The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1892-11-25
HOMESTEAD OFF,.
End Of the Celebrated Amalgam-
ated Strike.
SOME STRIKERS IN BAD SHAPE.
BlacklIsted by the Company and No Ra-
lions For the Future From the
Society-Lawrencevil
Men Hit.

Men Hit.
HOMESTEAD, Pa, Nov 21-The great
strike at Carnegie's Homestead steel
works has been declared off After
five months struggle, which for bitter
ness has probably never been equaled
in this country, the army of strikers
finally decided to give up the fight
This action was taken at meeting of
the lodges of the Amalgamated associa-
ton at Homestead yesterday afternoon,
the vote standing lO1 in favor of declar-
ing off the strike and 81 against it.
Among those present at the meeting
were Vice President Carney. Secretary
Kilgallon, Treasurer Madden and David
Lynch, of the advisory board The of
f1cials addressed the members and in
plain words told them the strike was
lost and advised them to take steps to
better their condition. The remarks
met with considerable opposition, but
when the vote was taken it showed a
majority of ten in favor of declaring
the strike off.
Those who were in favor of calling
the strike off were jubilant while those
who were against it were badly put out
Most of the latter were men who were
obstinate and many of them either had
applied for positions in the mill and
had been turned down or felt sure that
their names were on the company's
black list and they could not get posi-
tions.
A member of the advisory board said
yesterday that he had been trying to
get the strike declared off for some
weeks. as he knew it was lost, and il
would have been better for the men as
a great many more of them could have
gotten their places back.
Those who cannot get back are in
bad fix as the relief funds will be
stopped and many hundreds of them
have nothing to live on.
The people in Homestead, especially
the business men, are highly elated
over the declaration to call the strike
off. for if it had continued much longer
it would have ruined the town. Many ,
business houses have fallen into the
hands of the sheriff since the strike has
been on. Business is expected to re-
sumo its normal condition soon.
The Homestead strike has proved one
of the most disastrous in the history of
the country. 1t originated from Il re-
duction in wages in the departments
where members of the Amalgamated
association of iron and steel work
ers were employed. The hitch was
on what is known as the sliding scale. !
1t is scale which regulates the mems /,
wages by the market price of steel bill
lets. Nearly every mill in this vicinity
signed the scale, including other mills |
of the Carnegie company. At the re-
fusal of the firm to sign the scale for /,
the Homestead mill, lockout occurred !
by the Amalgamated association and |
they were joined by the mechanics |
laborerS, who struck out of sympathy 1
only, their wages not being reduced. |
The strikers drove non-union men out !
of the mill and adopted military disci- I
pine. The story of the bloody fight |
with the Pinkertous on July 6, the sub
seQuent riotous proceedings and the !
calling out of the National guard and /
its departure after three months duty |
10 bOO well AAuONil W
For six weeks the mill has been run
ming almost as well as before the strike,
but until within the last week the
strikers have steadfastly refused to /
admit defeat The news of the ac-
ton was received with dismay by the
strikers in the two Lawrcnceville mills .
of Carnegie's. These men were SYM
pathy strikers and went out when the .
men at Beaver Falls and Duquesne
struck. The Duquesne men gave up
the strike in three weeks and the
Beaver Falls strikers decided 20 90
back yesterday. The Lawrencevillc .
men, however, were steadfast and had
no intention of giving in. They are
now in the position of striking for no
cause. They are very angry at the
Homestead men and will probably de-
clare the strike off tomorrow.
The strike at one time involved near
~ 10000 men and the loss ia wages will .
reach it is said, in the neighborhood of /
81, 000,O Then there is the immense
loss to the firm. which cannot be esti-
mated, but which conservative people
put at least double the amount lost by
the men in wages To. this can be
added nearly 100000 paid TO the state
troops and TO the cost to the county of
Allegheny for the riot, treason and
other cases, growing ont of the strike.
The attempted assassination of Chair
man Friek of the Carnegie company is
also indirectly credited to the strike.