Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-09-05
STRIKERS At BAY.
One Hundred Thousand Dollars Dam
ages Claimed by the b. c. Frick
Coke Company for the
VIOLATION OF A WAGE CONTRACT.
4. of L. COkers Quit Work and Caused a
Shut Down Because Non-UniOn
Men We're Employed.
RAILWAY TRAIN CRASHES INTO A HOTEL
Bulletin Of Occurrences in Suburban Towns and
Nearby States


panv TO Summarllv dismiss all non-unlon
men employed there. In reply to inquiries
concerning the matter, Thomas Lynch, Gen.
eral Manager of the Frick company, said
to-day:
1--WE consider the action of the men at the
Standard Works a clear violation of the
wage agreement made February last, and
we have about made up our minds to see
whether there is any legal responsibility on
the part of labor organizations or alleged
representatives of our men, Tor violation of
contract. The agreement referred to is either
a contract or it is not contract. If the parties
who made it were the duly authorized repre-
sentatives of the men. as they claImd to be,
then the men are bound by It, and are liable
for all damages we may sustain by the shutting
down Of the plant.
TBEY HELD THE MONEY.
''If. on the contrary, the parties to the agree
ment were not the duly authorized agents of
the men, and have been guilty of false and
fraudulent Misrepresentation in signing their
names as such, they are responsible as individ-
uals. not only for the money damages, but also
for criminal conspiracy. We propose to test
this matter in the courts. fltis decided that
the men are responsible we have $4,000 of their
money in our hands toward liquidating the
Judgment. If the individual signers are re-
sponSible, we will bring both civil and criminal
actions against John b. Rea, Robert Watchorn,
X. D. herfoot, c. NJ. Parker. NJ. z. Kane, John
DeHaven and James keegan, whose names ap-
pear on the agreement as representing all OF
the workers: not the Knights of Labor alone,
mark you, but as the text of the agreement
more fully expresses 1t, a committee represent
ing all the worknen at ali the works owned by.
or operated by, the H. c. Frick Coke Company,
in Connellsville.
Being asked for history of the trouble, Mr..
Lynch said: On Thursday, August q, the local
committee at the Standard Works visited Su-
perntendent Robert Ramsey and demanded
the discharge of all nOn-union men employed
at the works within six days from the date of
the order, under penalty of a strike. Ramsey
replied that he did not know who were union
men and who were not
HOW THE STRIKE STARTED.
The local committee INTERRUPTED him to say
that they would furnish list of the non- union
men. Ramsey said it made no difference to
him whether the men were union or non-union,
so long as they did their work properly they
would not be DISCHARGED. Two DAYS later, Au-
gust %. received the following notice, signed
by the local committee and R. d. kerfoot, DIS
trict Master Workman, and c. NJ Parker, Dis
trict Secretary of the K. of L.:
Mr. Thomas Lynch, General Manager of the
Standard mine of the H. {. Frick Company:
We hereby notify you that after the expiration of
six DAYS from date the men employed at the Stand
control or influence over some few men for whose
actions we are held responsible, and refuse 10 be-
come partners in an agreement made with your
companv in good faith, the same having been
considered by the local committee of the Standard
and hereby properly signed.
Now" said Mr.. LYNCH ~ did not consider
the notice seriously. and why? Because of the
position taken by General Master Workman
Powderly in the New York Central Railroad
strike. If you will remember he justified that
strike on the ground that employees were dis
charged because they were knights of Labor.
He pointed out IN glowing terms that the
strike was for vital principle, the mainten-
2nce Of the liberties of man.
PowDERLY's POSITION.
'T could not think that an order, whose Off
cial head had made such a declaration of prin-
ciples, would so far forget them as to declare
strike here because we refused to deprive our
w0rkmen OF their liberty by coercing them into
an organization against their will. We do not
ask men who apply for work at any
Of our plants whether they are union or non
union, and no distinction is made In this regard
between men at work. There is no claim by
the X of L. that union men were Disseminated
against at the Standard. What do YOU sup
pose the X. of l.. would say if we gave notice
that or after certain date, any and all of
our works would be closed down if all the
union men employed there did not withdraw
from their organizations? We would have
Just as much right, under the February agree
meut TO give such notice and shut down any
and all of our works, as the X of l.. have to
s.
charged, or coerced into going into the organ
5zatiOn.
ION Thursday evening last General Organ
iZer Wise came into my office at Scottdale and
wanted to know if had got the notice In the
course of conversation he acknowledged to
having been at the meeting winch authorized
the notice, but said that he had not favored
such action and had left the hall before il was
taken.
CHECKMATED THE SCHEME.
notice. it was secretly given out by the local
committee that work should stop at o'clock
that afternoon. The idea was to leave no coal
supply for our boilers in case of a strike. Su-
perintendent Ramsey checkmated this scheme
by stopping the larries at ! o'clock allowing
the chargers their full pay. The coal hoisted
during the next hour was stored away in the
bins and larries for use in the boilers.
That evening the men had a meeting Sec
retary Parker attended it, and was appointed
on committee TO confer with Superintendent
Ramsey. He asked the latter why the works
We're shut down. They had not intended to
strike until Saturday night. Ramsey pointed
out the fact that he had not shut the works down
but had only taken the precaution to store
away coal for the pumps in case of idleness
He reminded Parker that he himself had
signed the notice of the stoppage and deIiy-
cred the same TO me- and concluded by inform
ing the committee that the men could work on
the morrow if they so desired. In pursuance
of this permission he had the fire boss exam
Inc the pit in the morning, and other prepara-
tons for full days work. but none of the
men put in an appearance, and the works have
been idle ever since"
LEGAL ADVICE FROM PITTsBURG.
Being asked if he was acting under legal ad-
wee. Mr. Lynch said:
Certainly, and 1 don't mind showing you
what it is" and he drew out legal brief 1t
proved to be a written opinion from Knox d
Reed, the well known PitUsburg legal firm, as
to the extent and nature of the responsibility.
The opinion says:
Inc men represented by Rae and Others now
you for all damages you may sustain by reason Of
a breach of contract, which damages NAV be re-
sented by the committee, we think all men who
went TO work under the agreement thereby ac-
ceded TO ii and became bound by its laws.
The agreement of February says:
II is distinctly agreed and understood that the
management shall have the right to employ any
person or persons they desire to employ and no
General Manager Lynch thinks this clause
distinctly affrms the right of his compapy to
employ non-unlon men; that strike against
such action would be a breach of contract and
that the present strike for the dismissal of
non-uniOn men employed at the time the
agreement was made is even a more fragrant
breach.
The labor officials say that the works we're
closed down Friday when their notice did not
expire until Saturday. and therefore the re-
sponsibl,ty rests with the owners and managers
of the mines. They also say the agreement was
violated by the company because they did not
give the required six days notice of shutdown
ana claim they have contra suit against the
company on these grounds.
A monster mass meeting was held at More
wood last night, and some 500 miners attend
ed. The STANDARD matter was discussed and
resolutions passed TO lend financial support to
the men at that place.
Gave In TO tho Strikers.
rsrKcTAL TELEGRAM TO THE DISPATCH,
YOUNGSTOWN, September "A committee