The Portland daily press., 1881-06-16
THE BACK BoYs' sTRIK E
SITUATION OF AFFAIRS AT BIDDE
FORD YESTERDAY.
Communistic Speeches by One of the
Strikers.

The Biddeford Times says the situation yes
terday was unchanged. The strike is not ex-
tending and there is only stoppage of work
on account of the want of material to work
with. There is, however, considerable ac-
tivity manifested among the strikers, though
at present there is no organization. Notice
having been that meeting would be held by
the strikers on the old circus grounds Tuesday
evening a Times reporter was on the spot.
He found crowd of about two hundred as
sembled composed mostly of strikers. They
were gathered around slight built, medium
sized man, who seemed to be the leader. After
calling for order, he stepped upon large fiat
rock, and addressed the strikers in English, in
substance as follows:
Gentlemen-I nm glad to meet you, and 1
am glad to see SO many of you here. You are
doing we'll, and if you can hold out week,
you will get what you ask for. The company
can't afford to have you loaf, they lose more
money in day than you do in month. l
have seen the agent, and he is fair with us.
He says that he will pay as much as any mills
in the country. Now, if he will pay as much
as some mills are paying, that will be good
choose the poorest, cheapest mills to go by.
We want to have as much as the best mills are
paying. We want fifteen per cent. more pay,
and we can get it if we only hold out Most
all OF the looms in the mills have had to stop
on our account, and we must stick. We must
not let others work. You want to go to the
gates tomorrow morning and not let anybody
go in. And if they will 60 in, after you have
asked them kindly to stop out, you must pre-
vent them If you have to grab them by the
coat tail and the hair of the head and hold
them. The speaker said he was French
man, and that he was a working man, but he
could not work on starvation wages. He
would not 60 back for what he had been hav-
ing; he would take abag and beg first. He
advised them to forcibly prevent others from
they could not look them all up; there is
crowd enough here, he said, to open the
whole town. The speaker was loudly cheered
when he closed. We learn his name is Russell
and that he is a weaver.
Another meeting was also held in the French
Catholic Church, which was attended by an
orderly crowd, mostly Frenchmen. This gath
ering was addressed by Rev. Father Dupont
and others, all of whom cautioned the strikers
to be calm and quiet and conduct themselves
like honest, law-abiding citizens, one of the
speakers Daniel Cote) advising them to at
bills from material increase He said there
was no possibility OF ultimate success.
At 8 o'clock yesterday morning the strikers
assembled at the circus grounds on Alfred
| street. This was by far the largest meeting so
| far. The crowd numbered between three and
| four hundred men and was called to order by
| James Russell, the same man that addressed
| the strikers the evening previous, who
addressed the gathering in the same commun-
istio strain, and cautioned his hearers against
needing any advice given them to return to
work. He advised them to hold out. they had
| the power, and could bring the company to
terms if they only would. He said that every
| good business man and citizen was on theil
side. That they were bound to win if they
would only stick for what they wanted. He
said labor was capital and that they had that
kind of capital, and that it was
as good as the money of the company. Other
| speakers followed in a similar strain each
| er's stand an old cart was used, the orators
| sitting on the sides, when they were moi
| speaking.