St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-04-22
Chicago's Striking Carpen-
teps Refuse the Offers of
the New Bosses.
Samuel Gompers Says the
Eight-Hour Day Is a Sure
Thing.
One Million Men Are Pledged
to Work for Its Adop-
ton.
Hoosier Carpenters Grant the
Bosses More Time to
Avert Trouble.

CHICAGO, April 21.-"The eight-hOur
day is the sole idea now being consid-
cred by the labor world" said Samuel
Gompers, president of the American
Federation of Labor, this morning. sin
the history of the social and economic
movements of the world there has not
been one which received at once and
completely the same sympathy and sup
port that has been accorded to the
eight-hour movement. 1t has covered
Europe, and Oh May 1 the working
population of that continent will de-
mand the eight-hour day. The labor
organizations of this country are de-
voted solely to this one idea. We think
we can do one thing at a time better than
a multiplicity of things. To the
end of obtaining the eight-hour work
day we are concentrating all our en-
ergy, all our ability, and all our intelli-
gence. We are doing it with the least
possible injurious results to business or
commerce. We do not want to stop the
wheels of industry. We want to help
them to work more smoothly. We want
to remove instead Of increasing .fric-
ton. So we proceed by degrees. We
have singled out
The Eight.Hour Day
as the first thing to be attained. Then
we have selected only one trade for
Which at first this improvement must
be secured. We have chosen the car
penterS as the first craft for which to
shall have won we will demand it for
the miners and mine laborers. Then
other trades will be taken up and
pushed forward. In this way the en-
tire change of the industrial system
to the eight-hOur day shall have been
accomplished with the least effect
on the coun ry's business. There is no
doubt of the success of the movement.
In the American Federation of Labor,
to which by common consent the Begin
ming of the eight-hour movement is
granted, there are $50, 600 members. In
the movement besides these there are
more than enough to bring the force to
100000 men. The movement for the
elght-hour day is on different basis
now from its status in 1856. Then we
had an army of enthusiastic raw re-
cruits. Now we have force of cool,
trained veterans. The movement of
1886 was chaotic. disintegrated, unsys-
tematic. To-day it is methodical, Or
ganiZed, prepared. We will secure the
eight-hour day for the workmen of the
world-not If it takes all summer-but
if it takes the rest of our lives" The
labor organizations of Chicago have ap-
pointed committees to arrange for a
monster eight-hour day procession on
May l. They expect to have 10000 men
in line. No progress was made toward
a settlement of the carpenters strike
to-day. In fact. settlement seems
Farther OFF Than Ever.
1t was understood that as soon the
new master carpenters association
should become strong enough to give
employment to 1000 men, work by
that number would be resumed. The
leaders of the strikers now say that
they talked with the new organization
as matter of courtesy, but that in no
event will any of the strikers be
allowed to return to work until bosses
representing seven-eighths of the en-
ploytng capacity of the city have given
in and recognized the union. 1t is not
probable that this will be done soon.
The citizens committee which was
appointed to bring about settlement
of the trouble was to have met COM
mittee of the employing carpenters for
the purpose of talking the matter over
this afternoon, but their conference
was given up under circumstances
which point to failure to effect any,
thing in that direction. Seven of the
dissatisfied employees of the United
States Express company rendered their
designations to-day.