The Portland daily press., 1886-05-03
EIGHT HOUR DAY,
Great Demonstrations in Chicago In
Favor of the Movement.
Red Banners Waved at the Head of
Columns.
Many of the Industries Close Their
Doors.
Boycotting Being Stamped Out in
New York.
A Labor journal Pays Its Respects to
Jay Gould.

Jay Gould.
CHICAGO, May 1.-The early morning
hours of May 1, the day set for the Inaugural
tion of the eight hour day among wage work
ers of Chicago, were characterized by qui-
etness which was reminder of Sunday. In
the manufacturing districts, the and
o'clock whistles were for the most part
silent. The streets in the centres of indus
try were noticeable by reason of the absence
of the usual hurrying crowds of working
men. Hundreds of factories were idle.
Some shut down on account of strikers, 9th
erS closed for the day to give the employees a
holiday. The first startling news OF the
morning came at $50 O'Clock. A crowd OF
men from the lumber yard and planlng mills,
numbering 5000 or 1000, got together in the
vicinity of Iwenty-second streets and Blue
Island. A leader was selected and a line
formed. In the front rank man carried
red flag. This morning in the lumber DIS
trict not planning mill opened up. The
manufacturers went into session at Felix
Longs office to consider the situation. Sev-
enty-fve to 100 employees of the Equitable
Gas and Fuel Company, engaged In build
ing tanks on Archer avenue near Halsted
street, quit work this morning. The men
were recently granted a raise from $1.00 to
$1.75 for ten hours day, all they asked
But this morning they quit because the COM
pany refused to allow the increase and eight
hours work.
About ten of the men employed in the
Michigan Central yards refused to join the
strike, and about this time police protection
was sought by officials of the road Lieut.
Laughlin and squad of police soon appear
ed and succeeded in clearing the depot with
out using violence, although the men grum-
bled at being forced back, claiming that their
intentions were peaceable.
Several mass meetings occurred in the
lumber districts in the southwestern portion
of the city during the forenoon. The crowd
was composed very largely of Bohemians
and Germans. They were addressed by
their hot-headed leaders. and finally the
crowd resolved itself into marching coli
umn, and preceded by band of music and
carrying red flags proceeded to the McCor-
mick reaper works, where some non-union
men working in the yards were frightened
Island avenue to Robey street, where a mass
meeting was held in a vacant lot. The
crowd grew larger as it moved along, and
more boisterous.
Fully 800 striking railroad freight hands
met at the Harrison street viaduct, near the
West Side union passenger depot, at
o'clock this morning. Speeches were made
by two or three leaders, in which it was de-
clared that it was the duty of the freight
handlers on all the Chicago roads to enforce
their demands now for shorter hours while
the workingmen in all departments of trade
were doing so. The sentiment was cheered,
and, upon the suggestion of some one in
the crowd, the men started for the Wabash
freight yards to urge the men employed
there to stop work. The crowd, increasing
in size as it moved, entered tile Wabash
yards, and the men there at once stopped
work in body and Joined the procession,
which then proceeded to the Rock Island
yards, where they induced all the men en-
plOyed in the freight houses there sto aban-
don their positions. The new recruits Joined
the column, which next visited the Louis
vile, Albany and Chicago Railway, where
they were also successful in their efforts
with the freight handlers.
Eight furniture factories have closed their
doors to await the action of the executive
committee of the Furniture Manufacturers
ment.
Last night the committees appointed to
wait on the packers, reported that the Inter-
national Packing Company had consented to
adopt the eight-hour plan on Monday next.
Some other firms had agreed to abide by the
action of the majority Mr.. Cudahy, of Ar
mour's house. said he was in favor of the
movement, but would wait the action of the
conference of packers. Nelson Morris would
wait until Monday. The New York Pack
majority, and the Silver Horn Company has
promised to adopt the eight-hour system.
