Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1892-08-20
The Loss to Both Employers
and Employees is Enor-
nous.
Are the Reasons Adj
vanced by the Strikers for
Their Actions.
There Were No Less Than
24,SI8 American Strikes
from 1881 to 1887.


United States occurred during the year
1896, among the boot and Shoe makers
Of Philadelphia. Since that date the
losses incurred By employers and EN-
/ plOyes through strikes in this country
nave been simply incalculable,
Between the years 1881 and 1857 in
( elusive there occurred 24,51S Amer, an
! strikes. From these, the total loss to
the strikers was S51,S14,743. The en-
plOyers also lost enormously during the
same period by the enforced closing OF
their works and by damage to properly.
! Tho earliest strike in America, alluded
TO above, was that of the JouIneymen
bootmakers Of Philadelphia. The men
struck, or turned out, as they phrased
/ it, tor an increase of wages. After two
weeks suspension of trade their de
I mauds We're granted, and this Success
gained them greater strength and pop
I uIarity, SO dat when they turned
OUT in 1875 and again m1I99, for fur
/ Their increases. they were still success
I f,d, ana escaped indictment. The eX-
ample of the sturdy Quaker boOmakers
spread rapidly and was indirectly the
cause of the important Nev York
sailors strike OF 1903. a number OF
sailors who had been receiving SO per
u Outh demanded Sl4 The ualcontent
mariners formed in a body, marched
around the city, compelled the seameu
who were employed at the old rates to
leave their ships and join the turn
out Thus we see, says the Phiiadel-
/ plia Press, that modern strike methods
We're not wholly unknown ninety years
/ ago. In consequence of the strikers
proceedings the town guard was or
dercd out and the leader of the demon
strauOn arrested and sent to Jail The
strike ended in complete failure.
| Meanwhile the pioneer strikers of the
Phila Ielphia shoemaking guild had
been growing more audacious, and on
November l, 1905, they turned out"
en- masse for higher wages. The in
crease asked for ranged from % cents
to 10 cents per pair of boots.
This strike lasted seven weeks, and
was signully unsuccessful. In fact, it
ended in a trial for conspiracy brought
against tie men by the master cord
wainer one OF whom, John Bedford,
testified that he had lost over $1,000
annually through turns out" ordered
by the Jourueyuen's association, The
defendants We're found guilty of con
spring to raise their wages, and Re
corder Moses tevy sentenced them to
a line of IS and costs each.
This crushing blow eifectualy killed
labor organization in Philadelphia for
many years. The New York ShoemaE-
crs. however, look up the war and
turned out i'm 1900 Nearly 700 men
were engaged in the strike, Al that
time a stoppage of work in one shop
was known as a strike while a gen
oral stoppage was known as "a general
7 uinou." The New York strikers We're
finally victorious.
( Six years subsequently, Pittsbmg eX-
pericuced its first turnout the
ubiquitous Shoemakers being once more
the strikers. Their attempt ended I'M
successfully, and the leaders Werc
tried, convicted and fined
/ In 1S2l occurred the Iirst printers
strike 1t took place in Albany, y. u,
the Typographical society OF that town
striking against the introduction of non
union wOIkmeu.
} The earliest recorded strikes for re-
auctions in hours OF work were started
in 1880 by the carpenters and masOnS Of
Boston. The men wanted to limit the
( work day TO ten hours but they We're
unsuccessful The growth of organized
labor had been so great that the enl-
blowers became alarmed, and on May
10, 1882. the merchants and shop-oWn-
ers of Boston met and adopted resoltl-
tons against unions. One of these res
olu5ions was us follows:
we will neither employ any journey
man who belongs to such combinations
nor give work to any master mechanic
who employs journeymen thus pledged
10 each other"
This condemnation bad but little
effect. Strikes increased in number all
over America, but particularly in Bos-
ton. where the ten-hour system move
mrnt continued TO be agitated.
In April, 1884, the militia were called
ont TO suppress u AlNl Ndu11A ~ sum
ing lahurcrs on the Providence railroad,
nj Mansfield. Mass, and several strikers
were taken prisoners.
The first big mill strike began in
+. August. 1885. when the operatives Of
twenty mills at Paterson, y. j. struck
for reduced hours. Six weeks idl2ness
land 4 loss Of $4,000 in wages and ex-
ppnses to the workmen We're the re
suits. In May. 1S35, the workmen in
the Philadelphia coal yards struck for
the ten.hour work-day. After several
weeks ldleness, the difference was set
lied by the woTlneu agreeing %
work from sunrise 20 sunset with
nm interInission Of three hours each day.
rha los to the employers in this
strika was estimated ~ over $1,000
This success gave Philadelphia work
rmen courage. and one month after
wards several trade societies paraded
tho streets bearing a large white BAN
per with the motto: From 10 o.
Thev marched to the state house yard.
90 tbara hold an open-air meeting.