St. Paul daily globe., 1892-11-21
The Big STRIKE OFF.
By a Vote Of 101 to 81 the
Homestead Men Declare
the Fight Lost.
End of One Of the Bitterest
Struggles in the His
tory Of Strikes.
Nearly Seven Million Dollars
Lost by the Men, Works
and State.
Strikers Who Are on the
Blacklist Will Have Moth
ing to Live On.

strike at Carnegie's Homestead Steel
works has been declared off. After
five months struggle, which for bitter
ness has probably never been equalled
IN this country, the army of strikers
finally decided today to give up the fight.
This action was taken at meeting of
the lodges of the Amalgamated associa-
tion at Homestead this afternoon,
the vote standing 10l in favor
of declaring the strike off
and 81 against it. Among those presens
at the meeting wereVlce President Car
ney, Secretary KillgalIon, Treasurer
Madden and David Lynch, of the ad-
visory board. The officials addressed
the members, and in plain words told
them the strike was lost, and advised
them to take steps to better their con-
dition. The remarks met with consider
able opposition, but when the vote was
taken it showed majority of ten in
favor of declaring the strike off. Those
who were in favor of calling the strike
off were jubilant, but those who were
against it were
BADLY Put out.
Most of the latter were men who were
obstinate, and many of them were men
who had either applied for positions in
the mil and had been turned down or
felt sure that their names were on the
company's blacklist, and could not get
positions. A member of the advisory
board said today that he had been trying
to get the strike declared off for some
weeks, as he knew it was lost, and 1t
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 declara-
tion to call the strike off, for if 1t 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 resume its normal condi-
ton soon. The Homestead strike has
proved one of the most disastrous in the
history of the country. 1t originated
from
Reduction In Wages
in the departments where members of
A oIuo of ah nf
and Steel Workers were employed.
The hitch is on what is known as the
sliding scale 1t is scale which regu-
lates the mems wages by the market
price of steel bllets. Nearly every
mill in this vicinity signed the scale
including other mills of the Car
negie company. At the refusal of
the firm to sign the scale for the Home
stead mill, lockout occurred by the
AmaIgamated association, and they
were Joined by the mechanics and la
borerS, who struck out of sympathy
only, their wages not being reduced.
The strikers were determined to keep
non-union men out of the mill, and
adopted military discipline. The story
of the arrival and bloody fight with the
Piukertons on July 6, the subsequent
riOtOuS proceedings and the calling out
of the national guard and its departure
after three months duty. is too we'll
known to repeat. For six weeks the
mill has been running almost as we'll as
before the strike. but until within the
last week the strikers have steadfastly
refused to admit defeat. The news of
today's action was
Received With DisInay
by the strikers in the two LaWrenceVilIe
mills of the Carnegies. These men were
sympathy strikers and went out at the
time the men at Beaver Falls and Du-
ouesne struck. The Duquesne men gave
up the fight in three weeks. and the
Beaver Falls strikers decided to go back
Yesterday. The Lawrencevile 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 declare the strike off tomor-
row. The strike at one time involved
nearly 10000 men, and the loss in wages
will reach. it is said, in the neighbOr-
hood of S2,OOOOOO. Then there is the
immense loss to the firm, which cannot
be estimated, but which conservative
people put at double the amount lost by
the men in wages. To this can be added
nearly half-millon dollars paid to the
state troops. and the costs to the county
of Allegheny for the riot, treason and
other cases growing out of the strike.
At least thrty-fiye deaths we're directly
or indirectly caused by the strike. Be
sides those killed in the battle of July g.
many soldiers contracted fever which
resulted fatally. One soldier was shot
accidentally by comrade, another
was killed by the cars, one striker
committed suicide, one was drowned,
one was killed by the cars, several nom
union men died from fever and several
were killed in the mill and one was muir
dered by another non-uniOnist. The
Frick, of the Carnegie company, is also
indirectly credited TO thA strike