The Portland daily press., 1893-12-13
DANBURY ALIAS HATVILLE.
The Strange Strife in Connecticut Where
Everybody Makes Hats, Thinks Hats
and Talks Hats.

Danbury, Conn, December 12.-This
city is in the throes of struggle between
labor and capital, in many respects
unique. Both forces are perfectly Or
ganized: both have displayed pluck and
determination, and both have shown
boldness and brilliant generalship. The
fight has been going on for over two
weeks, and both sides seem as deter
mined as ever, although there are slight
indications that some of the manufacture
ers are inclined to give up the fight,
which, if continued much longer, is
bound to result in serious loss.
More than this, the lockout has affect
ed every branch of trade in the town 50
seriously that business is paralyzed.
many failures are imminent and even
the farming community for miles around
is suffering.
Danbufy is town of but one business
that of hat making. 1t has 80 hat fac
wood and paper box making, all depend
for life on and are tributary to the hat
shops. The able-bodied population,
male and female, work in the shops, the
merchants, farmers and their wives are
all graduates of the shops. Danbury
well deserves its nickname of Hatyille,
as it's entire population of upward of 49,
600 eat, drink, talk and think hat.
The lockout is due to a dispute which
while ii does not directly involve wages,
is claimed by the workmen to mean low
Ell pay seventuallys if they yield. The
admission of non-union help is one of
points at issue.
A feature of the lockout is that over
nine-tenths of the community side with
the workers. The nineteen manufacturers
and their immediate friends seem to
stand alone. The merchants have lived
off the earnings of the workers for years,
and now that the usual $3.50 they
earned weekly is cut off from circulation,
trade is absolutely dead.
1t was this feeling of intense sympathy
with the workers that induced the call
ing of the famous town meeting that
voted them $50, 900. The signers of the
call are all prominent business men and
merchants. There are twenty-five OF
them in all, and among them are the
city clerk, member of the legislature,
former chief of police and one.represen-
tative farmer from the country district.
Only one man who was asked refused ito
sign. He keeps a paint store and his
name is Grant He is comparatively new
conner in the town, and did not care to
sign for that reason. 1t was rumored by
the manufacturers that he was to be
boycotted for this, but BOTH he
and the union officers and men denied
it positively.
The town meeting was the most large
ly attended ever held in Danbury. A
number Of farmers from the outlying
districts, and others who came late,
were unable to get into the hall. The
business of the meeting, as stated in the
call, was to appropriate 1850, 900, to be
expended in giving temporary aid and
employment to many inhabitants of the
town in need of partial support, and to
able, to act with the selectmen in dis
bursfog or expanding said appropriation. p"
This business was carried out without
hitch But four dissenting voices were
heard. The labor leaders, however, claim
they did not really want the money, con-
sequently they laid no tax levy to raise
the $4,000. 1t would require special
levy of a six mill tax to raise it. 'sWe in
tended it as ansobject lesson to the man.
urday. ave have shown that we have
the community and all it's resources be-
hind US, and that, if necessary, we can
live as long as taxes can be collected. We
can tax them to support us it we wan!
to. AT present we don't"
The manufacturers talk of enjoining the
selectnen of the town from raising the
$50, 600 or spending 1T if raised should the
men finally decide they need it. Most
lawyers agree, however,. that such step
would prove fu tile, as the town meeting
in Connecticut is supreme in such mat
tiers. The selectmen have at present
about ST DOC,