Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-11-29
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 1892.
TROUBLE BREWING
About Next May Look Out for
Labor Strikes.
PREDICTION OF NEW YORK sBERs.


Something Really "Gigantie" Expected
About the Time the Worlds Fair Opens
-Gompers Not One of the Prophets
Another Leader Who Has No Conceal
ments-A Grand Effort to Retrieve Re
cent Disasters-An Opportunity That
viii BE Embraced.
NEW YORK, Nov. 29.-"There will be the
biggest strike ever seen in this country
next spring, beginning in Chicago or some
where else, before the Worlds fair, cover
ing dozens or scores of unions, and playing
the mischief with some things" according
to the predictions of a unionist lead er with
whom reporter of the New York Sun
held communication. "The pipe-laying for
1t has begun" he continued, "and if there
Is no break in the lines it will be heard of
when the time comes. The miners and
the iron-workers and the building trades
and the railway switchers are not the only
men who are dissatisfied With things now
adays, as the bosses will find out, and as
they found out in New Orleans and other
places. We expect that plans will be set
up by which the trade and labor organiza-
tious will work together somehow, so that
Gomper's American Federation of Labor
will not be fighting Powderly's Knights of
Labor, and so that the outside bodies will
either be brought in or made to stay still"
Gompers Not Communicative.
AS the man who said this declined to give
particulars the reporter sought information
elsewhere. But neither Samuel Gompers,
the president Of the American Federation
Of Labor, nor Peter J, MCGUIRE, its secre-
tary, had anything to communicate about
pipe laying or about any big strike in pros
pect. Mr.. Gompers is preparing the bust
ness for the twelfth annual convention of
the federation, which is to be held in Phila-
delphia in December. One effort to be
made at this convention is to agree with
the h. of l.. on a united policy, and bring
Sne long strife between the two bodies to q
Close.
Taking Advantage of Opportunity.
The pipe-layers and agitstOrs who are
looking forward to the big strike have not
yet fixed upol- any specific or direct object
to be gained by it, 80 far as the reporter
could ascertain; but it is probable that
some grievance of some union will first be
taken up. such, for example, as that of the
switchmen, and afterward other grievances
of other unions will be brought to the
front, under the stimulous OF the excite
ment that is to be raised. 1t is said that
there is no malicious purpose TO injure the
Chicago exhibition Of the Columbian year,
but merely that the opportunity furnished
by that exhibition will be seized to recover
the losses that have recently been incurred.
A Hint from POwdeSly's Organ.
T. q isSua Of NJ DouyJa-Iyfa
there was hint of the impending trouble,
by which the members of his order were
given to understand that the first move
ment in the "monstrous strike of 1893" is to
be made by the Railroad Switchmen's I'M
ion, with the object of Gripping Chicago.
1t is there reported that the secretary Of
that union, Joseph Heimerle, has declared
that the switchmen's strikes of this year at
Buffalo and elsewhere were but preludes to
the great strike of next spring, which is to
be gigantic uprising of labor all over the
country. "The plans for this uprising" the
secretary added, shave been made, and it
will be the greatest thing ever seen in the
United States"
Where It VIII Begin.
The strike, it appears, is first to be de-
clared on the Central, the Erie and the
Reading lines, and is to include several
DTduCuCS VI IdlANdy hOO
President Arthur's Brotherhood of Loco
motive Engineers. The new grand master
of switchmen, J. E. Wilson, of La Crosse,
Wis, who was elected as Sweeney's sue
oessor by the convention recently held in
St. Louis, is openly in favor of this pro-
gramme, and indeed he got his Office as
its advocate. Mr.. Wilson is also an advo-
cate of the federation of the various organ
izations of railway employees in so far as it
can be brought about.
Union Men Say They Know Nothing.
Several of the union organizations de-
clare that they know nothing whatever
about the projected strike to be engi-
neered by the pipe-layers. When asked
about the prospect of violence in the event
of the strike taking place they replied with
ont accord that Gompers, Powderly, Will
SOL and the others would certainly do all
they could to prevent law-breaking and
preserve peace in the ranks, as American
workingmen do not believe in seeking their
ends by turbulence and are ready to join
the militia in suppressing disorder.