St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-11-27
TOOLS OFTRICkSTERS.
The Chicago Stock Yards Strike
Caused ssLabors, Pnlificians

Caused "Lab0rs' Politicians.
| CHICAGO, Nov. 26.-The inside history
OF the recent strike at the packing houses at
the stock yards. when the 20, 600 men were
thrown out OF employment. is printed here
this morning When the packers decided
to return to the ter-hour working day on
Oct Il. 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 Morris requiring four
days notice before opening hostilities.
Despite this agreement the beef butchers
| OF Armour d Co. were ordered out the fol-
lowing Thursday by District Master Work
man Butler, who deliberately broke the
existing contract. T. B. Barry arrived
upon the scene. and stated to newspaper
reporter that he had been instructed by
Powderly to settle the difficulty, 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 i'll the town of Lake politics as
LABOR CANDIDATE
for sheriff of Cook county. Butler had
been notified by Master Workman Gaunt.
of the Butchers assembly, of the existing
agreement, but. as has been said, he
ignored it. The butchers of Armour &s
Co. were 10th to obey Buffers order, but
the presence of Barry, who was a member
of the general executive board of the order.
reassuled them to certain degree The
executive board of the general assembly.
however, concluded to get Mr.. Powderly's
views, and it sent the following telegram:
L. V. Powderly, Richmond, Va.-Has execu-
tive board of district 81 power to repudiate
hU ha 80
Local Assembly 1902? clause OF which reads:
Zone day shall be considered sufficient time
for calling meeting of both parties of first
and second part and no definite action shall
be taken inside of three days after such
meeting" Have they power to call out men
governed by this schedule, without comply
ing with this clause, that are working eight
hours day?
To this question Mr.. Powderly vouchsafed
no reply, but he did send an answer to Mr..
Barry, who asked the executive board of
the local assembly the following day re-
garding the existence of the agreement with
the packers. Barry investigated the mat
ter and found that Master Workman Butler
had
MADE A MISTAKE. 1.e.sr-,..
Barry exhorted the butchers to return to
work, but the damage had been done. But
ler made evasive replies. Nobody was in
ICdiby loOhiuS dItCI Gu6 IHl0T6SGS Cu0
Is. 500 men who had been allured into a
strike. In the meantime, the packers were
making extensive preparations for long
fight Rev. P. NJ. Flanagan. pastor of
st. AIMS church. telegraphed long state
ment of the facts to Powderly, declaring
that unless the men were ordered to return
to work incalculable injury and misery
would result Barry was Immediately tel
egraphed to order the men to return to
work, but did not do so until the following
day. Among the violent opponents of this
order was Butler. who told Barry that the
order would cause him (Butler) to lose
1000 votes at the approaching election.
Before leaving Barry divested Butler and
the executive board of the district of all
power to create another strike, institnting
a committee to have charge of all matters
affecting the workmen. Butler. who, it is
claimed, saw he was making
A LOSING POLITICAL FIGHT,
succeeded in having the committee of five
overthrown and committee of twenty
three, with himself as chairman, appointed
contrary to the constitution of the Knights
of Labor. The cattle butchers, in return
ing to work, had succeeded in having their
wages increased from 1924 to S27 week,
agreeing to work ten hours. On the day
before election several drunken men rushed
among the workmen at Swift's house,
ordering them to quit work, and they did
so. This panic had been carefully planned.
On the following day all those on strike
voted for Butler. The latter called out
Armours men on the Thursday succeeding
the election. Master Workman Gaunt pro-
tested, and he and two followers are ex-
PEELED from the order. Barry reappeared
on the scene, and the order from Powderly,
which was suppressed for four days. caused
the ending of the strike.