Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1923-09-24

New York, Sept. 23-Conscription
of newspaper pressmen from other
cities to operate the presses of New
YOrll's strike -hampered dailies, even
at the cost of suspending publication
of other papers, was threatened to-
day by George l.. Berry. president Of
the preSsmen's international union.
Berry announced his program in an
address to virtually empty hall,
after striking pressmen had stam-
peded a meeting called TO permit him
to explain the new agreement sign
ed with the publishers last Friday.
Mr.. Berry said his purpose in MAX
ing the speech to the handful of
prcssmen. newspapermcn, detectives
and ushers in Town hall after vir-
tually all of the 400 strikers had left
was to have the address printed and
distributed among the striking mem
bcrs of Local Union 81. which was
declared dissolved after officials of
the international had characterized
the strike as Illegal. a stenographer
transcribed his words.
! The strikers stamped out after one
of their number suggested David
Simmons. head of the outlaw local,
! should call the session to order. Of
! ficials of the international were on
the stage. Mr.. Berry asserted he
could not permit an official of a I'M
/ ion not recognized by the interna-
! tional to take the platform. There
/ was an uproar. Simmons rose from
/ the audience and shouted: Boys, we
will not listen to a strike breaker.
/ Let's CO." Most of those who seem
ed hcsitant were rounded up by the
leaders OF the strikers. who an
i nounccd they would hold meeting
! in another section of the city.
! Mr. Berry accused the strikers OF
refusing 10 return to work after u
committee of their leaders had ac-
knowledged unanimously that the
! internationars agreement with the
publishers which provided that the
! men might resume work under cards
! issued by the International, was %
percent of what they wanted and
provided ample arbitration machin-
cry TO get the other five percent.
! He said he had intended to tell the
( strikers. had they remained, that
, their unions administration" had
! failed. for five or ten years, to report
to the international the names of 444
f members for whom 81 month should
have been paid into the information
1 ais treasury. He explained that the
international had agreed to pay the
dues of men who entered the service
, in the war, adding that recent inves-
L1- oan toll haI Iico1ncnd he
! locals administration" had reported
the names of Ill such members to the
| international who, in reality, never
| had joined the cClors.
1--WE intend to end this strike" Mr.
Berry shouted. There will be nc
! more temporiZing or compromising
/ If they don't return to work they will
/ lose their $500 death benefit, their
! pension and the advantages of the
| pressmen's home. We won't have in
! our organization men who are sc
! weak and irresponsible that they
can be stampeded into such a near
! riot as you just witnessed by few
/ Reds who are trying to introduce the
/ Soviet system into the pressrooms OF
the country.
/ "From this moment on we will fur
/ nish a man for every vacancy in the
j newspaper offices of New York. We
! have not brought men into New York
/ up to this time, but from now on we
! will bring all the pressmen needed
! from the United States and Canada.
! We will stop newspapers in other cit
les, iC necessary. to return the New
! York City newspapers to normal.
/ Thomas Mullins. former junior
! prcssman for an afternoon paper, was
| sentenced to five days in the work.
! house today on a charge of compel
/ ing a news wagon driver to throw 200
! papers from his delivery wagon early
/ today.
/ Later at a hearing of te phressmen
who deserted Mr.. Berry's meeting, a
unanimous vote to continue the strike
until the publishers do business
| with the representatives of the men
who work in their press rooms" was
| passed, according to Simons. Mr.
| Simons said:
| "If the publishers will submit to
! the membership their proposition, we
/ will submit it to the men in far
i manner, as we feel we have the right
! of American citizens to say whether a
! thing is acceptable and we Will not
! allow an outsider to come in and say
what we shall do"