Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1895-05-09
SERIOUS TROUBLE BREWING IN
CHICAGO.
STRIKERS BOMBARD WORKS
Try to Persuade Men Still ut Their
Posts to Qult-Machinlsts Hold
Their own and Fight for Rights
Police Interfere-Jolict Shops shut
Down.

Chicago, May "a serious Slflkc
occurred at the plant Of the Illinois
Steel company In South Chicago; 200
men throwing down their tools ana
walking out. According to Vice Pres,
ident Forsythc, Of the company, the
furnace men this spring signed II scale
Of wages calling for Il rate Of $40
per day. This scale has been observed
up to the present time, but yesterday
the men demanded that they be paid
at the rate Of last year which was
somewhat higher.
The company declared that 1t could
not pay anything except the scale
which had been agreed to for this
year, and the men walked out. The
strike closed two blast furnaces, and
two others were undergoing repairs,
and the remaining four were at once
shut down until the conclusion Of the
strike, the company concluding that It
was unWlSr to attempt to run until
the matter was settled The action Of
the company threw $500 men ont Of
work, none remaining except the
Waterman and mnchlnlstS. The
strikers were at first disposed to be
orderly and pcaceablc, but later the
affairs took m ugly aspect and IT
was found necessary to call the police
to drive the strikers away About g.
o'clock ut night the crowd Of 900
strikers, nearly all ignorant Huns
Poles and BohcmInns, forced their
way past the Waterman and procr"d-
ed to take possession Of the colnpanys
property, They first forced some Ia
boring men to join their ranks, or quit
work, and then marched to the shop
where about 100 machlnIsis were nj
work. Here they met Il different re-
ception. The machniSts received Il
different scale Of their own, and the
fight of the other men made no par
ticulnr difference to them and they re-
fused to listen to the demands Of the
strikers To quit work. The strikers,
finding their arguments unsuccessful,
begun an mlnck upon the machine
shop with stones and such weapons
as they could pick up The machlnsts
stood their ground. The fight growing |
warm broken heads aud bloody noses
were growing very common when the
police who had been summoned when
the fight commenced began to arrive.
The police charged the mob, but they
stood their ground ana II was only
with the free IKE of clubs aud firing
their rcvolyers over the heads of the
mob that the police forced them toj
retire. -Four men, two officers, II !
striker and n mnuhlnat were seriously
injured. Twenty eight men, who are
said to be the leaders, were arrested
and locked up.
one of the minor officials of thcl
company ala not exactly agree with
the cause of the strike as given by,
Mr.. Fursythc He said: "rhr men
who struck were hired three weeks
ago to take the places u old employees
who were hrng paid S2,1O > day and
who would not work for the schedule
Of Sl.W which WAS put into effect at
that thine. They were hired on theI
contract system AMI had agreements
for Il year With the 81 go men at thcl
furnaces there are Il number of day
hborclS who are working for SLID al
day and THESE wages were voluntarily
raised from 81 II short time ago They
are SarlSliUd, but If the furnace men
quit they will have nothing to do. and
Will be- ont of work although they
should not be counted IN the strikers
The men who agreed to work for 81 80
asked for the old scale which had been
was not granted and they struck"
Joliet, H., May \. The Illinois
steel company in this city has closed
down on account of the strike. Switch.
men, engineers and tirumcu and IngotI
men of the steel works are out ON Il
strike for higher wages, with 500
men thrown ont of work lugot men
who were receiving 81 80 for twelve
hours work, want $3.50 t,uginrrrS
want their wages raised from 81 ~ tu
Sl.uS, and hrrmrn. who were getting
$3.50, dcmmud 81 &c, aud switrhmcu
want an increase to 81 81 from 81 ~.
Nhe repair shops. blast furnaces, ma
chine shops, fouudrirS blacksmith and
boiler shops, carpenter and pattern
shops are all IN operation. The strike
has boon very quiet So far.
WANT TllE CnRRETr ElGllT.