The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1885-11-05
GALVESTON.
GENERAL STRIKE INAUGURATBD
BY THE KNIGHTS OF LABOR
ALLOVEa THE CITY.
LabOrers and Artisans Of all
Descriptions, Suddenly
Quit their Work.
Transportation and the Wheels
OfBusiness are Unexpect-
edly stopped.
General Strike 7 throughout Tex
as-Race Trouble Feared
State News
spec,a, Telegram to the Statesman.

GALVESTON, November "A general strike
of Knights of Labor in this city was 1naugura-
te this afternoon seriously affecting every
branch of commerce and completely paralyZ-
ing the movement of cotton and other 1relgnC:
The longshoremen, the screwmen, the lre,gnG
handlers, and switchmen, the cotton handlers
in the presses, the printers aud other members
of the Knights of Labor, all quit work al l:3u
o'clock. 1t is estimated ,5oO men f Went out OUT
OF the city to the other, lt Is napoSsi-
Bile to enumerate the exact nuinber
by trades The strike was pianntso go, aad nnf
over dozen people outside the knights them
selves knew what was coming. 80 united are
the labor organizations OF GaVesson enaG ILL IL
may be truly said they have the city IN their
grasp for there is no power here able 10 cope
with them If they get ugly.
The present general strike is the OutgroWtn
OF the small strike inaugurated October II by
the $50 IongShoremen employed by the hallory
Steamship company on their wharyes here.
an hour for day light labor and sixty cents for
night and Sunday work. But little work IS
GOhe at night and they struck Tor nifty centS
SAWYER. aren't for the Mallory line, resisted
this demand nd employed color ed laborers,
allowing them fifty cents an hour for nlght and
day being the same rate demanded by the
WIiite strikers. Very few of the original 100
striking longshorem n were members oil the
Knights of Labor organization at the Time
megyDers Tnsy Various at attempts at arbitraio9
were made between the white and colored
longshoremen's association. The colored men
even agreeing to divide the labor equally, Dut
the Mall"ry folks would not be dictated to, aid
SAWYER stubbornly refused to re1nState tie
strikers even on half time.
At this Juno ure the Knights OF Labor qul atly
stepped in and attempted TO arDitrate matters.
They were also rebuffed by the Mallory com
pany. Monday last T. IL Golden, chairman
of the state executive board, X: OF ad.
dressed letter to j. N. Sawy er, stating that
whereas it had been made known to The eXecu-
tive board of the knights OF l. Dor Oh IeXas,
that the Mallory line of steamships was dis
criminating against members OF their order,
by dscharging and refusing to allow Lnem 10
work ub0n Mallory Wharves. Inerefore
this committee had adopted resolution re-
questing the reinstatement of the strikers, and
that the Mallory line allow the knights OF
Labor equal representation ~ upon 0Gu0n Ine1f III
wharveS. Golden requested an answer at
twelve o'clock to-day.
In bis reply Agent Sawyer says that ne was
informed by member OF the hnlghts OF LABOR
on the 18th of October that the striking long
shoremen were not members OF that order:
After reciting the fact that the men were not
| discharged but voluntarily abandoned thelr
| positions, Sawyers. concludes Compliance
with your request would compel US to enact
J the injustice of which you unwarrantaDly
complain, of discharging la63rers wv Who e,ac are
| fore, de cline TO disturb the present status OF
| labor on the Mallory wharf. This rely pre-
cipitated the strike Of 800 knights OF Labor
/ strike. There are a dozen large foreign steam
Z ers in port loading with cotton and not Dale
can go aboard I'LL Gne Slrlko is enueu AL
j freight handling at the Missouri Pacific and
Santa Fe depOts is at standstill Even the
job printing offices are closed G2iden aIg
| tee dc that unless the - company
| immedis yields the st1hno Will be made
| general a.s SsNer Texas and Louisiana, in which
/ case it woIf1l be impossible to move single
| train. If that don't bring them
| to time the strike will be extended to New
| York This isWhat high officials in the order
| declare.
| The most serious feature of the strike is the
4 race hatrt it engenderS. Both races are
| strongly and nearly evenly represented in the
1 labOring element Of q tlveston. Some trit1lng
i incident may turn the issue into race conflict,
| with terrible and sanguinary results. Meet.
/ ings of labor organizations are being held all
/ over the city to- night. Prominent business
men are also in conference with, the Mallory
Il agent and railroad officials.