so | could address
you. Your representative has persis-
tently refused to do this, SO [ am ad-
dressing you this way because | want
every individual man among you to
know exactly what it is / want to say
to you and what your representative
apparently doesn't care to have you
hear.
Il came from the ranks myself, was
elected to Office by mon like you and
understand the lives of men like you
far better than most public officials
possibly could.
Favors Higher Wages
"Whatcver your representative may
tell you, l want you to know that |
have no objection to your getting a
better wage scale. In fact, | think YOU
should have better wages, and if you
Wi! only take counsel from me you
Will find me making a persistent fight
TO get you good wage scale. I would
be untrue to my own life convictions
if | took any other attitude
"What is more, l also am interested
IN getting for you decent working
hours and decent working conditions.
l am against all kinds of industrial
slavery. The kind of men who create
lndustrial slavery are the kind of men
that some of your leaders are now an
proving. Right now the Interborough
wants to use you as a temporary expe-
dlent so they can get eight-cent fares.
Il have two duties to perform. The
first is to all Of the citizens of this
city and the second is to YOU men. On
the ono hand | propose with all the
strength have to fight to prevent the
lIactloN ring from violating their con-
tract with the citizens.
"N esterday | asked Uedlev. of the
peterborough, why he did not ask the
directors Of the Intorborough to turn
inc subways back to tho city as a bad
bargain, and LEI the city run them. if
is true they are not making money.
and fls reply to me was:
hiamcs Financial Manipulators
DO you think | am insane ??
"Put ~ another way, this means that
II the city got the subways back we
would operate them for fyc cents and
pay you a just Wage scale. II Is only
because group Of financial manipula
tors control your public snbwavs that
they don't want to deal honest y with
Did your leaders, who seem so will
lhg TO accept lledlcY's word as 10 the
Ananclai condition Of the Intorborouph.
ever explain to YOU that WalJ S1rset
has taken lS7 per cent profits out of
Nour supways; that Wall Street has
got back its investment and is still
getting proft, and viii 20 on getting
profit for almost fifty years?
One of your leaders said before
the Board Of Estimate that even if tho
cIty had experts 20 over the books
and prove that the subways are making
money, he would still take Hcdley's
Wofd 'T,'i TO the contrary Think Of that
This leader also said that he always
found tcdley fair and just. Well, He'd
ley Is one of the men who controlled
the cash drawer OF the Interborough
Whlle wall Street was getting this lS7
per cent profit.
"Wh hat did Hedey do for you while
he was doing that for Wall Street?
Was be your friend? Did he bother
much about Your living conditions
then? While the subway was paying
20 per cent annually, did your wages
financial ring was getting away with
the huge profits, were they your
friends? They certainly were not.
They arc not your friends to- day.
They are merely trying to use you, get
the Big fare increase, then throw you
III the scrap heap and go on getting
blg fares. Can't you see through it?
Willing to Fight for Them
"Won't you understand that your
Mayor, John F. Hylan. one of your
selves, is ready to fight double bat
tie Tor you Won't you understand
that | am going to fight double bat
tic for you and that need your help?
| am going to fight to get you good
wages and | also am going to fight to
make sure that Wall Street doesn't take
your extra wages away from you
through Scent fares. because it is
families like yours that will be paying
the Scent fare The men that get
the lSI per cent profit don't care about
the price OF subway rides because
they don't use the subway.
DO you men realize that the Inter
borough paid for all of your strike
literature. Do you think they would
pay for your strike literature if they
didn't want you to strike? When
company like the Interborough paws
for strike literature don't you think
1t Is time for you to be suspicious? ?
When they let YOU use their telephone
to call a strike doesn't that look as if
they wanted you to strike?
When the Interborough officials
say as they did Yesterday, to the
Board Of Estimate that on the eve of a
big strike they haven't made single
preparation to operate their roads and
that they are Just laying back and
letting the strike start out as bic
success, don't you think you ought to
be suspicious?
Playing Into l. Il. T. Hands"
IF the Interborough doesn't want you
to strike, don't you realize that they
would have been fighting you and had
thousands of strikebreakers ready to
take your places, as they have done