Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1892-07-14

MAY BE A GENERAL STRIKE.
Employees of Three Other Mills Will Go
Out Unlnss EricIs Yields.


PITrsBuRG, July l2-Events of the day
i'll labor circles have cast deeper signitl-
canoe over the struggle now going on at
Homestead. The workmen at the upper
and lower union mills in Lawrenccville
and Beaver Falls mills have decided to
strike Thursday afternoon, unless Chair
man Frick shall before that time agree DO
enter into conference or arbitration with
the workmen at Homestead. This new
strike is expected to lead to others and. it is
now claimed that not only the Keystone
Building Works, but the Edgar Thomson
Works ut Bessemer will become involved
in the struggle and the end may not be
even there.
Last Sunday separate meetings of the
workmen in the two union mills were
held, and the duty Of the workmen toward
their locked-out brethren at Homestead
was fully discussed. These meetings ad-
iourned until this morning. when gen
eral meeting was held in st. Johns Hall
in Lawrenceville. Word was sent to
Beaver Falls to send representatives to q
second meeting to he held in the after.
noon. AT the morning meeting, commit
tee was appointed which waited upon
request from the Lawrenccville workmen
that he enter into conference with the
Homestead men with view to securing u
peaceful solution Of'the differences.
Prick REMAINS FIRM.
81 decline" said Chairman Frick. ito
entertain such proposition" and the
committee precipitately retired.
Calls were at once issued by the work
men for general meeting in the after
noon, and st. Johns Hail was crowded to
the doors, There were fully 1900 work
men present. representing the two Car
negfe union mills and the Carnegie mill
at Beaver Falls. In these mills there are
to-day employed $500 wOrkmen, of whom
about one-third are members of the Anal
gamated Association. II. C. Frick, as
chairman of the Carnegie interests, had
but few days ago signed the amalga-
mated scale for these three mills.
The gathering in st. Johns Hall pGrtook
more of the nature of mass meeting and
was not confined to the association. There
were representatives of the machinists,
bricklayers, carpenters, laborers and other
classes of employees who are not included
in the Amalgamuted Association. The
meeting was in session from 2.30 until 4. 80
O'Clock this afternoon. The situation was
very fairly, discussed and the temper Of the
men was shown to be very decidly in favor
OF interference on behalf of the Home
stead men.
THE woRKMEN's uLTGMATUM.
It was said that the work which had
been handled at Homestead before the
lock out occurred had been transferred to
the union mills, and therefore the work.
men in this city were being used as
weapons to defeat their brethren at Home
stead The question of violation of con-
tract was discussed at some length. The
Carnegie Steel Company had signed the
amalgamate4 scale for the three mills
represented at the meeting, and the assoc
citation had therefore signed contract to
operate these mills for one year beginning
July LIST last 1t was maintained, how
ever, by several speakers, that the COM
pany would forfeit its claim on the assoc
citation if it declined to confer with the
representatives of the association concern
ing scale in some other mill.
Then the committee which had waited
upon Mr.. Frick made its report and
created somewhat of n sensation when the
members said how brusquely they and
their Claims had been received. Several
motions were made at once, hut they all
gave way finally to a motion that COM
mittee OF two from each mill be appointed
to present an ultinatum to the company.
This decision was fatty to the effec: that
the three mills would be closed after the
finish of the days turn Thursday after
noon, unless the company should at once
consent to conference with the scale COM
mittee concerning the wage differences ut
the Homestead mills. This motion pre-
vailed by an almost unanimous VOTE tho
committee was named and the meeting
adjourned