River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1891-04-23
LAROR,S WAR.
Preparations of the Coal Miners to En-
force Their Demand for Eight Hours
Europe Liable to Have Trouble with Her
ToiIers May 1.

Preparations of the Coal Miners to En-
force Their Demand for Eight Hours
Europe Liable to Have Trouble with Her
ToiIers ON May 1.
CHICAGO, April 21.-The threatened
strike OF the miners May |, if it takes
place, viii be one of the most colossal
in history and marked by many features
which will make it memorable.
The strike win be for an eight
hour working day Two hun
dred thousand coal miners and labor
ers employed about mines will stop
work. The strike viii be backed by
the American Federation of Labor. the
most powerful body of organized labor
in the world, which now numbers
1000, 900 members. All these members
have been assessed monthly since jan
uary / for the strike fund which will be
used to aid the miners in their struggle.
The operators, as those who own coal
mines and coke ovens and market their
own products are termed to distinguish
them from mere dealers, have formed a
close association. They have met the
miners in conference at Pittsburgh and
failed to come to terms Col W. r. Rend,
assembly of operators as an advocate of
granting the eight hours IA day The
strike will be SO extensive as to praeti-
cally cover the coal fields of the coun-
try, and shortage, high prices, famine
in coal may be among the
early results. Railroads and the
great manufacturing establishments
are already buying coal in enormous
quantities and having it delivered
to them at once in view of the threat
ened strike. The strike will cover the
great hard and soft coal fields of Penn
sylvania. the soft coal districts of Ohio
Indiana and Illinois. as well as the
smaller coal territories in other states.
But the states named are the great coal
producers. There ID hard coal in Wv
oming, but it is undeveloped, and
there is considerable soft coal in Iowa.
There viii be no strike in the great
coal fields of The south, in Tennessee.
Alabama and Georgia. The mining is
done there by convict labor by the
state. But all the output of the south
ern mines is demanded by the south
ern market, SO that it will be impos-
sible for them to come to the aid of
the northern and western mine-owners.
The miners are organized as the
United Mine Workers of America.
John Il. Rae is president, and their
organization is a thorough one. The
prominent character in the struggle on
behalf of the miners will be samuel
Gompers, president of the Ameri-
can Federation of Labor. The storm
center viii be Pittsburgh. Mr.. Comp
ers is now completing a trip through
all the coal districts encouraging the
men, creating enthusiasm among all
the federated trades over which he pre-
sides, selecting. his heutenants, giving
out instructions and making final prep
arations for the struggle
The date for this strike as set over
a year ago at the Boston convention of
the American Federation of Labor In
1885 this body, meeting at Cleveland,
decided to force the concession of an
eight-hour working day, and fixed on
May 1, 1856, as the date for general
strike in all the trades where
the demand was refused The
brunt of the battle fell on Chica-
90, and the climax was reached in the
Haymarket tragedy, the result of an
archistic interference with trades
unions. Some trades secured eight
hours on that memorable day, but the
general result showed the plan to be
impraetieable. At the next general
convention, in 1883, resolution
fixing May 1, 1890, as date
for a general strike was de-
feated. After four days of dis
cussion another plan of campaign was
adopted. 1t was decided. instead of
general strike every three or four years,
to have one trade strike each year, May
/, and throw the entire strength of the
federation to its support. The best or
ganized trade union was to be given
the honor of making the contest.
The carpenters were selected as
the trade on which the first fight
should be made, and May ], 1890,
set as the date for the strike for eight
hours. series of eight-hour meetings
was held Public sentiment was
aroused. The carpenters struck The
financial and moral aid of the fedora
tion was given them and they won. OF
the $50 cities in which they struck
they won their demands in 800.
In some cities, besides shorter
hours, larger wages were also secured.
COMING STRIKE IN EUROPE.
LONDON, April Elm view of the
approach of May-day anarchists are
busy throughout Europe organizing for
a general strike. In Paris, Vienna and
Madrid they are distributing fiery circu-
lars. Fifty thousand of these circulars
are said TO have been distributed in the
barracks of Paris surreptitiously during
the last week. Meetings of workmen
were held Sunday throug bout Austria
and Hungary to arrange for demon
strations, and displayed great cohesion.
In Spain the workingmen are agitating
in Barcelona, Valencia, Cadiz, Nallado-
lid, Saragossa and other places, but
the trades unions deprecate the strike
on the ground that the men
are unorganized and lack funds,
and that by striking they will
only play into the hands
of the employers besides creating a
hostile feeling in the cortes after the
governments projected important
remedial measures All the European
governments have decided to prohibit
outside demonstrations. The employers
are combining to refuse holiday in
Spain, and insist that every indoor
meeting must be attended by govern
ment delegate.