The record-union., 1893-04-11

CHICAGO, April 10.-The great strike
at The Worlds Fair is a thing of the past,
ana the men who walked out this morn
ing will walk back tomorrow morning.
and nlnety-one out of every hundred of
them vii! work for the same wages and
the same number of hours as before the
strike. For the first time since its incep-
uop, organized labor came squarely in
contact with the United States Govern
ment, and while all questions of wages
were satisfactorily settled, the right of
the employer to use non-union or union
men, the right of men to be in the ranks
OF organized labor or without them,
was insisted upon by representatives of
the National Government and acknowl-
edged by the union men themselves.
For twelve hours to-day The results of
the palnstaking expenditure of more
than twenty millions of dollars, the good
name of mighty nation and its pledges
to the nations of the earth wereimperiled
and endangered, while the men who
reaped the benefits of the expenditure
OF that money argued with the men who
controlled 1t over question of five cents
an hour and the right of men to think
and act as they please within the law. 1t
took cool heads and temperate blood to
guide the dispute to peaceful issue, but
fortunately these elements were not lack
ing.
1t was 10 o'clock tonight when a meet
ing between the Council of Administra-
ton and representatives of the Building
Trades Council came to an agreement
which is to continue throughout the en-
tire period of the exposition, and under
which further trouble seems impossible.
The men have received formal conces-
sion OF the minimum rate of wages, and
have yielded to the demand of the expo-
sition officials that they may employ any
man, whether he be or be not a member
of any labor organization.
The first step looking toward peace
was made this afternoon, when COM
mittee of strikers submitted to the Coun-
Gil of Administration a proposition to
arbitrate on April 18th. The council was
in session, and promptly returned an
answer that it was prepared to meet the
men at once. To this the committee
agreed, and the result was lengthy
meeting.
All the points in the case were gone
over, and at 10 O'Clock tonight the coun-
Gil presented to the Executive Committee
of the strikers resolutions declaring that
in the employment of workmen or art
isans, representatives of unions or Or
gained labor shall be entitled to equal
consideration with non-union men. and
that the worbingmen heretofore en-
ployed who to-day struck shall not be re-
fused employment hereafter on that ac-
count, 1t being the expressed purpose of
the council that organized labor as such
shall not be Disseminated against: and
further that there shall be paid every
artisan employed at least the minimum
rate of wages prescribed for his trade.
These concessions were made with the
distinct understanding that they be ac-
cepted by the Executive Committee as a
full settlement and solution of the present
controversy; that the men who have gone
on strike should return to work at once
and that the provisions and stipulations
of said resolutions shall continue in force
and be operative during the whole period
of the exposition.
These resolutions were at once sipnnd
by all members of the strik ers' Executive
Committee, representing eight or nine
thousand laboring men, and the trouble
was over.
1t was close call for the exposition.
not only for its opening, but for its sue
cess. The work of the men who struck
to-day is nearly over, and while they
could not have ruined the fair. thew
might, by stopping work, have so DELAYED
matters that the exposition could not
have been in complete readiness bv the
1st of August. There was great relief ex.
pressed on both sides when the thing was
over. for both alike were fearful of the
weight of public opinion which would
fail upon the party that opposed the sue
cess of the exposition.
The strike to-day was an attempt to
unionize the fair; nothing more, nothing
less. The labor leaders declare the fair
authorities have not kept faith with them.
because they had refused to consider the
making of new agreement in the face of
the fact that majority of the contractors
employed by the exposition had already
made arrangements with the men
Two years ago, when labor rep
resentatives made a demand that none
but union men should be employed ut
the fair, they were asked if they could
guarantee that the unions could furnish
enough men at all times TO enable the
work to be prosecuted without DELAY.
After taking an account of stock thew
were forced to confess that the unions
were not strong enough to furnish all the
men the Exposition might require. They
were then informed by the National
Commission that the Government couId
not and would not discriminate against
men because they were or were not mem
bers of labor organization. This ended
the argument on the union question. and
the matter was dropped until two weeks
ago, when the unions put in demand
that the non-uniou men be discharged.
1t was refused, and then the trouble be-
gan which eliminated in to-day's strike.
1t was strike OF labor leaders, and not
a strike of men. \ vast majority of men
were unwilling to strike, and only went
out when ordered by the walking dele
gates, and most of them very unwillingly.
There were several quarrels and numer-
Gus minor fights during the day. but
nothing of serious nature occurred.
The conference between the Council of
Administration and the committee was