The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1886-05-20
THE LABOR QUESTION.
Aggressive Movement by the Chi
cago Furniture Workers.
Collapse Of the Strike In the South
western Lumber Districts.
PorklPackers Say They Must Resume
the Ten Hour System.

the Ten fOAr SyStcH.
CHICAGO, May 19.-At a meeting OF the
furniture workers last night, it was decided
to cali out the men in the employ of Bruns-
wick & Bake in New York, in order to en-
force the firm in Chicago to give in. The
company intends to open their establishment
at Stamford, Connecticut, which has been
closed,for many years, and committee have
been sent there from Chicago to induce the
men not to go to work. 1t was announced
YESTERDAY that So out of 46 upholstering es-
Establishments in Chicago had conceded to the
men eight hours of work and a 20 per cent.
increase in wages. All the members of the
Union, who are at work, have been assessed
per cent of the wages to be paid to the
most needy members who are now on a
strike.
The president of the Lumberman's Union
was seen last night. He acknowledged that
the fight was about over. His men, for the
most part, lived from hand to mouth, and,
having no money, were compelled to return
to work and so keep the wolf from the door.
But" added he, wye shall maintain our
Union, and when we are more thoroughly
organized and in better condition financially
we shall renew the fight. 1t was an unequal
struggle from the start, and while we have
not ordered our men back to work as yet,
the men are at liberty to return if they SO
desire"
AT a conference of manufacturers in met
ais the reports concerning concessions made
in time and pay by the Crane Brothers Man
ufacturing company and the L. Wolf Manu-
featuring company were decided to be false,
upon statements made by representatives OF
the firms. The reports showed that 80 per
cent. of the establishments We're running,
and that so per cent. had full force of men.
Several of the prominent packers were
asked yesterday whether they would return
to the 10 hour rule next week. The move
ment will affect directly or indirectly 10000
ployed in nine houses and at the yards, and
the butchers and others will bring the total
up to the figures mentioned. They are all
more or less connected with the packing
houses, and should the packers carry out
their threat to shut down in case the men
make trouble about returning to the old time
they would necessarily be injured. Michael
Cudaby, of Armour 81 Co., says 1--WE can
not go on as we are now doing. 1t is simply
out of the question. We must either return
to the old system or close up. There is no
other way out of it for the packers. 1t was
mistake ever to give them the eight hours.
At Kansas City, Boston and other places the
men are working ten hours, and we cannot
DeR1u IU cUuptl6 Will buClll. DClOlC bilC
eight hour movement began, we had some
show by being satisfied with. small profits,
but now we have none at ALL
A visit to other packing houses showed
the same state of affairs. The American
Packing Company Fowler Brothers, G. f.
Swift 6 Sons, the Chicago Packing and Pro-
vision Company, and all the others have de-
cided to notify their men that they cannot
continue under the present system. They
were not certain when the return to the old
no made Sidney A Kent
said that he had been the first to make the
change, and had thought that it might bene-
fit the men. while we are working but
eight hours" said he, "St: Louis and Kansas
G ity packers are working their men ten
hours. The men are beginning to see that
short hours and full pay operate against the
packers, and we cannot stand the c0mpetl-
ton. | agreed with my men to the expert
ment for month, and am going to do it,, 1t
was only an experiment, however, and we
all understood it as SUCH"
What the men will do is rather difficult
thing to find out. They are reticent. One of
the members of their executive committee
says: "We don't want to strike, and have
not advocated. it, although we most certainly
| have asked for the eight-hour plan, and we
propose to hold the bosses to it now. We
have perfected our organization, and intend
| to stand by our colors."
1t is understood, however, that the nom
| union workers and great many union men
aside from the delegates, do not spare their
| sentiments, and that they were well satisfied
| with their positions before an organization
| for any demand was agitated; and great
| many of the men do not relish the idea of
| being thrown out of work all summer.
| The furniture manufacturing companies OF
| St. Louis held a meeting last night and re-
| solved to retnrn to the old plan of ten hours
4 day after the goth inst. and to lock out all
| employees who may refuse to work on that
| plan.
| Barb Wire Company OF ST. Louis, yesterday
resolved to return to work on the plan of ten
| hours a day. They promised to make UP
| during the week all the time lost
| CHICAGO, May 19.-The grand jury took
/ up today the case of the Anarchists. The
| testimony taken at the inquests held on the
| remains of the policemen was read. After
| this the witnesses to the tragedy were heard.
| The editor of a leading daily newspaper in
| Chicago received letter last night from the
Anarchist Parsons in reply to an article
| which appeared in the paper on the treat
! ment of mobs. 1t is very incoherent docu-
ment, and is literally as follows:
Mankind, mob or military are sustained in their
actions by the majority of the brains fitted at the
| time by circumstances to appreciate the situation
| and to control it. Thoroughly educate the COM
munity, physically, mentally, morally, industrially
politically. A correct instruction in and method
of application of righteously inculcated disposl
tion will result in justice. Msltatm IN paro. The
| lame cured will throw away their crutches. Men
| of enterprise and labor, many of your kind, wise
| and otherwise are sinking in the sluggish cur
rent OF the river of despair. The possessors o.
the life saving apparatus on shore are refusing tC
| use it, because they own it and claim the only
| right to use the same, and refuse to satisfy the
| brute force of not completely educated public
sense. The brute force of the near future will be
| arbitration The acceleraton of its adoption will
be hurried, probably, by the dangerous brute force
| of despair, dynamite. This world is a garden
| We must keep hoefng out the weeds, the proud
powerful and otherwise obnoxious. so that usefu
plants will have better chance to exalt theil
| existence. This struggle will Obtain the result
| that the fttest may survive.
The strike in the southwestern lumber dis
trict has apparently collapsed and all the
yards are working to-day with all the men
| whom they can provide work for. All the
planning mills have also resumed and the
metal working establishments report in
creased forces of men at work to-day. Tht
only factories now idle are the furniture
shops and several of these have succeeded il
resuming on the ten hour plan.
The Warren Strike.
| RoCKLAND, May 16.-The Courier-G azettt
says: sour correspondent reports everything
quiet among the wooden mill strikers. Ad
vantage is being taken of the shutdown tC
make necessary repairs ON the mill an(
painters are pushing their work. The out
look for resumption of work is unchanged
since last week. Some of the strikers arr
leaving town, others are seeking employ
ment in other branches. 1t is conceded b.
those best informed that work will not be re
sumed at present except upon the terms pre-
sented in Superintendent Walkers letter
printed last week."
There has been a rumor that the shoe
shop will start up this week, but nothing
definite to that end has been accomplished
The matter is now in the hands of an arbi
tration committee. When that committe,
reports their scale of prices will be submit
ted to Rice & Hutchins, then if the necessa
ry papers are signed work will be resumed.
Prospect of an Extensive Agitation ir
the Coal Regions.
ST. LOUIS, May 19-The advance guard O
coal miners who are to organize a nationa
district assembly of the Knights of Labo
here this week, have arrived from yarou
parts in the Monongahela and Hooking Val
ley districts, and many more will arriv'
tomorrow, when an attempt at organization
will be made. The convention was callet
by circulars sent among 5000 miners in tht
United States, and if it shall be generally
,.acpapdad IN thiS will he the first snnooSsf1l