Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1894-01-20
THE DANBURY WAR.

All Hope of Settlement Abandoned
The Closing Features of the Confer
ence-As Far Apart as Ever.
DANEURY, Jan. 19.-The conference be.
tween the lat manufacturers and the COM
mittees of the Hat Makers and Hat Fin
ishers' union, who had power to settle the
labor troubles here for the major portion
of the trade, came to an abrupt end last
night at midnight, and all hopes of set
Element are now abandoned. A short time
before negotiations were stopped the pros
poet of an adjustment Of matters looked
the brightest that it had done since the
conference was begun week ago, and
everything was supposed to be ready for the
final action that would end the difficulties,
when the manufacturers asked that they
be assured that there would be no inter-
ference on the part of the union now or
hereafter with any shops that might open
as Independent establishments, and fur
Their asked for the acceptance by the men
of a cut-down Of 10 per cent. in all de-
partments in all their factories. The
hatters committee, which had already
granted every concession the manufsctur-
ers had asked for, looked upon these prop
ositions with Indignation aud resentment
aud tried to have them modified, which the
manufacturers would not allow. The con-
ference then broke up in disorder. The
question of independent shops had not en-
tered into the discussion at the conference
and the labor leaders supposed that the
manufacturers intended to open their fac
toriet as union chops until these PROPOSE
tions were sprung on them last night.
Nothing has been known of the dcings of
the conference until to- day, as everything
was carried on in star chamber sessions,
and all of the members were sworn to se-
crecy. 1t now looks as If the msnufactur-
eFs had not expected that any agreement
would be arrived at, knowing that what
they wanted would be more than the men
could grant.
The manufacturers are to day sending
notices to their old employees in which
they promise them their old positions If
they will return to work Immediately, and
they further assure them that they will
protect them from any violence that the
unions may attempt. 1t is not known
when all of the factories will be opened
as independent shops, as the msnufactur-
ers themselves have not yet decided. Some
of them, however, will start up the first of
next week. If the old help do not go back
but stand by the unions, the manufacturers
will import labor. They have already asked
the protection of the law in letter ad-
dressed to Mayor Andrews for the intended
re. opening of their factories, AMI the
mayor has promised them that protection
Failing by this move to get sufficient help
they will remove from Danbury, as two Of
the biggest manufacturers, Bsckerle & Co.
and John W. Green, have already gone.
The town looks upon the state of affairs
as deplorable in the extreme. The mer-
chants, the matters and all others have
besn buoyed up the past week by the
thought that the conference would settle
matters, but now that it has failed, and
there is absolutely no hope of an amicable
arrangement whereby the manufacturers
and trades unions can be brought into
friendly relations, the very worst is feared.
The labor leaders claim that their unions
are as strong to-day as they ever were, and
that they are going to fight the manufact-
urers to the bitter end. On the otker hand,
some of the latter assert that they have had
enough applications from their old help to
give them force of employees large enough
to run their factories. The union leaders
diecredit this statement. Next week the
clash will come.