The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1867-05-09
OUR CHICAGO LETTER,
CHICAGO, May 4, 1867.

EDS TRIBUNE-The eight hour riots
lnaugurated on Thursday last, still con
tinue, but, it is this morning hoped to a
less violent degree and some are confident
that on Monday the brief and furious ex-
citement will be over. Yesterday, the
mobs of rowdies, boys and few working
:nen and blatent haranguing dem agogues
were even more defiant and committed
greater excesses than on the preceding
day. Idleness and whiskey, bad whiskey
at that, are with this class inseperaDle
and, as q matter Of course, the more they
drank, the more violent they became.
| When they had their grand sdemenstra-
ton on "Wednesday turning out process
sion of some ten thousand men, bearing
characteristic emblems, notices and fan
ciful designs and subsequently congregat-
ing on the lake shore to hear a few har-
angues from second rate politicians they
professed that their purposes were peace
ful, that they would await the necessities
OF business forcing capitalists to employ
their labor On their own terms The ar
rant 'bosh of such an idea soon. how
ever, became apparent to them With
the cool reflection of that night and the
next morning, they realized that the de-
mand for labor IN Chicago just at pre-: ent
is much less than the supply, that they
were without means to com, etc with
their employers in carrying on long
strike and that without something being
very promptly effected their splurge
would amount to nothing, would in fact
turn out to be one of the largest and
most injurious and inglorious ssfzzlcs' of
the season. As a matter of course, they
! banded together in great numbers, led
| by ignorant, hot-headed fellows, and
backed by very many Of the criminal and
evil disposed OF our city, who were quickly
gathered from the streets, they made
desperate struggle to rush the progress
Of events. As evil in its execution as it
was injudiciousinits inception, this course
has thus far only proven failure, while
it has won for the entire movement the
condemnation of the respectable commu
nifty and destroyed whatever of sympathy
before existed in behalf Of the measure.
On Thursday they went about stopping
labor OF ali kinds, in all parts Of the city,
threatening and even beating severely
men who were compelled by the neeessi.
ties of their families to work on the old
ten hour system. Gangs of hundreds
roamed from place to place defying law
abiding citizens, making threats to burn
places which would not comply with thci..
SGH"anai gth aad pfssHs o to men Who sstts
manifested desire to work as before.
Evil minded, reckless and only cowardly
when brought face to face with the police
which could only check, not arrest them,
they We're comparatively successful on
t that day and reign of terror, that of
/ iiioD Jaw, maa uni, ersal when the sun
went down. During that night however,
| preparations We're made by both citizens
and police to meet the emergencies Of the
| day succeeding A hundred and sixty
special policemen We're sworn liz. The
Dearborn Light Artillery, with horses
harnessed and guns shotted, were kept in
readiness for service al a moments notice.
! Employers bought up quantities OF guns
and pistols TO arm their nlcn. When the
sun rose on Friday, the war cloud was
wide and black Early in the day the
rioters again commenced operations, at
| tacking workinen, closing mills, even GO
ing as far by this time as 10 cut betting,
destroying machinery and in at least two
instances endanger life But all mobs
lack courage, they are without the ele-
ment Of organization, which is so power
tul in creating and maturing a spirit of
mutual confidence, the very soul of the
courage of aggregated bodies of men,
The same men who would be daring and
steady soldiers are, without the soldier 5
discipline, very apt to De cowardiy, brutal,
bullying ruffians. Such was the mob
of the past two days in this city Sixteen
brave policemen put over thousand of
them to flight at one time, and captured
several of the fleeing rascals. Superin-
tendent Jack" Nelson, encountered a
mob of several hundred Just as they were
about making an effort to release some
of the captives., They were at the Mad
ison Street Bridge-coolly reigning his
horse across their path, he drew his re
volver and warned them back, under
penalty of somebody getting hurt. The
determined aspect of this reinforcement
Of one man drove the hundreds back.
Again, at another point, he drove up to
a crowd of hundreds of the strikers
where they were about making an attack
upon building, and addressed them =
Boys, you can work eight hours, or
four hours, or ten hours, just as you please
but by Cd you can't raise any fuss
here - The mob sneaked off. At sew
eral points where tho strikers were met
by the steady stroke of pistols at the
doors of establishments they were about
to close up. they deemed discretion the
better part of valor' and retired. Only
the unarmed and the defenseless were
their victims The '.Republcan, this
morning, terrified at the storm which it
has claimed the honor Of assisting to
raise, Is trying to talk compromise, beg
off and :iride the fence" but the top rail
of that fence is very sharp and painful
one. The '7ln'es'' is bloodthirsty, calls
on the Mayor to ''wlpe out the rio5ers,
artillery and is terrible in it's denuncia-
tions of the mob. The "Tri5une' is
dignifed but severe on the impolicy of the
strike" and hopes that the Mayor will,
as he has promised, see that order is
preserved. As write an alarm is sound
ed of fire near the corner of Canal and
10th Streets, among the lumber yards.
where the rioters have hitherto been
most rampant aud word is brought me
of a rumor that the threats of the mob
to apply the torch where the wild advice
of the club proves unavailing have at
length been realized Fortunately how
ever, it is commencing to rain smartly,
and rain always cooiS the orderof a mob.
This, with the preparations for resistance
may put an end to the notorious seight-
hour strike.
BURNING OF THE MERCHANTS HOTEL.
| The Merchants Hotel, better known
as the old Stewart House, at the corner of
Washington and State Streets, was to-
tally destroyed by fire yesterday morning.
Manv Of the bOarylerS narrowly escaped
with their lives, having been forced to
make their exit from the burning build
ing through the windows. but fortunate