Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1881-02-20
THE LABOR QUESTION.
spec eh to Rolling Mill Wen by Pres ST.
dent yarrt tt, of Pitt,bukg.

i Mr.. J0G0 Jarrett, OF EitLsUuTY, "a. 4, |
who is president of the Amalgtmated
Association of Iron and Steel Workers
in the United States, arrived in the
CITY Thursday night, and stopped
at the Atkin House. he is on
a trip among the Southern iron
works, comforting with iron
workers, especially where there
are strikes or troubles exis ing,
claiming to be working in the II t4res,
of harmony and making an effort to
compromise ma teC3.
Mr.. Jarrett is an intelligent English
man, apparently we'll posted on iron
matters having had long experience.
He was taken Ii charge by the rolling |
mill men and shown around yesterday. |
aud last night the lodge room in the cid
COwan & Dickinson building having
been procured large crowd of the
ironoworhers, some IS or so, tog- ther
with some outsiders, assembled there
to hear speech from him.
Mr.. Jarrett was introduced by Mr..
Joseph Davis, chairman of the meets
ing. He began by reference to the
Identical interests existing between
capital and labor and the mutual
| benefits accruiDg. He claimed
that an erroneous idea exists in refers
ence to trades unions, aud claimed for
the association that it has done more
than any other organization to pre-
vent strikes, which he claimed ale
neCl ssary sometimes. He also spoke
of recent conference he had attended
with the largest steel manufacturers OF
the west, with satisfactory results. La
reference TO the prices for iron work
West skilled labor brings from
S25 down to SIS per day, the
, higheet being for steel working. For
! unskiIed labor he said it was on down
to 81 IS. The work which, :omnauts,
as he says. 81 81 in the Knoxville
r rolling mill, he claims brings from 81
to IL s. Louis and Cincinnati. He
spoke OF the superiority of America Ii
=
; tres, and said it ought TO be recog-
= nizzd. He said it is the speculators
that cause so much trouble in The Ee-
= duction of the price Of iron. and not
the fault of the workipgn ca
He couldn't understand how the man
ufacturers here are losing money, as
they say, and thought there was some
r thing wrong. He emphaticsily ad-
, vocat9d protective tariff, and sad ht
?. was surprised t. hear of opposition
h among some men here. aud that they
have refused to sligo pet ton t. Pres
ident Garfield to appoint protection
. ist as Secretary Of the Treasury, ant
~ said there Is a bright future for tn
iron interests Of the South, but it de
n peLds on the protection doctrine. Fl
t. assumed that the wofkingman has
right to fix the price tor his labor, ant
II not the employer.
In referring to the troubles anon
q. the Knoxville puddlers be advises
them to hold out in toeir abst sinin
he from work. Il is not astrike, properi
1s speaking, he said, bu. he pronounce
st the terms Of their contract the same q
r, slavery, snd hoped they would neve
es enter into the contract again. an
le promised to furnish the members c
to the association, which was forme
y here in September last, with money /
:; support them.
After the speech, which was abou
I'd an hour in length, some question
2. were pr0pounded by one of the r, lin
es mill workmen, in reference to the rat
ad of wages the speaker had referred t
or which, after being ex planned, appes
ne somewhat differently, and shows tbs
he exaggerated the rates, for the pay {
er helpers has t. come out. and the wor
ly ID not similar to the work here.
"a Pittsburg, according to his statemen
lit skilled puddlers get SIS SO per ton, onl
If 30 cents more than has been pal
here.
While Mr.. Jarrett appears rathe
fair, and entertains sound views O
some points 1t is plainly apparent thi
40 In some respects his proposed comprt
nc missing is rather one-sided.
-" AS to the troubles existing with til
Ae puddlers in the Knoxville Iron Con
,"' pany's works, it is not what might
'no called strike, but they have n
AS worked since the first of JAnuar
use They had been in the habit Of sig
l@' ing contract at the fret
lis' the year heretofore. This tima,
'u' seems, they were not inclined to si
oio said contract, but, as we undeIsta
it. there has been 40 formal dema
*, made by the men for higher wae
rs: They received So per ton wheL tn
he quit. The,rolling mill and nail fl
i've tory are running all the time. the
1u> being no trouble in these department
See