Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1888-04-08
REJECTED.
The GREAT STRIKE At BRADDOCK,
The Town in q Whirl of Excite
ment.
4 MEETING OF The EMPLOYEES.
Carnsgis's Sliding Scale Refused by an IMAM
imOus Vote.


sition has been rejected.
Braddock is in q perfect whirlwind of
excitement. The mass meeting called Of
Elgar Thompson men for this morning
took place in the Rink, and was largely
attended.
At least 1900 men gathered in the large
building at 10 o'clock. K. of L. and nom
union men went together, 1t being under
stood that the assemblsge was one Of Ed
gar Thompson employees and not Of any
particular organization.
A great shout went up as Rev. I. N.
Boyle, of the NJ. E. Church, walked up
the crowded hall and mounted the plat
form.
Mr.. Boyle said: "You are here this
morning to consider great interests. Re
member that tue best woy to subserve
those interests is to keep your temper and
not to get excited. Now, the first business
is to nominate a chirman."
VIM. Bennett, one Of the conference
committee, was nominated and elected
| chairman almost unanimously. He was
greeted with cheers. As soon as he could
be heard he said that he felt in such a po-
sition that be could scarcely express him
self. He was thankful to the meeting for
choosing him for their chairman, and would
try to discharge his duties in the best way
he could.
The gentlemen who had called the meet
ing were requested to step upon the plat
form, and Mr.. J. +. Jones, brother Of
Capt. Jones, Superintendent of the works,
made a short address stating the situation.
He commenced by saying that he never did
anything in his life that he was afraid to
hack up. There were two classes in the
Edgar Thompson works-Knights of Labor
and those known as non.union men. We
are all in the same boat. We are here 10
try and settle the question of the scale in
a harmonious way-not as Knights of La
bor, not Is non-union men, but as men
working for one great firm and citizens of
q common country. Let US try and come
TO q wise conclusion, and prevent, if we
can, the paralysis OF this great town.
Capt. W. X. Jones, Superintendent Of
the Edgar Thomson Works, here came
through the hall. He was greeted with
tremendous cheering as the chairman intro
duced him, and said that he would explain
the firms position. Captain Jones had his
speech prepared in typewriter manu-
script. He spoke substantially as follows:
Ny only desire to be present with you at
this meeting is to present to you, briefly
and in plain terms, the actions aud motives
of Carnegie Bros. & Co Limited, relating
to the question of wages for 1888.
On January Z, 1888, the Blast Furnace
Committee called ON me and proposed as a
basis for settlement of scale for the furnace
department an advance of 10 per cent. in
wages. ! stated that this was ont of the
question.
| met the Conference Committee on Feb
ruary 8, when I submitted the following
proposition to them: Common labor -
cents per hour, blast furnace labor 8 per
cent. reduction. Furnace A to be gone
over by Mr.. Gayley and committee, but
not included in the positive 8 per cent. re-
duction. All engineers aud water tenders
3 per cent reduction, but in no case shall
the wages be reduced below 1886 rates.
Steel department 10 per cent. reduction.
On the whole, question of wages for 1888
TO be submitted to arbitration" A few
days after the committee stated that
they would not accept a reduction of
wages, but were willing TO submit the
question TO a board of arbitrators, but the
scale was 10 be binding ouly TO July lat,
when another settlement should be made.
This ! positively refused to entertain. The
result was that the men were called ont
on Furnaces B, F and G. l was given four
Is hours sooner. As soon as Mr.. Carnegie
learned that the furnaces were banked he.
wired me to hold no further conference
with the committee, to reduce the force of
men to the lowest figure, and to formulate
the sliding scale 80 as TO avoid such com.
plications in the future. This scale has
been carefully prepared, and should rails
ever go again as low as $26 per ton the
general wages would be better than those
paid in 1885, while il rails advanced the
workmen would receive better wages than
! paid heretofore. AS an illustration, com
mon labor cannot 20 below 81. 30 per day,
while if rails reach $40 per ton common
labor will receive $3.50 per day. a higher
rate than has been paid since the works
first started.
In regard to the eight-hour system, ! can
only say that Nc. Carnegie is in sympathy
with the movement, but | frequently
warned you years ago, and at all our year
~ conferences, that unless the other COM
peting steel rail works adopted the eight
hour system, it could not be maintained at
the Edgar Thompson Works, and it was q
gross act Of injustice to Mr.. Carnegie to
ask to load him down in this manner, and
allow his ever active competitors to operate
their works on the twelve-hour system. /
candidly charge the X. of l.. with q gross
dereliction OF duty when, after having
established, as a general rule, the
e~ight-hour system, or a willing be-
lever of it, to lay dowa supinely
and make 10 effort TO have it established
at rival establishments. And / say here,
il the Conference committee had listened
to the earnest appeal / made 10 them as a
true friend, and having their best interest
in view, had accepted the proposition /
offered them IN behalf Of Mr.. Carnegie, on
February 8, 1888, the eight-hour system
would still Re in existence, and the works
would now be in operation, and thousands
of homes filed with the brightness Of pros
perity, instead Of now blighted homes,
heavy debts hanging over nearly every
household in the community.
Since February 8 contracts for rails re-
ceiyed by the firm having been placed
else and the unreasonable actions of
the Labor Committee having forced Mr..
Carnegie TO secure peace and 70 give him
some security in the future, has led to the
adoption Of the sliding scale. And while
some parts may not be exactly right and
may be modified, yet on the whole it is
Just and fair, and Mr.. Carnegie, believing
this, can only ssy-sign the scale and the
works shall start; refuse 10 sign the scale
aud the works remain idle. l Am author
lied TO state, in conclusion, that in the fu-
ture Mr.. Carnegie proposes to treat all
with the same fairness, courtesy and liber-
slity he has in the past.
Captain Jones left the hall as soon as he
had concluded his speech, and DR.. Boyle
again addressed the meeting. He suggested
that the proposed scale be read. This was
done, aud then Eecles Robinson made q
ringing spsech, in which he advocated