The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1877-08-19
HOW n PRIEST COUNSELLED AND GOV
ERNED THE STRIKERS At
BERGEN POINT.
DETERMINED ACTION OF BACKsLIDING
STRIKERS WIVES.
IN, Y. world.]

these stirring times. The coal company
had in it's employ set of picked men, for
none but the strongest in frame were fit
for the labor they had to perform. These
men were working on short time and re-
ceiving 5 cents q ton for wheeling coal up
an inclined plane TO distance of one hun :
dred yards. The price was reduced to 10
cents aud they struck. The company
brought men from New York who went to
work, but after few days labor struck in
their turn. Many of them found the work
too bard and gave up from sheer exhaus-
ton others held out until they had given
the job fair trial and found they could
only earn about 5S cents a day. 1t is
hardly worth any mans while TO wheel
coal oil day uphill for half dollar unless
be wants TO earn q rope to hang hjmself.
/ The strikers have behaved with great good
! sense and refrained from violence even
when others took their places: The most
Whimsical incident of the whole affair was
| the attack of the women upon a few men
who resumed work yesterday. They made
| their onslaught with their stockipgs, into
the toes of which they had slipped stones,
| making Dangerous weapons out of their
| hosiery. "Sne was an ugly woman," said
one of Gerald Grifins characters, Ito come
| feminist man at q fair wild her stockin' off
and a stone in the foot ofit.n So it seems
| this method of warfare is an old one, though
| new to America.
The following is the Worlds account:
Some twenty of the "topmen" employed
on the Port Morris coal docks resumed
work yesterday morning and the company
supposed that the st-ike was at an end.
But at l2 O'Clock, when the men went to
dinner, they were met at the end of the
dock by their wives and the wives of their
neie bors, who, according to Father Killeen,
of ST. Marys Church, took their stock
iDgs, and IN place Of putting their feet in
them, put in stones aud swore that their
lords should not come near their hou-es
nor have bite of dinner anless taey would
quit work again" OF course the women
carried the day, aud they marched off in
triumph singing the old rhyme:
The wives then to their household
And said they would not be oou,ent,
Unless they freely gave consent
To be true to one another.
In the afternoon tue work went on as it
had on the previous days with greenies'
alone, until about $50, when they, too,
struck. 7 he foremen of the docks had told
the imported Germans, so they said, that
they could make on 40 average 81 so
day. or the seventy-seven men at work
but thirty eight were in the first crowd
that was taken from this city on Monday
morning, the Others having been obliged to
quit because the labor was too hard for
tnem. 1u the course of the afternoon the
men had figured up their earnings and
found that their days work netted them
but So cents each. They thereupon sent
delegation to the foreman to tell him that
if he would guarantee them 81 25 day
they would continue TO work, but other
wise they would return to the docks no
more. The guarantee was not given, and
the men thereupon quit work, sfter. nine of
them had been prostrated and all more or
less affected by their unwOntedly severe
labor in tue excessive heat.
The news Of this action on the part Of
the interloping Germans created great ex
cltemeut among the strikers. Father XII
leen, the priest of the strike as we'll as of
ha nQFla hof 6nk.
mined to go around and see if there were |
any mosquitoes in the fashionable part of
the town." About four hundred of them |
assembled in front of the parsonage at |
O'Clock, and, headed by drums and fife and
led by their good priest, started for the res |
idence of the good Mayor. Mayor Meigs, |
who was informed of their intended visit,
sent word that he would meet them at String
hams Hotel, near the railroad station, bat
Father kiileen informed the Mayors mes-
senger that his men would see the Mayor
at his house or not at all. Mr. Meigs then
started for home and found his house sur
rouoded by the strikers who bore q trans-
parancy, upon which was written, Equal
rights for coal dockers, Fifteen ceuts 80
hour up and down. Unity brothers, and
no starvation"
Pat Nolan, the spokesman of the strikers
addressing the Mayor, said:
Honorable Sir You here behold 400
men without work, who for this week aud
last week have behaved with the greatest
order, sobriety and decorum. Learning
that yoa are paying $l30 day for spe-
cial policemen, and providing them With
dinners at the expense of the taxpayers of
this city, these 400 men, through me, hum
bly, suggest that you could afford them 40
opportunity Of earning an honest loaf of
bread. l appeal to you in the name of our
widows and orphans l appeal to you in
the name of the married men and of the
single men, the bone and sinew of the
country, to give us an opportunity to work
instead of paying men TO watch US. We
trust that our past conduct has obtained
for us from our fellow citizens Hot partici-
pating in this strike their praise. Hoping
that you will listen to and act upon our |
appeal, aud that you will also interest
yourself for US with the company, we will |
be extremely obliged for any interest shown |
in our welfare, and will act in the future as
We have il the past, preserving the peace |
and observing law and orderD