The Washington times., 1937-02-03
TROOPS AWAIT
ORDERS ON
'DEADLINE'
Workers Ready to Die
Before ConpIyingWith
Evacuation Rule
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situation. He declined to name
time and place.
Fifteen minutes later. Murphy
announced suddenly the parley
had started, and then almost simul-
taneously, Knudsen, through a
publicity statement, said he was
attending in accordance with the
wishes of the President
Lewis Talks
Meanwhile, Lewis conferred
with union leaders in a downtown
hotel here, and also held tele-
phone conversation with Federal
Mediator James F. Dewey, sent to
the strike scene by Secretary Of
Labor Perkins.
With reporters at his heels, he
suddenly appeared out of the
union conference room, rushed to
the front of the hotel, and was
whisked away to the conference.
Police guarded the doors of Judge
Murphy'S office.
The meeting marked the first
time Lewis has sat face to face
with any General Motors officials
since the strikes started hitting
General Motors plants late last
December and ultimately threw
100000 auto workers in the ma
ton out of work.
Long Conference
A half hour after the parley
started, Governor Murphy, Lewis
and Knudsen were still locked in.
side.
Coincidentally, last week Gov.
ernor Murphy set p. m. as the
time he expected good news" on
the auto strike settlement. At
the time. Secretary of Labor
Perkins conferred with Alfred P.
Sloan, head of General Motors.
The truce which Secretary Per
kins expected, failed to materi-
alize, as Sloan held adamantly to
his position the plants must be
evacuated before negotiations to-
ward settlement of the strike be-
gin.
On his arrival here, Lewis re-
fused to say whether he would
order peaceful evacuation of the
sit-down strikers in General Mo-
tors plants in Flint. or allow them
to carry out their announced |
death stand"
In kilograms to Governor Muir
ply the several hundred sit-down-
ers in the two Fisher body plants
in Flint said they were prepared |
to die if armed force was used to
clear the plants by 3 p. m, as
ordered by Judge Paul V. Gadola. /
About 1900 National Guards
men cleared a virtual military
zone" a small Chevrolet colony
here, of all pickets and strike sym.
pathizers. They arrested six
union men.
Food Ban Lifted
The ban against food for sit
down strikers at Chevrolet Plant
No. 4 was lifted. Earlier, guards
men refused entry Of food to the !
400 sit.doWners.
Sheriff Wolcott, In Flint, was
quietly received in Fisher Body
No. when he read Judge Paul |
Gadola's evacuation injunction to
the sit-doWners, but he was booed |.
in Fisher Body No. l. Sit-downerS |
in the last plant told the sheriff
National Guardsman and single |
deputy who accompanied him, to !
leave your guns outside"
Judge Gadola'S order called for
evacuation of the Fisher body |
plants within "a hours. The dead
line is p. m. today. In addition,
the order forbids picketing Of the
two plants.
Under the law, Sheriff Wolcott
has the right to attempt to force !
out the slt-doWners who have been .
in the plants more than month.
He may take any means neces-
sary, even to the calling for the
National Guard
, Sit downers in both plants
showed clearly their attitude in
kilograms sent to the governor,
one of which read:
1--WE have decided to stay in
the plants. We fully expect that
if a violent effort is made to
Oust us many of us will be
killed and we take this means
of making it known to our wives
and children and the people of
the State and country that if
this result follows from the at,
tempt to eject us. you are the
ones to be held responsible for