The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1890-04-28
"A Resume of the Situation as
II Exists To-Day In the
City OF Chicago.
Thousands Of Men at the Stock Yards
Ready TO Quit Work Early
Next Month.
Carpenters Hopeful Of q Peaceful Sci
tlement---News Of a Day from
All Quarters.


4
predict a condition 81 affairs even mnse
formidable than the stirring times OF lss6.
There IL no telling rs vet how many trades
will be drawn into the new sighi-honr
moysment. There is so much disorpani-
zaticn and 90 little leadership that ssery-
thing will depend on the outcome OF tbs
hiR labor parade that will take place May
1. The action OF the American Federation
Of Labor in Designating Chicago as -the
theater Of the struggle for eight hours has
had the effect Of aronsing spirit OF dis
content among certain trades that we're be-
iieved TO be entirely neutral. The ulti-
mate effect can hardly be ANYTHING else
than strike OF extraordinary proportions,
| which may include over 100. 900 men. Ae-
cording TO we'll known labor leaders, who
are receiving returns, or rather bnlistins,
from restive organizations, the movement
will be even more sweeping than II was In
1885. The strike fever III spreading with
| marvellous rapidity. Organizations that
fonr years ago made nm inter failHre of
their efforts 20 secure reduction Of work
ing hours are In the field again more de-
termintd than ever. The attitude OF the
| general body OF the federated trades has ~
much 10 do with this singular condition OF
/ affairs as any other reason. The men Who
are contemplated striking believe they will
have material and mora support without
stint.
| Down at the stock yards for example,
upward Of $4,000 men are ready 10
desert their benches aud stalls at >
momeGt's notsce. United ~ they
ara in an organization that Is styled
the Stock Yards Laborcrs union, and
supported by the lah0Fers OF every packing
house Ia the west. they are qnlte confidsst
OF the result Of general fight. President
0'Neii has already served notice on the
packers that the men are willing 20 submit
their grievances TO arbitration. but with Tew
exceptions he has Eeceivcd ne nmswsrs, aasi
he In afraid that strike will have to be re-
sqsted %. Eight hours day IN not Ill
We want. he said yesterday afternoon. : II
is only one of the things We are bound to
to have. We want 10 abolish the present
system Of holding out ten days pay; we
want 20 establish uniformity Of working
hours aud We viii fix II so that men win
be treated little better than II they wers
dogs. Why, there are hundred of honest
| fellows who have been permitted to earn
only bare living during the past
| winter. Some OF them averaged
| less than 20 cents day, and
when ron consider that these same men
had to deposit ten days wages--at regular
rates-with the packers You can guess that
they had some difficulty Ia earning enough
to live. The decentralization that followed
the strikes of 1856 has chung to us ever
since. We have had no chance whatever
| to escape from IL. The men have been
rather chary about talking OF strikes,
owing to tho contracts they signed, which
will forfeit their deposits to the packers
| uniess they give q two weeks notice of
their intention 10 qnit. Now, those con-
tracts are not worth the paper they are
/ written ON. They are utterly salaeless
| and there would be no trouble In collect
i ing every cent that is on deposit. The men
know this now and they are thoroughly
prepared 10 fight l have no doubt that
they viii better their condition before they
get through. They certainly cannot make
II any worse.
What are the aievances of which they
complaint" Mr.. o'Neil was asked.
Well. one is that great many men are
scarcely allowed 20 liye. One part of the
forces OF certain houses goes on duty nj
o'clock IL 10 relieved al & O'Clock with In
sirnctions to call around again at o. Per-
haps at the latter hour there Ia no work to
do, and the men are sent away until noon.
| Tx there n stiil nothing 20 do nj noon they
are dlsTnissed for the day. and there il q
bare chance that when they report In the
morning they will again be sent home.
Now, isnt that o nice condition or affairsg"
President O'Neil has almost abandoned
hope OF bringing about compromise by
arbitration. The silence OF q majority of
the packers on the subject has satisfied
him that they do not iniend to make any
concessions except whom forced 10 do so.
Another organization that is likely to
jump into the fight Is the nnion Of lumber
yard lab0rors, which was largely RESPONSE
BILE for the bloody riots on the Black
Road fonr years ago. The freight hand
Iers are also growing restiye, 30 are the
shop tailors. the machine woodworkers and
many others. The bricklAyers are praeti-
eally ~ idle a. II they wore on q strike, A.
are the plasterers, he'd carriers and stone
maaons, owing 20 the row Of the carpen-
ters. The brickiayers who are al work are
getting restive. They are beginning 10 de-
mand that the carpenters troubles bs adj
justed al once, and they arc dropping hints
every day that unless something II done
they will decline to do any more work.
George y. Detwilers In speaking Of the
situation admitted that ~ looked quite the
contrary of rosy. \ have no douhs, he
said, -that Il will be even more serious
than Il was four years ago. The nnraber
Of men who will be engaged viii DO larger.
They are better organized. too, aud more
competent 10 carry on an actiss fight. sueh
as they have right 10 anticipate. Of
course there win be bodies Of men III fhe
movement that are not fully organized. and