The News, this morning, says: AT a late
hour last night the following, which is self
explanatory, was brought to the Daily News
office by the executive committee of the ma
chinists, Knight of Labor, Assembly 5134:
s'Please do us the favor to publish the fol-
lowing in your issue of tomorrow morning:
Messrs. Fraser 81 Chalmers, proprietors of
the leading machine shop in Chicago and the
Northwest, who have always paid the high
est wages in the trade, and have never had
any trouble with their employees, have, with
their usual liberality, conceded the
eight hours to their employees, and will run
their shop with two shifts in future, if neces-
sary. Messrs. Crane Bros. have also con-
ceded to all their employees the eight-hour
rule, and if overtime is necessary, they will
pay time and a half for it, and advance pay
as circumstances may warrant. The follow
ing firms have conceded the same: Robert
Tarrant, Mcdonald, Vulcan Iron Works,
John Featherstone, III. Ell. Scoville, Gates
Iron Works, Peacock West Division Car
Shops, Link Belt Manufacturing Company.
In fact, all shops of any Importance except
the Bullock Manufacturing Company, have
now conceded.
Fifty men, unloading vessels at the Rock
Island and Lake Shore dock on the river,
struck for eight hours and stopped work.
The drivers and conductors on the Blue
Island line of the West Division Car Com
pany demanded a reduction of their trips
from seven to six, confining the working
The company acceded to the demands with
out any parleying
Two hundred men employed by the West
Division Street Car Company in the exten-
sion of its lines struck for eight hours. The
company allowed the men to go.
AT South Orange, where a few of the lum-
ber yards and planning mills are located, the
yardmen and the men employed in the plan
ing mill of one large concern, stopped work,
and will doubtless induce the men in the
other yards to stop also
The men employed in Kinks soap factory,
numbering 700, have stopped work
The situation has been quiet among the
large packing houses at the Union stock
yards. 1t is not the busy season of the year
with the packers, and the men are not in
clined, apparently, to be exacting The
packing houses are all running about as
usual, though there were three o'clock
whistles instead of Z o'clock this morning.
In a measure the packers are prepared to
resist any unreasonable demand, but they
all have important contracts which must be
filled.
The column of railroad strikers and their
followers reached the Lake Shore road
about II O'Clock, and the main body of the
men stopped work. The officials of the
Lake Shore road are preparing to close all
their freight houses.
There was no disorder in the city to-day
Different meetings were held by employers
aud employees to consider the situation.
e labor organs Criticism on Jay
Could.
CHICAGO, May 1.-The following editorial
appears in to-day official organ of the Trade
and Labor Assembly of Chicago
"The modern bighwayman of the rail Tick Tur-
pin, commonly known as Jay Gould, in this morn
ing's papers opens up fusilade against the or
ganiZation OF the Knights of Labor, charging 1t
with all kinds of imbeciity and Wanton criminali-
ty. In order that he may capture public senti-
ment he very adroitly declares himself in favor OF
some organizations among which is the Brother
hood of Locomotive Engineers. This is, perhaps,
returning compliments to Chief Arthur for the sill
ly and uncaed for attack he made on the Knights
of Labor some few weeks ago. After charging
the knights of Labor with everything that is bad,
Gould says: DO not otmiSunderStand that am OPP
posed to the organization of labor. Far from be-
fellow-wnrkers.' Then he elaborates what an Or
ganization should do for the worker in providing
against sickness, accident and death; not one
word about protection against the unScrupulous
employer which is the first and primal function OF
a labor organization. Continuing, he says: For
rious schemes by which have hoped to be able
to work up the realization of this condition. Ii
has been one OF my favOrite dreams, and in the
end am confident that will be able to establish
just what seek in this direction. Such an organ
zation would go hand in hand with the railroads.
point that have discussed details of such pro-
ject with q number of my aSsiStants.' Indeed,
strange it would be If any scheme evolved by TINS
national Sandbagger did not accrue to his beneht.
The truth of the whole scheme is nothing more
nor less than an organized hospital, with Jay
Gould as its warden, which, through a system OF
compulsory taxation levied on his employees, only