Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1893-12-13
A LOCKOUT NOW.
Conclusion Reached By Big
.. Mill Owners. ........
.s.-t-- 'ssssg2 -
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VISIONS OF POORHOUSB
Loom Up Before Poor 0lney-
Vile Strikers.
Their Failure 10 Agree Last Week Has Led
10 Bad Results.


The woolen mill district OF Providence
never experienced day similar to yester-
day. Mill owners were relentless
and women and children wept in the
streets of Olneyville, wept from hunger
and from cold. The situation is one that
has no equal in this city since the panic Of
1857.
Six thousand people have been out Is
weeks on a strike for return of their old
schedule of wages. Dependent upon the
earnings Of this number of operatives are,
It is estimated, 1900 people. The strikers
are without resources, and financial aid
rolls In slowly. In arrears in their rents
and store bills, with the thermometer
near zero, and with little or no fuel on
hand, the operatives now, that they are
shut out from returning TO work, have, as
a rule, but one course left, and that is to
apply at the city poorhouse for aid.
Such is the condition among the strikers
that the chief of police has reason TO antici-
pate trouble as the operatives are becom-
ing desperate and every available officer has
been summoned to his station TO be ready
for a special call in case any attempt is
made to injure the property of the mill
owners.
The strikers held meetings yesterday,
but were at sea IA to the best course to
pursue. The executive committee voted
to do business with the manufacturers as
a combine, but when they started out to
visit them they were again disappointed.
Charles Fletcher of the Providence Ma
tional mills did not appear, and it was
found that Treasurer King of the River
side mills was in Boston. Nothing could
then be done but await the return of the
two leading manufacturers. The business
men met and voted to take no further
part in the directing or bringing about of
settlement unless requested to do so by
the parties interested.
FarweII's Statement.
Superintendent Farwell of the Saranac
mills said: at is n lockout now and must
no longer be called strike. Had the
operatives at the meetings held Friday
and Saturday last voted TO return to work
and not have tried TO toy with the mill
owners this action would not have been
taken. The idea of closing their mills
was not decided upon until Monday,
because up to that time all negotiations
had been conducted with the idea of re-
suming work, and it was expected that
the resumption would occur Monday
morning. The delay in accepting the
terms on the part of the strikers gave the
manufacturers an opportunity of learning
a feature Of the plans of the strikers
which had not before been appreciated"
The strikers, he said, are all massed to-
gether in one large organization. They
also have organizations of trades and
shops. They planned to go 20 work In the
Providence National and Sarauac mills
and continue the fight at the Weybosset
and Riverside mills. "rhOse who were
going To work in our mills were planning
TO aid those who were 20 stay out from the
Others" he said "With such an organ
ization ~ that it was evident that there
was going 10 be trouble, and the mills
could not undertake to fight them indi-
vidually. If It had permitted that, 1t
would have resulted in discussion among
the manufacturers.
"If we had resumed work in the National
and Saranac mills and the fight was long
and bitter against the other two, then we
would have been forced TO break from the
standard scale which would have forced
us In turn to make further concessions
which we could not afford TO make.
Therefore il was necessary for the manu-
facturers 90 stand together, and on learn
ing of the determination of the strikers to
resume work at our mills and continue
the fight at the others, the mill owners
agreed TO keep together"