Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1886-12-02
WHOM GAN THEY TRusT7


The Chicago Packers, Strike Shown to Have
Been Manipulated by District Master
Workman Butler to Aid In Keeping His
Political Irons Hot - The knights OF
Labor Badly Duped.
CHICAGO, Nov. 27.-The inside history OF
the recent strike at the packing houses at
the stock yards, when &c, 600 men were
thrown out of employment, is printed here
this morning. When the packers decided
to return to the ten-hour working day on
October IA, the workmen, supposing that
they would be backed by the Knights OF
Labor, rebelled and all went out, except
the beef butchers, who had contract
with the firms of Armour, Swift and Nor
ris, requiring four dayss' notice before
opening hostilities. Despite this agree
ment the beef butchers of Armour d Co.
were ordered out on the following Thurs
day by District Master Workman But
Ter, who deliberately broke the ex-
listing contract. Thos. P Barry also ar
rived upon the scene. He stated to q
newspaper reporter that he had been in
structed by Powderly to settle the diff
Guilty, and to members Of the Knights of
Labor he said that he had simply been sent
to investigate. At the same time Butler
had made his debut in the Town of Lake
politics as labor candidate for sheriff Of
Master Workman Gaunt of the Butchers
Assembly Of the existing agreement, but,
as has been said, he ignored it.
The butchers at Armour & Co. were 10th
to obey Buffers order, but the presence OF
Barry, who was member of the general
executive committee of the order, reas-
sured them to certain degree. The ex-
ecutive board of the local assembly, how
ever, concluded to get Mr.. Powderly's
views, and it sent the following telegram /:
81. p. Po,cdersy, Richmond, Va..:
HAS executive board of district 81 power to
repudiate agreement made by the executive
board of local assembly 7,so2, and clause Of
| which reads: One day shall be considered
| sufficient time for calling meeting of both
parties Of the first and second parts, and no
definite action shall be taken inside Of three
| days after such a meeting Have they power
| to call out men governed by this schedule,
| without complying with this clause, that are
working eight hours a day!''
PowDERLY's REPLY.
| To this question Mr.. Powderly vouch-
! safed no direct reply, but he did send an
answer to Mr.. Barry, who asked the ex-
| ecutive board of the local assembly the
| following day regarding the existence of
| the agreement with the packers. Barry
! investigated the matter, and found that
| Master Workman Butler had made a mis-
!
| turn to work, but the damage had been
done. Butler made evasive replies.
| Nobody was in reality looking after
the interests of the 1880 men who
| had been aIlured into a strike. In the
| meantime the packers were making ex'
| tensive preparations for long fight Rev.
| P. NJ Flanagan, pastor of ST. AIMS
| Church, telegraphed long statement of
all the facts to Powderly, declaring that
unless the men were ordered to return to
! work incalculable injury and misery would
result. Barry was Immediately tele-
| graphed to order the men to work, but
did not do so until the following
/ Sunday. Among the violent opponents
| to this order was Butler, who told Barry
| that the order would cause him {Butler)
| to lose 1900 votes at the approaching cleo
| ton. Before leaving, Barry Invested But
| Ter and the executive board of the district
of all power to create another strike, in
shutting a committee to have charge of all
matters affecting these workmen. Butler,
| who, it is claimed. saw he was making
! a losing political fight, succeeded
| in having the committee of five
ovethrown, and committee OF
| twenty-five, with himself as chairman, APP
pointed, contrary to the constitution of the
! Knights of Labor. The cattle butchers, in
| returning to work, had succeede d in hav-
! ing their wages increased from twenty-four
| to tN enty-seven dollars week, agreeing
| to work ten hours. On the day before
election several drunken men rushed
| among the workmen at Swifts
i house ordering them to quit work, and
! they did So This panic had been care
| fully planned. On the following day all
| those on strike voted for Butler. The lat
! ter called out Armour's men on the Thurs
! day succeeding the election. Master
! Workman Gaunt protested, and he and
| two followers were expelled from the or
| der. Barry reappeared on the scene and
| the order from Powder1y, which was sup
| pressed for four days, caused the ending
| of the strike.