The Portland daily press., 1886-10-09
LABOR TROUBLES.
Fifteen Thousand Chicago Packers
on a Strike.

CHICAGO, Oct. S.-The 1900 employees of
the pork packing establishments at the
stock yards in this city have almost unani-
mOusly resolved not to return to the packing
district Monday because of a notice that on
and after that day the pr0prietors will Oper-
ate their houses on basis of ten hours for a
days work The prevailing impression is
that the locked out men will not allow any
body to work in any of the packing houses.
Should they conclude to prevent the beef
men from working, about 10000 men will be
thrown out of employment.
A committee of the / 800 men employed by
the Chicago Packing and Provision Com
pany waited on the foreman of the works,
and demanded that the ten-hour notices be
taken down. The demand was refused and
a sregiment of wOrkmen at once left the
building and were soon Joined by 800 men
employed in the Silver Horn Works. Thus
reinforced, the large force went in body to
the Armour works to induce the men there
to stop work.
Shortly before 2 o'clock, evidently by a
preconcerted action, all the men employed
by the following stock yards packing firms
joined the strikers: Armour & Co., John
International Provision Co. and the Anglo
American Packing Co. There are. between
5000 and 1000 of them, making about 5000
in all who struck during the day. Some of
MorrilPs men, after going out, decided to
return to work. The strikers at once
and employed violence which for the time
looked like serious riot. Affairs became
more quiet when the police arrived. Some
of the Morrell employees were injured by the
attack upon them but none seriously. Three
hundred Pinkerton men are guarding the
houses tonight. A repre- sentative Of the
Silver Horn packing house declared that
New. York and other eastern buyers were
sending their orders to Kansas City, which
necessitated the change to the same hours
here Armour & Co. posted notice tonight
notifying their men to come and receive
their pay tomorrow. 1t is deemed positive
that the houses all contemplate keeping
closed for short time at least.
At 6 o'clock this evening 153 Pinkerton de-
tectives sat down to supper at the Tronset
House with Winchester rifles between their
knees. Captain Foley, who was in charge,
said that by tomorrow he would have 500
men in and about the yards as an emergency
committee The Pinkertons arrived at the
yards at 4 O'Clock and were greeted by. de-
risive yells from the crowd of 1000 which
filled the street. The men went to the town
hall and were all sworn in as specials. Then
they were taken back into the cars. The
Captain Foley formed his enInnaand into four
companies and headed for the Tr0nset
House. The strikers express the idea that
the packers have deep laid scheme to fill
the houses with new men willing to work
ten hours. 1t is said to this end the employ
ers have been collecting men at outside
points for months. The feature of the strike
today was the beef men coming out at Ar
mour's. This was a surprise to the packers.
who apparently intended to confine the fight
to the hog interests. The firm is left with
1900 head of cattle in their yards to feed.
Armour's coopers came out also. They
had asked for % cents advance, and
it had not been granted. There are now
10000 men out of work, about one-quarter
of whom are sstrikers, the others being OBJ
liged to quit on their account for want of
work. The strikers are skilled workingmen
and the remainder being laborers.