The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1894-07-31


cents to 81 per day. This action en-
abled the men to partially gain their
point. From 1886 to 1912 there were
fifteen strikes, termed important in
various parts of the country, of which
ten were complete failures, two were
successful, and three were compro-
missed. The militia was called out in
three cases to suppress rioting.
The first strike under conditions at
all similar to the present, I. e. "hard
times" was in 1880. "The tariff for
revenue only" that is the Tariff Act
of 1916, had got in its deadly work
against the iron industry. The man.
ufacturers offered a reduction in wages
to correspond with the reduction in
the price of iron, which the men re-
fused to accept, just as they do to this
day. In February four of the mills
started up with men willing to work
at the reduced scale. Mobs of the old
men Immediately filled the streets
around the mills and made fierce at
tack on the men, many women join
ing in the assault with a fierceness
even exceeding that of the men. This
was the first case where old men ever
denied the right of new men taking
their places, a Pittsburg claim pure
and simple. A great many arrests
followed and many heavy fines were
imposed for assaults. After six months
idleness the men went to work at the
reduced scale first offered. For the
next ten years the price of iron grad
ually went down, wages the same,
and strikes became very numerous
and uniformly unsuccessful and costly
to those engaged in them. 1t 1850
general strike of shoemakers in Mas
sachusetts broke out. Mass meetings,
parades and demonstrations were of a
daily occurrence, followed by riots
and the calling out of the militia.
They lost their point and returned to
work in April, short some 100000 in
wages alone. During the war strikes
were few, as labor was scarce and
commanded most any price asked, an
illustration of the law of supply and
demand, which working men now-a-
days seem to think applies to any
thing but labor. A strong sentiment
against strikes grew during this time.
In 1865 a system called sliding scale
of wages was adopted, regulating
wages according to fluctuations in the
price of iron. The second scale was
fixed on new prices in July, 1867, and
while strongly objected to by chronic
soreheads and strike leaders, the ma
jority accepted it and averted strikes
among the iron works until 1874.
The Cigar Makers Union first came
into notice in 1871, and from that time
till 1875 struck no less than siXty-eight
times. Since the change of law few
years ago lowering the tax on cigars
SO per thousand, of which the makers,
factory men and retailers each took 81,
they have had no strikes on account of
wages.
The greatest railroad strike ever
known, unless the one now on should
eclipse it, commenced in July, 1877,
Just after the excitement of the Hayes
Tilden contest was in measure pass
ing away, but while many were yet in
anything but a good frame of mind,
for that contest brought the country
to the very verge of a civil war. AT
first only the Baltimore x Ohio, in
West Virginia, was affected, but soon
spread to the entire Baltimore & Ohio
system, and on to the Pennsylvania
Central, Erie, Lake Shore & Michigan
Southern, Pittsburg & Fort Wayne,
Wabash, Lake Erie & Western, and
twelve or fifteen other single roads or
systems. The tie-up was complete
and included everything but mail
cars, on which not even funeral par
ties were allowed to ride. OF course,
riots followed. The National Guards
were called out in both West Vir-
ginia and Pennsylvania, but proved
utterly useless and unreliable in
Pittsburg, refusing to obey orders,
lending their arms to strikers and
even joining in the riots while wear
ing their uniforms. The result was
the burning of cars, shops, ware
houses, goods in transit, 125 locomo-
tives in one bunch, loss of life and a
reign of terror in Pittsburg until the
regular army appeared on the scene
and dispersed the mobs by simply
marching through the streets with
fixed bayonets. The mobs knew full
well that if the regulars got the order
to fire that they would do so, and
that they would not fire in the ground
nor the air, but right into the mob.
What saving of life and property if
MODS held the same wholesome res
pect for our National Guards. Chi
cago was also put to much trouble, by
what we since term anarchists, max
ing a determined effort, which re-
quired troops and some judicious
blood letting to subdue them. Nearly
all cities of the East and Central
States had more or less trouble. In
the city of indianapolis Benz. Har-
rison was captain of company of
volunteers for the protection of life
and property, which fact was used
against him when he was candidate
for the Presidency. What did all this
amount to? The loss in Pittsburg
alone by fire and destruction amount
ed to the enormous sum of 81 100000,
of which the railroads sustained only
s., 900, leaving by far the heaviest
loss on parties in no way concerned
in the quarrel. The men had griev-
ances only against the B. x o., the
strikes on all the other roads were
sympathy strikes to help the B. d ..
men win. They all lost, and it was
ten years before another railroad
strike of any importance was at
tempted. In December, 1887, the en-
tire Reading road was tied up because
the company refused TO recognize the
knights of Labor as having any say
in running the road. The men lost
and the road was soon running with