Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1888-04-09
REJECTED.
THE GREAT STRIKE At BRADDOCK,
The Town in a Whirl Of Excite
msnt.

PIrrsBURG, April 7.-Csruegie's propo-
sition has been rejected.
BrGddock is in q perfect whirlwind of
excitement. The mass meeting called OF
E,gar Thompson men for this morning
took place in the Rink, and was largely
attended.
At least / 500 men gathered In the large
building at 10 o'clock. X. Of l.. and nom
union men went together, 1t being under
stood that the assembiage was one of Ed
gar Thompson employees and not Of any
particular organization.
A great shout went up Is Rev. T. N.
BOYLE, Of the NJ. E. Church, walked mp
the crowded hall and mounted the plat
form.
Mr.. Boyle said: You are here this
morning TO consider great interests, Re-
member that the best wsy to su6serve
those interests is to keep your temper and
not to get excited. Now, the first business
is to nominate q chirman."
VIM. Bennett. one of the conference
committee, was nominated and elected
chairman aim ost unanimously. lie was
greeted with cheers. AS soon as he could
be heard he said that he felt in such a po-
sitiou that he 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 conld.
The gentlemen who had called the meet
ing were requested to step upon the plat
form, and Mr.. J. F. 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
back up. There we're two classes in the
Edgar Thompson woIks-Krights Of Labor
and those known a. 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
Dor, not rs non-union men, but as men
working for one great firm and citizens of
a Common country. Let US try and come
to o wise conclusion, and prevent, if we
can, the paralysi of this great town.
Capt. W. r. Jones, Superintendent Of
the Edgar Thomson Works, here came
through the hail. He wa greeted with
tremendous cheering as the chairman intro
duced him, and said that he wosld ex plain
the firms position. Captain Jones bad his
speech prepared in type-wrftten a
script. he spoke substantially as follows:
My only desire to be present with you At
this meeting is to present to you, briefly
and in plain terms, the actions and motives
of Carnegie Bros & Co., Limited, relating
to the question of wages for 1888.
On January z, 1893, the Blast Furnace
Committee called on mi And proposed as a
basis for settlement Of scale for thefdrnace
department an advance Of 10 per cent. in
wages. / stated that this was ont Of the
question.
l met the Conference Committee on Feb
ruaIy 8, when l submitted the following
proposition to them: Common labor -
cents per hour, blast furnace labor 3 per
cent. reduction. Furnace A to be gore
over By Mr.. Gayley and committee, but
not Included in the positive 8 per cent. re-
duction. All engineers and water tenders
s per cent reduction, but in no casa shall
the wages be reduced bslow 1886 rates
Steel department 10 per cent. reduction.
On the whole, question of wages Tor 1888
to be submitted to arbitration" A few
days after the committee stated that
they would not accept q reduction OF
wages, but were willing to submit the
question to 4 board Of arbitrat0rs, but the
scale was TO be binding only to July Let,
when another settlement should be made.
This ] positively refused to entertain The
result was that the men were called out
on Furnaces r, F aud G. ! was given four
days notice, bot the men were called out
IS hours sooner. As soon as Mr.. Carnegie
learned that the furnaces were banked he
with the committee, to reduce the force Of
meu 10 the lowest figure, aud TO formulate
the sliding scale 30 rs TO avoid such COM
plications ia the future. This scale has
been carefully prepared, aud should rails
ever 60 again as low as $26 per ton the
general wages would be better than thos.
paid in 1885, while IL rails advanced the
workmen would receive better wages than
paid heretofore. As an illustration, COM
mon labor cannot go below 81. 30 per day,
while if rails reach $40 per ton common
labor will receive 81. so per day. a higher
rate than has been paid since the works
first started.
In regard 20 the eight-hour system, / cau
only say that Mr.. Carnegie is in sympathy
with the movement, but l frequently
warned you years ago, sud at all our year
ly conferences, that unless the other com
petiDg steel rail works adopted the eight
hour sJstsm. it could not he maintained ut
the Edgar Thompson Works, and it was a
gross act Of injustice to Mr.. Carnegie to
ask to load him down in this manner, and
allow bis ever active competitors 10 operate
their works on the twelye-bour system. I
csndidly charge the K. Of L. with q gross
derslictioo OF duty when, after having
established, IS a general rule, the
eight-hour system, or q willing be-
lever Of il, 10 lay down 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 to them as .
true friend, and having their best interest
in view, had accepted the proposition /,
offered them in behalf Of Mr.. Carnegie, on
February 8, 1855, the eight-haur system
would still Re in existence, and the works
would low be in operation, and thousands
Of homes filed with the brightness o1pros-
psrity, instead Of row blightsd homes,
heavy debts banging over nearly every
household in the community.
Since February 9 contracts for rails re-
ceived by the firm having been placed