The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-10-26
LONCSHOREMEN GIVING IN.
The Leaders Of the COlOTed Union Ask
for Work.

President sswney Wilson Gets Job as
Foreman of a Cotton Ship With Sandy
Rhett and Lemuel Wade-They Held
Out Until Starvation Stared Them in
the Faoe-sevsral White Longshore-
men Also Return to Work-The Union
Not Recognized and the Men Required
to Deal With Col. Harmon.
The labor war between the longshore-
men and the ship brokers is practically at
an end. The longshoremen. that is a
considerable portion Of them. have ae-
knowledged that they are beaten and
have applied for work
The leaders of the colored union society
were all out to work yesterday as fore
men and headers at good wages, and sew
eral white longshoremen who applied,
when they found that the colored long
shoremen had decided to go to work,
were also given places.
Whether the intention Of the leaders
to go to work was generally known among
the union men is not known, but it is
expected that there will be rush Of
etFFAAStNAANo tO~Adgs ne uLltOA men Will
have to wait. however. and take their
chances at getting work, as Col Harmon
has all the men he wants just now. and
can only work the union men in as the
incompetent men now at work can be
weeded out. There are estimated to be
about seventy-fve white longshoremen
now in the city.
The break in the ranks of the longshore-
men came yesterday morning when a del
egatton Of the leaders of the colored union,
headed by the president, Sawney Wilson,
and Sandy Rhett and LemueI Wade, both
prominent in the society, called upon the
ship brokers and stated that they were
ready to return to work. They said they
had held out as long as possible, and that
1t was now matter of necessity for them
to get work. They had gone to the white
longshoremen and told them, they said,
that they could stand by them no longer;
that starvation threatened them and the
union must go by the board. 1t is now
every man for himself and the devil take
the hindmost, they said. Wilson and
those with him told the brokers that they
realized they had made a mistake in
going into the fight. They had done wrong
and were sorry for it. All they asked was
to be put back to work.
The brokers replied that they had all
the men they needed now, and that they
could not afford to discharge men who
had stood by them during the fight in
order to put back the men who had fought
them. Room could be found for a num-
Der of experienced men, however, they
said, and If the men would apply for work
at the ships they had no doubt that some
of them would be put to work. The bro
kers said that they could not recognize
any union, and that all arrangements to
work would have to be made through
Col. Harmon, who could be found at the
ships.
The men sought work as directed with
the result that most of them were put on.
Wilson was given a place as foreman of
ship, and Wade, Rhett and the other
leaders were all given places as foremen
or headers. With the large number of
ships which he now has on his hands. Col
Harmon was in need of experienced men
for foremen and headers, and the ac-
cession of the ex-union men proved a very
| welcome addition.
Col. Harmon is doing the biggest busi-
| ness of any man in Savannah
just now. He has about 700 men
in his employ, including wharf gangs
| and has all told about TWEEN
ty steamships on his hands The long
shoremen have made a gallant fight. 1t
is now ten months since they declined to
work on the conditions laid down by the
| brokers, and many of them have had no
regular work during that time. The col
| ored leaders doubtless told the truth
! when they said starvation was staring
them in the face. The white and colored
union men stood we'll together.
A broker in speaking Of the matter said
! that the fight had cost the brokers some
money, but it was money that they could
! well afford to lose.
I'VE were tyrannized over by our
! labor" he said, "until the situation be-
/ came unbearable, and II was necessary for
us to fight or get out of the business al
| together. Our victory means a great deal
| for the port of Savannah. Half the cot
ton which has come here already this
year has been because of the cheaper
rates made by reason OF the cheaper labor
employed. Where last year the rate to
Bremen was Al cents a hundred pounds,
this year it has been as low as 81 cents,
and other rates in proportion OF course,
| there were other things that assisted in
the cheapening OF the rates as we'll as
the labor question. but that was the
chief item. We now expect to bring more
cotton here than ever before"