The Washington times., 1937-03-22
MARTIN CALLS
ON MAYOR TO
|NTERCEDE
Couzens Doubts Work.
ers Will Follow Union
Leaders Call
CONTINUED from Page y

Ferguson. before whom an eVlc
tion order was to be argued today
The Judge stated that occupancy
of property by persons other than
employees constitutes violation OF
criminal law.
Meanwhile threats of the United
Automobile Workers Union to call
a general strike here were supple.
mented by call for huge dem.
onstration in Cadillac Square to.
morrow night and the organiza.
ton of a union Minute Mems
Brigade" The minute men" were
organized along military lines by
tional director of UAW, and Or
itonal director of UAW, and or
dered to be in readiness night and
day to protect strikers and the
right to strike"
General Strike Threat
Locals of the UAW were ordered
to stand by for general strike in
telegrams sent by Homer Martin,
president of UAW. Local eaders,
however, were instructed not to
precipitate strikes without definite
orders from Martin.
Martins telegram said:
I'VE are demanding that
Mayor COuzenS and Police Super
intendent Pickert Immediately
cease raiding and SIugging and
bIackjacking strikers and in
nocent byStanderS."
Told of Martins general strike
threat, Mayor CouzenS said:
Il don't believe Mr.. Martin
would be so unwiSe as to call
out on a general strike men who
have just been through six years
Of suffering due to depression
and loss of work. 1 doubt
whether the men would follow
such leadership"
While the situation seemed to be
critical, Gov. Frank Murphy, who
has been striving to bring about
peace for days, injected an opti-
mistic note during a Palm Sunday
.peech in which he said:
"Your governor believes there
will be industrial peace in Michi-
gan"
Admits PeriIs of Strike
He admitted, however, that at
the present moment the strike sit
uation is threatening the peace Of
the nation"
Mayor Frank Couzens today as
sumed full responsibility for the
raids. He declared he learned that
some of the smaller "Sit-doWn"
strikes were engineered by racketeer
and gangSter elements and that
he went to the governor and OBJ
taind his approval to make the
raids.
In spite of the tense atmosphere
brought about by the issue be-
tween the police and the law, the
conferences between Chrysler
executives and union officials
were resumed this morning.
Eight plants of Chrysler Corp
oration worth $50,O00,0O0 were
still being held by 5000 strikers,
in defiance to Circuit Judge Allan
Campbells order to the sheriff
that they be evicted and arrested
for contempt. The strikers say
they will die rather than leave.
AS the Chrysler strike ended
its third week today, G. r. Harris.
superintendent of the Depart
ment of Welfare. reported he was
flooded by applications for relief.
Most of them came from idle
automobile workers. he said.
Today was the first time the
strikers rushed to have their
names placed on relief rolls. He
said 10000 families are on relief
In the Detroit area, an increase
of 300 over last week.
Martin refused to comment this
morning on the printing company
raid in defiance of his threat to
call general strike.
Defends Sit-DOwnerS
But the U. A. w. president re-
vealed he had sent a letter to
Governor Murphy last night, in
which he explained the position of
the union and defended Sit-down
strikes. In the letter, Martin said:
THE sit-down method has pre-
vented the use of the time-wOrn
strikebreaking tactics. The work
er's job is a property right Of the
worker, and the sit-down is a
method to protect that property
right.
you have stated that you will
use the full power of the State
to enforce law and order. If you
demand obedience from the