Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1886-10-19
Before the Settlena eut.

CHICAGO, Oct. l9.-At O'Clock Mon day it
was almost impossible to reach the desk of
Mr. T. D. Armour at his city office The
broad stairway and hall of the Home insur-
ance building were thronged with sturdy,
smiling laborers who were focking TO the
big packer for employment. Before 10 a. m
several carloads of these men were sent to
the stock yards Mr. Armour mingled freely
with the new employees and each one seemed
to regard him as friend When reporter
got minutes interview Mr.. Armour said:
Things are looking very favorable. We
now have all the beef butchers we
want. They have come from all ever
the country. They are not as ex-
pert as old hands, but every
boty now isees that no one has a patent on
the beef-killing business, and that there is
nothing about it but what any man can learn
in few weeks if be is moderately good
workman to begin with Our weekly pay
roll at the time the men quit work was
S650Oo a good portion of this is now going
to the new men. We now have 500 men in
our house altogether. Five hundred cattle
were killed and cared for Sunday speak
for all the packers when | say that there is
no power on earth that will be allowed tc
interfere with these new workmen This
does not mean that we have any ill-wilI
toward the striking men, for we prefer TO SEE
them at work as before"
There is little doubt that the strike will be
settled in a few days by the men returning tc
the ten-hour system, or, in other words, real.
iging the fact that the packers can not com
pete with other places on the eight hour sys.
tenn. 1t is well known that Mr. Powderly
thinks that under the present circumstances
the present effort to inaugurate eight hours
is unwise and premature, and as Mr. Barry
has been given fun power to act it Is highly
probable that the men will be ordered back
and that they will obey. II is almost certain
that Barry is trying TO induce Mr. Armour
to discharge the ''scabs" hired during the
strike, and if this is done the men will &C
back to work. Should Mr.. Armour refuse,
the strike may be protracted indefinitely.
More ''scabs, 200 of them, arrived at Ar
mours Monday; also 100 more Pinkerton
men
Packingtown is in n state of siege. and
some of the Pmkerton men are charged with
conducting themselves in an arbitrary man
ner, which may lead to trouble
At the yards men gathered in small groups.
talking excitedly. Here and there a man is
waylaid and hooted at and sometimes kicked
and abused Stones are frequently thrown
at the Pinkerton men and other unwelcome
persons in and about the packing houses, and
small boycotts exist here and there, but there
is no general outbreak nor is there likely tc
be. The scouts sent out by the knights 10
learn the progress of affairs at the packing
houses report openly that the establishments
are all broken up, but their reports to their
organizations are of different nature, for
great deal Of work is actually being done
by new men on the inside, and even those
who openly deny it know it to be so.
The new schedule of rates talked of will in
crease the wages received under the eight
hour plan about 80 cents day.
A man wearing Pinkerton uniform was
passing through the yards Monday morning,
and, when near the Exchange building, was
set upon by crowd of young terriers
who at first only hooted and howled. but
finally commenced to throw the loose pieces
of Stag used in making roads He was struck
and stunned, but not to such an
extent that he became confused
as he reached for his hip-pocket, but
before he could get out what
ever was there another missile hit him and
sent him reeling for a moment. He then un.
dcrtook to get away, but was run into
gauntlet, as it were, enfiladed with crowd
of strikers and sympathizers VIII o pelted and
worried the man until he fell exhausted,
and then the snvages kicked him about the
head until he was senseless when they
stripped him of his coat and tore it into
shrets, leaving the man dying in his blood
in the middle of the road where he fell All
this happened within few yards of the Lake
Town hall, the headquarters of the police
force for the town of Lake.