Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1879-06-19

Fall River, Massachusetts, special to the
New York Herald: From the hour of shut
ting down the mills this afternoon until the
time for which the spinners' meeting was
called, there was sort of a nervous feeling In
the city. The operatives felt the terrible re-
sponsibility which rested on them, and while
realizing that the result of their delbera-
tons this evening might be the suspension
of the entire printworks of the city, and the
plunging into want of thousands of families,
there was yet calmness and indifference
manifested which seemed out of place. The
moderate men and women, who prefer small
wages to none at all, did great deal OF
missionary work, and shook the determlna-
ton of numbers of spinners. The operatives
in other branches of the mill, who had really
no hand In the business, and who saw that
their means of sustenance was dependent On
the action of thousand men, naturally felt
anxious, and they crowded the streets and
visited the houses of friends during the sup
per hour. offering counsel and trying in some
| instances to induce the bellIgerent spinners
to adopt more pacific course.
AN APPEAL TO MODERATION.
A strong editorial appeared in the Nelos
late this evening, which was widely clrcula-
| ted, pointing out the folly OF strike and the
ruinous policy which the spinners were bent
| on adopting. 1t spoke very plain language
| to the operatives. 1t says:
WHAT 1T COSTS.
''They know that stoppage of the mills
| here throws out of work tens of thousands OF
people dependent on their running for bread.
| They know it will atop the distribution OF
one hundred thousand dollars week In
wages They know that it is five million
| two hundred thousand dollars a year or one
million three hundred thousand dollars in
| three months, or over four hundred thousand
| dollars in one month. Can the laborlng class
afford to lose this sum? Can it ever make it
| up? Why, it would take years to do so at
| the highest rates demanded for work. In
| fact it will be dead loss, for it never can be
made up. The strike in 1870 lasted three
| months The laborers lost a quarter of a
million of dollars. The spInRers had to go
| to work at the reduction quarreled over, and
had to work till the spring Of 1871, some
/ eight months or so. before the reduction was
| put back, So much for bad blood and fool
| ish striking. How can 1t be airy different
now? The market for print cloths Is ad-
| vaneing slowly, and the stock on hand is be-
! ing reduced rapidly. The promise of better
| times is strong. STILL, better times are not
assured. The capital invested has not yet
| earned fair, old-fashioned dividend of the
modest sort, much less remuneratTve one;
| Cannot the spinners wait few weeks and
see how the times will be? Striking now
cannot injure the manufacturers, and will ul-
| timately .nure to their benefit, while the OPP
| eratives will lose a large fraction of million
| which they can never replace. Let every
spinner look this over and decide Tor him.
SELF
DIVERSE CoUNsELs.
This set forth the case 80 strongly that it
did good deal toward waking up the opera
tlves to a realizing sense of the true state OF
the case But still the leaders of the spin
ners-men who had fought battles against
capital in other lands-urged that no surren-
afiErf1a .ulao1
along the whole line and kept up without
cessation.
AT THE PLACE OF MEETING.
About seven o'clock the streets began to
fill up and all steps were directed toward the
place of meeting. There was no excitement,
no appearance of the slightest disturbance.
Everything looked as quiet picnic. The
meeting opened at half-past seven o'clock IN
the evening, and the hall was packed to its
| utmost capacity, hundreds being turned away
for want of room and owing to the intense
heat. Opposite Spinners hall the sidewalk,
and, in fact, the whole street, was fled with
an anxious throng of operatives, eager to get
the earliest information about the doinRs in
side.
LABoR's BITTERNESS.
A Herald correspondent, who was COM
PEELED to stop outside during the earlier por-
| ton of the meeting, CLEANED a good deal OF
| information about the feelings of the opera
| strike, and if defeated he would never go to
work in Fail River. His sentiments were
applauded by the group of which he was the
| center, and responses of "Amen," Them &
| my sentiments" etc came from all quarters.
The manufacturers were freely denounced,
the speakers saying they were not treated
well By the capitalists. They were tFeated
as galley slaves That's So" came FROM G
hundred throats. A mill official who was
seen to hang on the outskirts OF the crowd,
| Eas received With misses, which were quickly
| frowneG down. Yet - was plain that the
conservative tone which has SO far character
lied the discussions of this latest crisis in the
| labor problem of Fall River had been changed
| TO one of bitterness.
THE STRIKE DECLARED.
| A cheer was heard within, and soon a
courier came out announcing that the strike
| had been carried by vote of 7l9 to 20, and
| deafening cheer went up from the dense
| crowd. The widest excitement prevailed,
and old @eather-beaten men fairly Rugged
each other at the prospect of fighting the
| mills and probably starving their families.
THE MEETING.
| Inside the hall there was nothing but
unanimity, the opposition to the leading idea
being very slim. On coming to order the
meeting listened TO the reading of cor
respondence between the spinners and the
manufacturers, and detailed statement of
the efforts made by the former to open
| peaceable negotiations for the settlement of
| the existing difficulties. Secretary Howard
reclted the wrongs of the spinners-how
| they were denied the chance of arbi-
| tration, the manufacturers refusing all over
| lures Of the kind and thus driving them to
| extreme measures.
THE MASTERS PLEDGE.
Th e promises made at the time of the cut
down, tnat as soon as business would war
rant the fifteen per cent. would be restored,
was referred to, and long array of figures
| we're cited to show that the time had come
and that they who had patiently submitted
to reduction because they believed the
manufacturers were not able to pay the full
price ought now to receive the original
| wages; that better times had dawned on the
city and It's Industries. Quotations of tue
price of cotton, the value of prints, cioths,
etc., were made, showing, according to the
figures cited, that the mills were as well able
to pay the fifteen per cent. advance to the
spinners as they have been to pay the re-
duced wages since the cut down, and better.
THE RESOLUTIONS.
The following resolutions were passed:
WHEREAS, We are In receipt of a commu-
nication from the manufacturers board of
trade, purporting to be an answer to our Oft
repeated request for an interview for arbitra-
ton, and as such communication is distinct
and emphatic refusal of our claims and a
denial OF our requests, We are compelled 10
look upon it as ultimatum, calling upon US
to back down from our demands or accept the
alternative OF general lockout; and whereas,
we should be false to ourselves aud towards
to our past claims were we to shrink from the
responsibility thrust upon US by the unyield-
ing attitude of our employers, and while we
deeply Geplore the consequences which must
arise from placing ourselves in open antagon-
ism to them, and are painfully a!:ye to the
pr1Fatlops and suffering which the strike
must entail upon the city, we have no option
but to submit Internationally and to counte-
nance the present low wages, or to eadeayor
TO win an increase by strike, aud whereas,
considering that the present po.
sition erd future rc:aSueets of the cotton
trade are suou az g warrant our demand
the figures and facts adduced by our emn;cv-
ers to back up their refusal. neither prove |