The Portland daily press., 1886-04-19
THE LABOR COLUMN.
The Bigeiow Carpet Works at Clinton,
Mass, Suspend.
HoxIe's Reply to the Citizens Com
nnittee on Arbitration.
A Chicago Mob Assault an Engineer
and Fireman.
Scale of Prices Arranged for the
Bath Coal Heavers.

6dIn SOdt nCatSFSs
CLINTON. Mass, April 17.-For the first time in
its history of over forty years the Bigelow Carpet
Mill shut down this noon on account of a labor
trouble the result of the action of the eighty
Divers who struck three weeks ago for an advance
from 81 40 to S1.50 per day. The mill officials
are firm as rocks in their determination not to
Weld point even If the mill has to remain closed
for year One feature of the case which has not
tended to please the corporation Is the fact that
the business men of the town have given the
strikers their moral and financial support. After
Wednesdays riot no stringent measures were
adopted by the authorities toprevent repetition,
and twice Thursday were there serious demon
strations and yet the town government was un-
able to afford protection to the imported labor.
These points, together with the attitude of the
strikers, combined undoubtedly to bring about
the decision reached which is going to prove a
serious loss to the towns business in the with
drawal of thousands of dollars from the trade
The Bigelow carpet mills are the largest Of the
kind in the country, and their goods, wiltons and
market Together with the shutting down Of the
carpet and worsted mills will come practically
cessation of work on large new mill which was
in process of construction, and in which it was in
tended to manufacture moquette carpets. This
mill when finished, if ever it is, will have about
100 looms, and Will give employment to over 4oo
hands.
MIR. Hoxie's Reply.
ST. LOUIS, April 17.-In Mr.. Hoxie's reply to
Dr. Thomas OReilly, chairman of the Citizens
Arbitration Committee. after referring to the OBJ
ject and aims of the committee, he says: The
promise upon which the proposition for the ap-
pointment of such committee rests is the state
ment in the preamble to the resolution, that the
"trade and commerce of the city of ST. Louis and
the interstate commerce through st. Louis to and
from all of the trade points of the Missouri Pacific
and of the st. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern
Railways, has been for over month and still is
obstructed with no immediate signs of said road
complying with or being able to comply with their
duty to the public common carriers" must re-
spectfully call your attention and through you the
attention of the citizens participating in the meet
ing of the 18th inst. of which you are chairman to
the fact that the railways constituting the South
western system are now in tull operation and were,
in fact, at the time the resolution was presented
by the managers of that meeting for the approval
OF the citizens there present This fact can be at
tested by any one desiring to travel or forward
freight or express matter, mail over these rail
ways. SO far, then, as either the public or this
company are concerned the need of a resumption
of traffic cannot be urged as reason for appoint
ment of the committee suggested. The action of
such committee would necessarily relate entire
ly to the methods by which the ex-employes might
be restored to the places they have voluntarily
abandoned
OF st. Louis has already suffered and at time
when through the protection Of the civil authorl-
curing suitable labor, this company has reopened
its lines and fully established Its trafc, 1t is to me
amatter of sincere regret that any portions OF its
citizens should send broadcast over the land, to
the detriment of The city, statement in regard to
the obstruction of tariff over two of its principal
roads which am satisfied the great number of
the business men in this city would decline to in
dorSe. Whatever may have been the difficulties
for solution the last month in relation to resumP-
way companies as one party, are expending their
time, energies and money to keep open the aven-
ues of commerce for the public benefit, and are
succeeding in so doing and are solvent citizens,
amendable through the courts to the State and to
individuals Another party to , be affected by the
time, energy and money for the purposes OF block
aiding the avenues of commerce and is not legal
ly constituted solvent citizen and cannot be SO
reached. In conclusion desire to call your at
tention TO the reply of the president Of this compa
ed since the date Of your meeting which fully sets
forth the position OF this company, and which no
words Of mine could render more explicit: Very
respectfully, II. M. HOxIE, Vice President.
ST. LOUIS April 1s.-The resident directors of
the Missouri Pacific Railroad Co. who were COM
muncated with by Thomas O'Reily, president of
the citizens committee, have replied to that gen
tleman's letter but the correspondence cannot be
obtained. It is understood, however that the di-
fectors aece 70 serve On AZ 6ne f I'M ana a'
John w. Ayes. member of the executive COM
mittee of the Knights of Labor left here last night
for Washington where it is supposed he will meet
Mr.. P0wderly.
RocKLAND, April lion request of the
Knights of Labor of Rockland boycott was
recently placed on the schooner Jennie Green
bank, Capt Perry, of and from Rocklann, at Nor
folk, Va, with a cargo of lime. The notice to the
Norfolk members of the order expressed the de-
sire that the lime be allowed to remain in the YES
sci until it Stacked, which would have involved,
had it been carried out, loss of two or three
thousand dollars to ex-Mayor J. S. Case, and also
a large damage to the owners OF the vessel, or
possibly her total loss. The owners of the vessel
are Capt. Israel Snow and several others. After
detention of several days the boycott was re-
moved and the lime has been discharged.
The Bath Affair.
BATH April 17.-District Executive Board SO,
Knights of Labor, to whom was referred the diff
Guilty between the stevedores and coal beavers of
this city for settlement, has been in session. and
after presentation of considerable testimony
placed the rate today at 1914 cents ton for
shovelers. The stevedores' offer was 1914 cents.
Shoyelsrs have been receiving ten cents, and
their demand was for fifteen cents, Knights of
Labor to have the preference. 1t is understood
the stevedores will not accept the terms of the
District Board.
Return to Work Today.
BOSTON, April 1.-THE Knights of Labor Of
Lynn issued the following special notice this
morning:
The trouble between the firm of Keene Bros,
shoe manufacturers in Lynn and Skowhegan, Me-,
and the knights of Labor of District II, has been
satisfactorily settled. The men will return to
work in Skowhegan and Lynn Monday morning.
This action sets at work all the other departments
but the lasterS, and they must settle before the
complete shoe can be made.
Sunday Lectures on Labor,
NEW HAVEN, Ct, April 18.-Prof A. 7. Hadey
of Yale, State Commissioner of Labor Statistics,
addressed large audience at CarrlS Opera House
this afternoon on the relation of labor to the State
His argument was in favor of overcoming the
evils through which labor now suffers by proper
legislation, "We must first find the source of the
evil,' he said ''and then apply the proper rem
edy.''
This evening John Swinton of New York ad-
dressed the Knights of Labor at CarlPS Opera
House, and j. b. Sergent who employs thousand
men in the manufacture of hardware, addressed
the Equal Rights Club at LoOmiS Temple on the
relation of capital to labor. Both halls were
crowded
Cars Running in New York.
NEW YORK, April 1S.-Twenty-five new men
were hired by the Third Avenue Railroad COM
pany to replace the strikers and the drilling of
new drivers has gone forward all day. The COM
pany's officials are thoroughly confident. The
company now has enough men to run the cars of
the Third avenue main line from end to end, and
also of these of the 125th street line The strik-
ers were in session all day to day. and they say
they initiated twenty-five of the company's newly
hired men of Saturday.