The Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1893-1901, 1893-04-13
THE STRIKE ENDED.
The Worknen at the World s
Fair Accept The Terms
Offered.
niOn and >on-t ninn Men 10 Iso IHi-
played. and the strikers <nt to
BE Discharged.



at the Worlds Fair is thing of the
past and the men who walked out this
morning will walk back again tomorrow
morning. and ninety nine out Of every
100 Of them will work for the same wages
and the same number Of hours as before
the strike For the first time since its
inception organized labor came s4uarely
in contact with the United States gov
ernment. and while all questions of
wages were satisfactorily settled the
right of an employer to use non n-union
men or union men: the right of men to
be in the ranks of organized labor or
without them. was insisted on by the
representatives of the national govern
ment and acknowledged by the union
men themselves. For twelve hours to
day the results of the painstaking ex
penditure of more than twenty millions
of dollars. the good name of "a mighty
nation. and its pledges to the nations of
| the earth. were imperlled and endanger
cd. while the men who reaped the bene-
gued with the men who controlled it.
| over the question of five cents an hour
and the right Of men to act and think as
they please within law.
1t took cool heads and temperate
blood to guide the dispute to peace
| full issue. but fortunately these elements
were not lacking. 1t was 10 o'clock to
night when the meeting between the
tatives of the building trades council
came to an agreement which is to con
tinue throughout the entire period of
the exposition. and under which future
trouble seems impossible. The men
/ have received the formal concession of IA
minimum rate of wages and have yield
ed to the demand Of the exposition otfi
cials that they may employ any man.
any labor organization.
The strike today was an attempt to
unionize the fair nothing more, nothing
less. Labor leaders declare that the
fair authorities had not kept faith with
them because they had refused to con
slider the making Of a new agreement.
in the face OF the fact that ii majority Of
the contractors employed by the exposi-
tion had already made arrangements
with the men entirely satisfactory to the
latter. Two years ago. when labor rep
resentatives made demand that none
but union men should be employed at the
fair they were asked il they could guar
antee that the unions could furnish
enough men at all times to enable the
work to be prosecuted without delay
After taking account Of stock they were
forced to confess that the unions wer,
not strong enough to furnish all tht
men the exposition might require
They were then informed by the nation
al commission that the government
! could not and would not discriminate
against men because they were or wer
not members OF labor organization
1 This ended the argument on the uniol
" question and the matter was droppe'
:. until two weeks ago. when the union
: put in demand that non-union me-
I be discharged. 1t was refused and the
!. the trouble began which eliminated i
today's strike.
n 1t was strike of labor leaders. an
= not strike Of men. A vast majority {
rs the men were unwilling to strike. an
only went out when ordered by walkin
delegates. and most Of them very III
willingly. There were several quarre
and numerous minor fights during ii
day. but nothing Of a serious natul
- - occurred.
The conference between the count
Of administration and the committ
in was entirely friendly. and only once d
RI matters look dark. and that was befo
the conference when Mr.. Russell. re
= resenting the strikers. approached wi
'Hf f a proposal for arbitration. Russell "
met with the reply that the coun
- could not and would not discuss pre-
aic position to employ none but union mt
. Mr.. Massey. of the national commi
M ion. ia also "A member Of the council. a
ays said that the law Of the United Stat
bearing ON the freedom Of contract 4
babe him. in his capacity as a gove
ment officer. to vote for anything Il
- involved discrimination between citizt
the because they are union or non uni
: men.
Commissioner Massey further ash
ting Russell whether he had stopped To G
@ 'srs- slider the very unpleasant position
-, union assumed when it laid itself liza
an Ia the charge of conspiracy. not o