The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-10-16
Armour and His Associates Remain Firm In
Their Demand for Ten Hours Work, and
Insist on an Unconditional Surrender.
Delegate Barry Announces a Formal
Declaration of War Against Armour.
Yesterdays Work in the Knights of Labor
General Assembly, Disappointed Dele
gates Talk About the Convention.
THE PACKERS STRIKE.
Armour and His Associates Insist on Ten
Hours Work or None.

armour ana HIS Associates Insist on V0O
Hours Work or None.
CHICAGO, Oct. 15.-The opinion is gaining
ground that long and bitter contest between
the packers and their employees at the stock
yards is inevitable. All attempts by Delegates
Barry and Butler to negotiate or compromise
the question raised by the strike have signally
failed. The packers have not shown disposi-
tion to discuss the matter in an official manner,
and the strikers disposed to regard this treat
ment in the light of a challenge Illustrating
the general feeling among the packers, one of
the most prominent ones said to a reporter,
when approached on the subject: ''We won't
submit to any system but that of ten hours for
days work at ten hours pay In other words,
an unconditional surrender nothing. 1 at
tended meeting Of the packers the other day
when the matter was fully discussed" The
gentleman said it had been determined upon to
hire new men. He said the green hands could
be .lsily broken in, in spite of the statement Of
the strikers that their places could not be filed
"Of course" said he "It will take time to
fill all the houses. We, as an associa-
ton, intend to start the big concerns
going first We have advertised for men all
over the country, and already the men are be-
ginning to come in as result of these agencies
Armour and tne Anglo-Americsn will be running
with full forces next week. When these two
houses are running fulhanded the fight is prac-
tically won. We can easily lay up for few
weeks, or months for that matter. Ten hours
we will have, and we don't intend to see any
committee, either. If the men wish to return
on that basis, they can do so as individuals"
The opinion of this packer was read to the
other packers. and was pretty generally in
dorsed.
The situation at the stockyards was further
complicated this morning by the refusal of tho
1900 beef butchers employed by Armour to GO
to work. The longthreatened move-the strike
of the beet-butchers-was decided at meet
ing last night Knight of Labor Barry, sent
here from Richmond to try and effect settle
ment says he is satisfied he can do no good here
as the packers will not treat with him as
sociaton, and he will leave for Richmond imme-
diately, to lay the case before the Knights con-
vention.
Packngtown, the scene of the great strike, was
filled this morning with crowds of men, who
stood idly about discussing the situation. The
order for the beef and sheep killers to strike this
morning was confined to the Armour establish
ment The beef departments of the other houses
running as usual This is taken as indicat-
ing that the fight by the Knights of Labor is be.
ing directed solely against Armour and the lat
ter states it as his view that the general assem-
bly, of the Knights of Labor will not countenance
this move, as he declares that the situation is
the same in all the houses, and that the only diff
ference is that his firm is employing larger
number of men than any other. The Armour
firm is not attempting to operate either it's beef
or pork killing departments this morning. The
frra now has six hundred men at work preparing
goods for shipment, but announces that it will
start up all branches as soon as sufficient num-
Der of workmen have been engaged, and to this
end is Offering large inducements to men to en-
ter it's employ The firm does not expect to be
able to resume in all it's departments for two or
three weeks Everything WAS quiet at the yards
this morning.
After the meeting of District Assembly No.
81 had adjourned, at early hour this morn
ing, delegate Barry said referring to the ordering
out tot Armours beef men: I'VE have formally de,
cared war on the big pork spsculatOr and it will
be war to the knife, ard the knife to the hilt
shall get to Richmond now before the conven-
ton adiourns, and you may depend upon it that
Armours meats throughout the United States
will be an unknown quantity in less than three
months We intend to fight an aggressive bat
tls and Armour with his millions will either be
brought to terms or be relegated TO the position
of retired, if not bankrupt pork hacker AS
far as the men are concerned we shall take care
of them; besides, the closing down OF the indus
try here does not necessarily do away with il
altogether. The demand is bound TO be sup.
Piled if not here elsewhere"
New men continued to arrive during the fore
noon and this afternoon it was reported that
Armour had 800 men engaged
The twenty-five packing house firms at the
yards. this afternoon issued card to the public.
in which they say:
Having noticed the published report of the
remarks of Nr. Thomas Barry, of the committed
of knights of Labor, in which he throws the
onus of the present labor troubles at the stock
yards upon the house of Armour d Co., and
holds them alone responsible for Its results, we,
the remaining pork and beef-packers of Chicago,
who have entered their protest against the
eight-honr system, do hereby announce that wa
are unanimous in our action, and that Armour
81 CO. are no moro responsible for the present
circumstances than we ourselves are, lndlvid-
ually and collectively. All statements and ru-
moys that Armour e. Co. are standing in the
way of, or in any manner opposing an amcaols
solution of the situation at issue, are entirely
without foundation. The discrimination
against Armour & Co.'S dressedbeef business,
by ordering out their beef butchers, is equally
unjust and unreasonable, as their competitors,
Messrs. Swift 81 Go. and Morris d Co, ara
fully in accord and sympathy with the ten-nour
system"
P. D. Armour and Samuel Allerton met I. B.
Barry and M j. Butler at Armour's Office to-
day Butler and Barry were there at the solici-
tation of Mr.. Armour. The two delegates were
received with the utmost consideration. Mr.
Armour stated that he had called In Messrs.
Barry and Butler to explain to them his posi-
ton. He denied having been directly or indirect
ly responsible for the presence of the Pinkerton
men at the stockyards. Nevertheless he
approved of the fact that they had been brought
there, and would contribute toward keeping
them there. They afforded protection that
could not be otherwise obtained. 1t was false
that he was in the way of an amicable adjust
ment of the difficulties. In company with the
other packers, he made revolt against what
he was justified in believing to oe an
imposition on the part of the men, Were the
eight-hour system adopted throughout the coun-
try generally. it would be different matter,
and he had no doubt that the Chicago packers
would then accept the situation. Mr. AymoAS