Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1893-04-10
THE FAIR STRIKE.
A Thousand Hen on The Exposition
Grounds Lay Down Their Tools.
THE TWO SIDES OF THE STORY.
Nomination Men Attacked. -Slrikcrs
Driven Away BY tho
Police.

CHICAGO, April l0.-At the most
critical time possible for the Worlds
Fair tho big exposition today encoun-
tered Its fret great strike. A thousand
union men In the various building
trades quit work with the prospect that
four thousand more might join them
before night. II was the culminatlon
o much controversy over what Is
claimed TO be- an agreement
between tho Worlds Fair officials and
the representatives Of union labor by
which all disputes between employers
nnd employees on the exposition work
should be settled by atbitIation. The
men contend that some u the exposi-
ton officials have recently shown n
GisIoiition, now that the Fair l. nearly
completed, to deny point plank any.
thing asked for, and that this has nota.
bly been the case In carpenters troubles
which have been pending for some
time. The Exposition authorities, II ~
alleged, declined to Sign the scale pro.
posed by the Carpenters' union Tor the
new season, although majority OF the
large contractors In this city had
signed. Today was named by the bus-
ness agents OF the building trades
council, otherwise walking delegates,
M the final time at which the atbltTa-
ton must bs assented 10 II a strike was
20 bo avetted.
On behalf Of the exposition officials
II was claimed that the workmen were
taking advantage Of the lest days ana
the hurry, In the completion Of the
work, 10 squeeze the exposition man-
agement aud 10 violate the agreement
heretofore made, by insisting that only
union men should DO employed on
the grounds. Pickets were placed at
all entrance gates early to warn union
men that u strike was on and to labor
with non'union men TO Join them.
They lnbored ussiduously and nearly
all Union men obeycd the order TO
strike.
No throats have been used against
non'union men aud there Ia no excite
ment. Good humOr seems to prevail
everywhere.
After,the hour for work began, the
delegates went inside the grounds and
visited the various buildings, picked
up hundred mon or more and con-
Quoted them out OF the gtounds. When
emboldened by numbers, they began to
cheer and get noisy, but IL was no part
OF the program TO invite amy disturb
nnco.
INcRpAsISo IN NUMBERS AND NOISE
BY nine O'Clock tho number OF
strikers had been increased 10 1000
and later 1900 electrical workers quit.
Then tho construction department
decided to take positive action and the
Columbia CARDS were ordered I
elect any walking delegate who
openly endeavorod to get men TO stop
work. Very soon there came re-
peated calls for the patrol wagon and
oniclous representatives OF strikers
were hustled out OF the grounds. This
made the strikers outside OF the
grounds mad, and they began 10 in-
dulge In threats; finally they began
TO attack the non-union men
who rcfieed &to be persuaded not
90 TO work. Occurrences OF this sort
soon became numerous and n squad OF
police was called and drove the strikers
away from the gates, not, however,
without resistance, resulting In several
strikers getting cracks over their
heads.
by p. M. fully four thousand men
were out including probably over
dozen trades. To make matters worse,
at this Juncture one.third OF the Gun.
ployes OF the installation department,
200 In nunber, were knocked of.
They were teamsters and were getting
Sl.6U per day and demanded $500,
which was refused and they quit. The
Strike aders are confident OF success
and the managers OF the exposition say
they viii have no difficulty In filling
the strikers places. A meeting OF the
Fair directors and the strike leaders
Ia In session this afternoon.
Every man who presented lhimself
for work after the strike was immedi.
ately hired. Most OF the strikers went
home after while. The general i'm.
preston this afternoon is that there
will he no serious collision with htrik.
ers before tomorrow when trouble
might arise II new men are put to
work In any considerable numbers
under police protection. President
HigginbOtham thinks the places OF the
strikers will be quickly filed anu that
little delay will result. The latest
estimates are that five thousand men
have struck.