St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-08-28
London's Vast Army Of Strik-
ers Is Hourly Increasing
in Numbers.
Disaffected Employees of the
Government Ask and Re-
ceiye More Wages.
Dock Managers Denounced by
Business Men Whose In
terests Are Paralyzed.
Home Secretary Matthews
Says There Is No Need of
Police Interference.

@pllCe interference.
LONDON, Aug. 27.-The strike is still
spreading and the relative positions of
the employers and the strikers remain
unchanged. Wage earners in branches
ofindustry hitherto believed to be be-
yond reach of the contamlnating in
fuence of strikes are becoming FESTIVE
and inclined to cast their fortunes with
the dock labOrers and their allies. The
paralysis which pervades the shipping
industry shows no sign of improve
ment in London, but ships are dis
charging at Chatham and Southampton
without interruption, preferring the
chances of getting their cargoes to
London overland to the certainty of be-
ing unable to discharge at their aecus-
toned docks. The lord mayor has
declined to act as arbitrator, fear
ing to interfere in duties properly
belonging to the judges of the courts.
The printers employed by the firms of
Eyre q Spottiswoode. Cassell & Co..
and Waterlow & Son have struck. One
hundred thousand striking dock labor
ers marched in procession to-day. They
were orderly. Thousands of coal
porters at important centers are joining
the strikers. and the fight is virtually
one for a universal eight-hour system.
Two hundred and fifty steamers are
now lying in docks awaiting cargOeS.
The factories along the riverside are
ShuttingdoWn for lack of coal,
THROWING THOUSANDS INTO IDLENESS.
and the situation instead of improving
is growing worse hourly. Meetings of
strikers and employers continue, but
thus far they have been barren of re-
suits. The directors of the dock COM
pany have declined an offer to supply
the places of strikers with 5000 Bel
gianS at fourpence halfpenny per
hour, presumably because they fear an
outbreak as the result of its acceptance.
Delegates from the leading business
houses in twelve important trades called
upon the officials of the London Dock
company to-day and urged that Ihe
company consent to submit its differ
ences with the strikers to arbitration.
The officials received the delegation
courteOuSly, but declined to accede to
their proposal. The drivers OF the Lon
don mail carts in a body to-day made a
demand upon the poStoffice authorities
for an increase of their pay, which was
promptly granted. The vessel owners
held meeting this morning and APP
pointed a committee to wait on ME-
Matthews, the home secretary. to In
quire if the government was prepared
to
GIVE THEM PROTECTION
i'm case thew undertook to bring men
here from other points to load and. I'M
load the ships now at this port. MI.
Matthews assured the members OF the
committee that they should receive
ample protection, but when asked to
advise them, declined to express any
opinion as to the wisdom of the course
they proposed. He pointed out to them,
however. the grave consequences which
were almost certain toqresult from an
attempt at this time to fill the places
of the strikers with foreigners, and sug-
geSted that they do nothing raShly. The
committee reported this afternoon at a
joint meeting Of the shipOwnerS and the
dock companies. The conference was
strictly private and reporters were ex-
cluded. 1t was learned this evening,
however, that a decision was reached
not to make the attempt to handle
freight with the new men that have been
engaged. A large steamer is Oh the way
to- London now from Hamburg, and
another from Antwerp, with men
who have been hired at those points
to take the places of the striking
dock iaborers, but instructions will be
sent to land these men at neighboring
ports and on no account to bring them
London. A plan was proposed at the
meeting. and very .fayorably received,
to gradually send the vessels now lying
here to the nearest ports to be loaded
and unlOaded and ship their cargoeS to
and from London by rail. Nearly 5000
laborers who have been hired at foreign
ports, and who are now Oh the way
here, are to be sent to these places to
assistin loading and diseharging YES
sells. In this way it is hoped to tide
over the present difficulties and
TO STARvE THE STRIKERS
into submission. without furnishing
bringing men here to take their places.
it is quite likely that this plan will be
adopted at the adjourned meeting to-
morrow morning, and then fifty of the
steamers now lying helpless here will
be dispatched at once to Dover, Ports
mouth, Southampton, Hull, and
even as far as Newcastle, where
their cargoes will be unloaded
and shipped to London by rail.
The leaders of the striking laborers
laugh at this attempt at flank move
ment. They say the enormous cost of
such a proceeding would alone cen
denim it to failure, but apart from this.
if the attempt is seriously made. they
could effectually checkmate the ship
owners by ordering out the freight
handlers at the London termini of the
railroads. who they say, are even now
anxious to strike. The public subserip-
lions in aid of the strikers now amounts
to e3, 5000, and this sum will be used
chiefly for the purchase and distribu-
tion.of food tickets. Over 100000 men
in different occupations are now on
strike. and all look for orders to Burns.
the socialist agitatOr, whose excellent
management of the strike thus far clio
its surprise and admiration from friend
and foe alike.