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Show ? Labor Leaders Hold Secret Se-cret Meetings to De-vise De-vise Plans for Making Effective the Call for a General Suspension of Work Wednesday. . SOME DOUBT AS TO THE RESULT ? Idea of Sympathy Strike Is Not Popular With ' Many Workmen, Who Fear They May Have Some Difficulty in Get-ting Get-ting Their Jobs Back. By International News Servl-. NEW YOHK, Sept. 24. Labor leaders lead-ers today held secret meetings in -various parts of the city to devise a plan for making effective the call for a general suspension of work on "Wednesday. Reports of defections among the unions that had been counted upon as among the moat loyal adherents of the American Federation in any situation Vthat may arise, brought the leaders face to face -with the fact that they f were confronting a crisis. Grave doubts were expressed by many of the leaders as to the ability of the Central Federated union to make good its threats. But, in spite of these expressions, ex-pressions, the men who have been most active in fomenting the plans for the ' -walkout persisted in their statements that a walkout which would stagger tho city was assured. Decline to Estimate. Pinned down for definite statements as to the number of men that would leave their work, the leaders declined to mako any estimates. "It is impossible to saw how many workers will go out on Wednesday, and wo are not crossing any bridges until we come to them," said William B. Fitzgerald, general organizer of the Amalgamated Association of Electric Railway Employees of America. Fitzgerald Fitz-gerald is the one man above all others upon whom rests the responsibility for the union's fight against the Interbor-ough Interbor-ough and the surface lines. 4 " think, ' ' added Mr. Fitzgerald, "that the organized effort to belittle . the strike has done more to stimulate O" the unions to co-operation than any- I thing else that could have been do- Kj if vised. ' ' Bohm Optimistic. i. Ernest Bohm, secretary of the Cen- tral Federated union, was one of the most optimistic of the labor leaders. He said: "We have heard from sixty of the local unions. These have an aggregate aggre-gate membership of 160,000, and they are all pledged to suspend work on Wednesday. ' ' Mr. Bohm was asked: "Will the. workers abide by the pledges , of tlioir union officials?" tie paid: "T can but repent what I nave just Raid. The unions are pledged to fco out." - "Hut will the men go oat?" Mr. Bohm Bskd. "Wo ivre sure that tho trades dlretlv connected with the .-street railway service A ill fro nut a I once. The other? i7ght h slnw In answering the call," Mr. Bohm j admitted. "Is it not a fact that there are serlouR objections on tho r:irt of the men?" was tho next question. .Mr. Hnhm replied: "If Miore rtp we do nnt know of them." Further than this , lie would not comment. Many Protests. Inquiry anions the men disclosed the fact that mnnv have protested against letivint: their positions at this time. With the prospect of increasing price? of foods ami olher necessities of life, tliev do not care to rlpk their positions, especially In a strike of this kind. And the Central Federated union men evidenced their concern over the prospects pros-pects when thev began the tank of making mak-ing a direct appenl to nil of the fioo labor OT-ganlzmicns In the city, urging co-operation in the threatened walkout. Under Mr. Hohm's direction 10 00 letters were sent to the officials of the local unions The river front Coopers' union, with SO0 n'embers. voted today to suspend work if there Ir- a general strike. And the couch -stt ing of their lesolution In rhr.iseology tliat r y . . . : ' (Continued on Pago Two.) ' f j II il WOT GUST WORK 11 HEW YORK (Continued from Page One.) made It operative only in the, event of a general strike was regarded as one of the most significant actions of the day. Other unions professed ihe'.r rerdineFn to participate "if there were a general strike," but even the must optimistic of the leaders would not predict a "general strike" of all the trades. Scaling Down. Where In I he middle of last week all were forecasting a gener.il suspension of work in all industries, ev en the most sanguine san-guine today said that not more than 400.-000 400.-000 of the "nO.O'iO unionized workers could be roup ted rpon at the very best. The teamsters decided to defer action. Organizer Michael Casbel, representing 40,000 men, said a meeting would be held later In the week. This attitude of watching other bodies became moro and more marked today, ff any large organization, by a vote of Its membership, had decided to join the general gen-eral walkout, it is likely that definite action ac-tion to the same end would have been taken by many locals. But there was no such initiative. And tt was this inaction which led the leaders to remark this evening: even-ing: "We have been marking time." It was predicted today that the carpenters, carpen-ters, in spite of the fact that they have just finished a strike, would join in the sympathetic movement. There are 5000 involved. Oscar S. Straus, chairman of the public service coiuA ssion, issued a statement tonight in which ho declared, that the public, which already has been greatly inconvenienced by the strike, is demanding that both the carmen and their employers employ-ers submit their differences to arbitration. arbitra-tion. The question, he asserted, now concerns con-cerns in a larger measure the ci.OOAOOO innocent persons In Greater New ynrk than organized labor on the one hand and the operators of the transit lineB on the other. "The public demands arbitration," said Mr. Straus, "and makes its demand strong enough that the traction companies and the unions, will have to consent. Neither side has been free of wrong, and the pub-He pub-He Is tired of the inconvenience that has been Imposed upon it because both sides could not agree." |