Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1886-10-09
STRIKE IN CHICAGO.
The Demand OF Committee OF 1900
Refused - Great Excitement at the
Stockyards.
CHICAGO. Oct &

! CHICAGO, Oct s.
/ The great strike of employees at the Cbicag %
packing house against the proposition TO re
turn TO the ten hour working day, was be-
| gun Friday morning.
Friday morning committee of 1900 en-
ployed bp the Chicago Packing and Provis-
ion Co. waited on the foreman of the works
ana demanded that the ten hour notice be
taken down. The demand was refused and
the regiment of workman at once left the
building and were soon joined by 500 men
employed in other works. Thus reinforced
a large force went in body to the Armour
Works to induce the men there TO stop work.
There Is great excitement at the yards, but
no trouble is anticipated.
The fifteen thousand employees of the
twenty-one pork packing establishments a,
the stock yards have almost unanimously re
solved not 10 return TO the packing district
Monday, because of notice that on and
after Monday next the propretors would
operate their houses on basis of ten hours
for DAYS work. The prevailing impressi sion
is that the locked ou, men will not allow
anybody to work in any of the packing
houses. Should they conclude TO prevent
the beef men from working about 10000
men will be thrown out of employment
Shortly before o'clock. evidently by pre-
concented action, all the men employed bv
following stock yard packing firms joined
the strikers; Armour & Co., John Morrell,
j. Thickey & CO., John Cudahv, Interna.
tional Provision Co. and the Anglo Ameri.
can Packing Co. There Is between 5000 and
1000 of them, making about 5000 in all who
struck during the day. Some of Morrells
men after going out decided to return to
work. the strikers at once invaded the
place to compel them to quit and employed
violence, which for a time looked like Sc
rious riot. Affairs became more quiet when
the police arrived. Some of the Morrell
employees were injured by the attack on them
but none seriously
Three hundred Pinkerton men are guard
ing the houses tonight. A representative of
the Silborhorn Packing House declared that
New York and other Eastern buyers were
sending their orders to Kansas City which
necessita, ed change to the same hours
here.
Armour & Co. posted notice tonight notify.
ing their men to come and receive their pay
tomorrow. 1t is deemad positive that the
houses all contemplate keeping close for a
short time at least.
Pinkerton's men arrived at the yards at
o'clock and were greeted by derisive yells
from the crowd of 1000 which flied the
stTeet. lie men went 10 tne Town laii anu
were sworn in as specials. They were then
taken back in cars The crowd made it so
unpleasant, however, that Capt. Foley
formed his command into four companies and
headed for the Transit house. The strikers
express the idea that the packers have deep
laid scheme to fill the houses with men who
are willing to work 10 hours.
A feature of the strike was the beef men
coming ont of Armours'. This was sur
prise to the packers who apparently intended
to confine the fight to the pork interests. The
firm is left With 1900 head of cattle in their
yard to feed,
There i. now 10000 men out of work,
about one-quarter of whom are strikers, the
others being obliged to quit for want of work.
The strikers are skilled workmen, the re-
mainder being laborers. These latter appear
to be in hearty sympathy with the movement
The men all quit with their knives and other
sharp edged tools in their possession. A
mass meeting of the strikers is called for to-
morrow night, at which it is feared that
trouble may develope. Fully 5000 persons
are expected to be present