Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1894-03-02
STRATEGY Of KNIGHTS
Big Row With Federation
People at Boston.
INTERFERED IN A STRIKE.
Beginning Of Struggle Which Prom
ises to Be Long and Bitter.

BosToN, Mar'h 2. - The smouldering
fire OF rivalry ana Hu,. - between the
American Federation of Labor and the
Knights of Labor in this city has broken
out anew and threatens to involve these
two great labor organizations in pro-
tracted struggle that will extend over the
entire country.
This time the Knights seem to be the
aRgressors. BY a bit of stratagem they
have spoiled settlement between the
largest Federation union in the city and
its most powerful adversary, just at a
time when a settlement would have saved
the union from what now threatens TO be
dissolution.
About ak months ago the United Gar
ment Workers union of the American
Federation Of Labor, composed of 1900
garment workers, placed boycott on the
products of the shops of the clothing
manufacturers of this city The grievance
was that the manufacturers, acting as the
Clothing Manufacturers association, re-
fused to accede to the unions demand
that all goods should be marked by the
union label.
The Fight Has Been Bitter
and the manufacturers have been sending
BOOus away tuc W De
made. This action has deprived the
workers from an opportunity to make
living, and at the same time has un-
doubtedly greatly injured the sale of the
association dealers clothing. Conse-
quently both parties have recently shown
an anxiety for settlement, and mum Der
of conferences between the parties in the
fight have been held to that end. Both
~ Aao do Ia, NJ
seemed imminent, when the manufactur-
srs suddenly broke off all negotiations
and the chances of the union of making
this important adjustment became nil.
II appears that the Knights of Labor
people went to the manufacturers and
succeeded In inducing them to cease all
recognition Of the Federation people and
to recognize the Knights. They repre-
sented, 1t is alleged, that a majority Of
the garment workers in the city were in
the ranks Of their organization already,
and that the others were bound TO be
there within a very short time. They
cared nothing for the label contention at
this time and would make n settlement
on terms much more favorable to the
bosses. On the other hand, IL the manu-
facturers did settle with the Federation
they (the Knights) would consider il a
discrimination against them and act ac-
eordinRly. The manufacturers took their
side Of the case and
Refused to Treat Further With the Union.
The Federation people denounce the
action of the knights as an unwarranted
interference and a gross outrage. They
say that there are not more than 90 men,
bers of the only garment workers as
sembly In the city, while they have
mem mbership of more than 1900. The pur-
pose Of the Knights is, they claim, to
break up their union and to force the
clothing operators into the Knights of
Labor.
The officials of the Knights of Labor
say that the boycott was unwarranted
from the first, and that 1t has been the
means of bringing hundreds of men and
women to the verge of starvation and to
pauperism. While they do not admit
that they propose to break up the
union, they say that the workers in the
craft will never be well off until they are
Knights.