The Portland daily press., 1889-12-18

| Dom picker.
The State Department is informed that
the schooner David w. Hunt of Bath, Me-,
abandoned off Cape Hatteras, Nov. 25, 1855.
and that since has been floating about in the
| Atlantic, has been towed to Funehal and
| salved by the tug Falaco.
THE STRIKE AT sREEPoRT.
A New Proposition from the Massa-
chusetts Union which the Messrs.
Shaw DeclIne-What the Firm Is
Willing to Do.
Mr.. III. III. Shaw, who was at Freeport
| during yesterday did not reach any further
hearing with the striking employees them
selves. He received from Mr.. Moulton of
| Massachusetts the following PROPOSE tion
from the union, which does not change the
attitude of the strikers except that it offers
to permit new help to be taught under GER
tain prescribed restrictions provided the
same prices are paid to them as to skilled
help.
PROPOSITION.
The following proposition is hereby presented
to the firm of A. W Shaw g. Co., for settlement
10 the present trouble now in existence betw cen
the firm and their EMPLOYEES
First The finn to restore all persons who left
their positions Wednesday, December 1th 1859,
to their old positions without discrimination.
SecOnd-The question OF prices to be the same
as were IN force before the socalled new work
was introduced.
Third-The firm have the unrestricted right to
teach new help. providing the teaching of new
help does not ob,ige the old help TO remain idle,
by laking work away from the old employees
Fourth-The firm shall have the privilege of
discharglng any person for the following causes;
~ nshAr fA
thtlsuperintendent foreman or fore ady.
Fifth-The question of prices 20 remain as the
wishes to make change, when thirty Is days
notice shall be given by the party wishing the
change.
MEssRs. sHAw's REPLY.
FREEPoRT, Dec. II, 1889.
To Our Former Operatives Ladies and Gentle
men:
Before and since our interview with you on
Monday, the 10th, we have endeavored to iuvPsti-
gate all matters wherein there might be any
cause for your action in leaving our employ and
ing out on strike: We have given ample time
and heard, at that interview all that each and
every one OF you had to offer as cause. We
have examined The pay rolls, nature and charac-
Ter OF the Work done by each and find ~ the
ovn to offer, that the, was no difficulty even in
the minds of any of you tn It could not have been
adjusted to your entire satisfaction by word at
any time to either member of the firm and by a
gO0dly disposition on your part. There was, by
one one or two, slight expression OF fear that the
firm might do something ~rong iU the FUTURE"
You have stated tous in your speeches that
your treatment by the firm and with few ex-
ceptiorS, by the fJremen has been honorable,
fair, courteous and right. Your wages were ON
the whole satisfactory and that you have had
precious small cause for complaint.
The gentleman from Massachusetts who pre-
sided over your deliberations aI that time ad-
mittrd in your presence that you had few COM
plants.
The only cause offered is that your Union OBJ
jecIs to the plans projected by the firm for bring
ing another number of new unskilled workmen
to the same urOflcloQcV which maQV Of
have attained in our employ; to wit, that OF put
ting into their hands for limited time, coarse
work at less price than we pay for fine work, in
order that the loss thereon may be as small as
possible to the firm, a proposition to which the
lew help, who are to do the work. perfectly
agreed.
We understand your main claim to be that your
Union shall have right TO deny US the privilege of
making any trades or arrangements with any par
ties outside your Union except by the consent
and dictation OF that Union,
We have been manufacturers for many years.
We have never. to our knowledge, asked OF any
man or woman when entering our employ Wheth-
they did or did not belong to any labor union
we we olo OF desire 10 Know We ala noI care, SO
did not Interfere with the discharge of their right
full duties to us nor with the equal rights of any
other people In our employ. We have had no Ia
Dor troubles and we want none. By some myste-
riOus influence unknown to us, this Union has ac-
quired the power to take you out Of our employ,
aud has done so. We think this has been done
by the persistent ,deayor of a few against the
calmer good judgment of the most of you
our dong auy business here or elsewhere as man
ufacturers. We do not think it possesses the
power to compel us to continue business or to
give emp oyment to any persons
We have been careful observers of the work of
Unions of this kind for many years and we have
never known any of them establish a success
full dustry, to build up town or promote the
hap iness and thrift of any community of people.
We have lived to see them drive the business
GUS industry; have seen them cripple the pros
Perlty OF Lynn, Sale , and Brock,on, Mass,
IN Maine and be the cause of driving a flourish
ing manufacturer from Kennebunk, distressing
and impoyerishing the operatives in all these
cases and many others.
We have seen the people in some OF these
places try 10 recover again their departed pros
perity without success. We have never known
any community, any firm or their operatives. TO
be benefited or anything but damaged by these
unions. We have known many to be dragged in-
to failure, idleness, want and distress by Them.
We have known manufacturers who in the p ist
accepted the same propositions which your Union
nOw offers us.
When they have done so they have afterwards
been cons antly bese by chickering's without num-
Der, interference without cause, meddhngs IN
Vulnerable until the friendship which ought al
ways to exist between employer and employees
has been turned into enmlty and bitterness with
VII ch there can never come prosperity to either.
These manufacturers have almost invariably been
obliged at last TO pay the fearful price OF eXrica
ting themselves from this harasslng torture.
For manufacturer and help to prosper they
must work together aud for the Interests of each
other We have no reasonable expectation that
the management Of TINS business can be more hu-
name ur more just In the future than it has been
In the past. We certainly feel that the acceptance
OF the conditions which your Union offers would
very greatly disturb the pea ,e, hinder the pros
perity and consequently destroy the advancement
of this industry and thereby do an iucaculable iu-
ju to the community and to yourselves.
Therefore fr your own good; for our mutual
peace aud Ior the good OF this community for all
lime 10 COM, We most kinrlv and respectfully,
but as firmly, decline the Offices OF thi. Union, or
the interfei ence OF any parties whatever from
outside the State,
A proposition is submitted by the gentleman
from Massachusetts for your relurn to work at
the prices in exis ence when you left. We shall
be glad to restore as many OF you individually to
your former places at your former prices a, Is
possible and consistent with our agreement with
others that have come in since you went out. We
can now use the most of you. We shall make no
REDUCTION in the prices {, OF our TX we shall on
md more lucra i've emIlOyment as we pass from
stage to stage of perfection. We shall make no
more cheap work than the least that will answer
our purposes of instruction. as that always brings
us loss.
Individual capacity and consent to abide by the
regulations and rules of the shop. you may be as
suTed Of the same kindly consideration YOU have
r or whatever cause that any W
ever be done you as individuals we wi cheer
fully agree to submit aay OF your personal
Sisinterested committee from the citizens of
Freeport (nether Of whom shall be member of
our firm. present or former employe of ours or a
member of any Union) oae to be selected by You,
one by us and the other by these two. We will
abide w their decision in all such personal cases
for the coming six months If any Of you see fit so
to referit.
we shall do what we can in reason to operate
this factory success ully. Should our best efforts
in This direction all fail we shall be Obliged to
close it up until such lime as we can operate it
with free people
good people of Freeport we shall before very long
We have no doubt, reach with you degree Of
fui Village may well be proud. Without this ana
with he ppositi,n of the people such result
will be well nigh impossible.
Trusting for a very speedy and hsppy adIust.
ment of the whole matter between YOU aud our
selves. we remain,
Yours very respectfully,
A. W. SHAW g. Co.