The Portland daily press., 1886-03-08
THE LABOR QUESTION.
A State of Siege Commenced atlthe
Bates Mill.
A Great Strike Inaugurated on Rail-
roads in the Southwest.
over Nine Thousand Men Idle and
Freight Business Paraiyzed.
one Thousand Wagon Makers Leave
Their Shops.
The Flint Glass Workers. Union Boy
colts the Knights of Labor.

LEWISTON, March 6,-The Bates Mill
trouble has now assumed the conditions of a
state Of siege. Today all the Knights of
Labor remaining in that mill as watchmen,
fremen, etc., were ordered out by the execu-
tive committee, and will leave Mr.. Pratt's
employ at midnight. Their places will, how
ever, be supplied by other men, that the
property of the company may not deteriorate
for want of care, and the prospects are that
from this time forth it win simply be ques-
tion of endurance, a condition of things that
must inevitably result in suffering by many
of the mill hands who are thus compelled to
remain in idleness. Mr.. Pratt had determ-
ined to open the gates on Monday morning
and give all who desired to do so an oppor-
tunity to go back to work. With the action
of the Knights of Labor today it is not now
expected that any arrangements will be
made for resumption of work in any de-
partments of the mill.
A Shoe Manufacturers Proposition.
LEWISTON, March 6.-The Journal pub
fishes a letter from Ara Cushman, of the
firm of A. Cushman & Co.. who proposes to
the employees of that firm plan by which
they are to receive dividend on their labor,
in proportion as their labor contributes to
the amount earned during the year after de-
Quoting the expenses of management, in
terest and depreciation on the plant
a Strike Ended.
New York, March 6.-The strike on the
23d street, Cosstown and Bleecker street
surface railroads has ended. Concessions
have been made by both sides and the men
have returned to work at So day for twelve
hours work, with 40 minutes for dinner.
The Railroad Strike in the Southwest.
ST. LOUIS, Mo-, March 6.--At 10 o'clock
this morning an order was issued by the ex-
ecutive board of the knights of Labor Dis
trict Assembly 101, in session at Marshall.
Tex, ordering a strike OF machine sh0pmen
employed on the Missouri Pacific or Gould
southwestern system of railroads. In COM
pliance with the order, the men struck at
Sedalia, De Soto and ST. Louis, and it is ex-
pected that like action will follow at various
other points. Seven hundred men quit work
at the Sedalia shops, $40 at the works at De
Soto and between 200 and 300 at the shops in
this city 1t is estimated that at the present
time from 25G0 to 1900 men have gone out,
but it is thought probable that if the mama
gers do not accede promptly to the demands
of the strikers, all the remaining knights on
the system VIII De OfueTbu OUT.
On the 18th of last month District Assem-
bly, No. 101 held general business cOnven-
ton at Marshall, Tex. Among the delgateS
was C. A. Hall, foreman of the w0odworkers
of the Texas Pacific car shops at Marshall.
He had secured, it is alleged, a leave OF alb
sence for the purpose of attending the con-
venton from his immediate superior The
convention sat four days, and Mr. Hall re-
Sumed his work as usual That evening he
received note from Mr.. Crosby, master car
builder, stating that his services We're no
longer required, and 1t is said, assigning as
the cause of his discharge that he had been
absent from his business without leave The
local grievance committee of the knights
at once considered the matter. His rein
statement was demanded, and either refused
or neglected. A strike was then ordered.
upon which the men quit work at Fort
Worth, Marshall and Dallas. The Texas
Pacific Railroad when the first lot Of men
walked out, was asked to adjust the trouble
by the reinstatement Of Hail and some 9TH
ers who were subsequently discharged. With
this request the board gave notice that re-
fusal to comply would be followed by q
strike on the Gould system. The railroad
has failed to do as desired, and today the
executive board gave the word for general
strike of shoplnen. This action of the exec
utive board, it is claimbd. was not so much
in the interest of the one man, Hall, as a
strike for the principal involved.
The employees of the Missouri Pacific and
Missouri, Kansas and Texas railroad shops
at Sedaiia struck this morning at 1880
O'Clock.
The trouble With the operatives Of the
Little Rock, Ark. This morning all the
workmen in the st. Louis and Iron Noun
tain Railroad machine shops, over 800 in all,
stopped work, and business IS at stand
still The men are quiet ana good order
prevails
There are @. 600 Knights of Labor in the
strike In the Gould system.
ST., LOUIS, March 7-There is very little
that can be said tonight about the local situ-
alton The strikers have been very quiet
all day Affairs in the Missouri Pacific
wards have been at a standstill all day and
no attempt has been made to move freight
trains. There was no trouble on the Iron.
Mountain road
Fort WORTH, Tex, March THE situa-
tlon mere iast nlgnt showed tllat tne MIS- s.
all but passenger trains. The few men also
who had gone to work were not interfered
with but boarding houses and some hotels
refused them food and lodging. At Denison,
Dallas. Texarkana, Weatherford, Abilene,
Bacid. Sherman and all Texas and Pacific
points the men had joined the strike and
freight traffic was paralyZed. The strikers
kept sober and quiet and acted finely and en-
Enthusiastically. The opinion is general that
the strike win be successful
C.1xrEeroN Tax March "A snae;a,
from na1ias Saws the Situation Of the strife
or tbis nnint iS nracticaiIv nnchanged The
@enarsl ge ,..r nnhIic has NOT Vet been fmIlv in
fformad as to the canse ri the dissatisfaction
ap,n,,,, tho % z Rn;gbts of I'abor Rriafv stated
llo fhe eptire f tron6Ie Is the outgroWtb % Of the
violation in many minor particulars by the
Teyas Pacific COMPANY of the ST Iouis
agreement made inst after the strike last
wear, Ahout three weeks ago the Pacific
officials were notified if these grievances
were not adinsted and the contract fairly
observed there would be a strike This
notice was given before Mr.. Hail was dis
charged at marshall, ana n ms Sc, alscnaIge was was
Srecinitated strike. The mechanical men
On the Southwest lines of the Gould system
yvere ordered ont TODAY. This order does NOT
affect the train men or locomotive engineers.
One Thousand wagon MAKERS on a
Strike.
rrr,cAoo III Morcb e-Referrino a tn the
AZ tt, nf o,er 100 mon ame
ployed by Studebaker Brothers, wagon man
St"dehaier % said "t tnni@ht. ssWhen onr men
S;scbarge tbemselves faev do what we never
did hv fhem 0nr works have heen in on
Grafton for "a wears and have never shut
dawn eycent ON Legal holidavs and for re-
nairs We have newer asked onr men to
pwnrb half time always having deemed If
hotter nsIicv In nav NJ 5o for q davis work
than ~ nov a. ~ for half-dav;s w9rt We
uhdb w pay W Iva es AsiA O"y NOAh'