The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-06-05
THE OLNEYyILLE TROUBLE.

clear that the mills are now open for
good.
In a word, the strike, or lockout.
whichever you may choose to call it
from your particular standpoint, is at
an end.
We do not mean, by this, to assert
that the mills are running in perfect
shape, and that the great army of
workers are all at their posts. Our
Olneyville news bureau gives us, rs yet,
no such welcome assurance. But it
seems TO us what has been printed
in our columns from the disturbed COM
munity indicates pretty clearly that the
tide has turned from Merino Flats into
the mills.
Nothing is more amazing, nor would
be more amusing, were this not very
serious matter, than the attempt TO give
the public contrary idea. The "press
committee" of the strike leaders, the
agitators themselves, and one single
newspaper are combined to keep open
the gap that has yawned in Olneyville
between labor and capital. to deprive
the one Of wages and the other of busi-
ness, and to Keep from the butcher, and
the baker, and the candlestick maker,
the dry goods man, the landlord,
and everybody else whose money and
business contributes to the prosperity
Of Olneyville and even of Providence,
the thousands OF dollars that tho pro-
ducing power of the big mills, like so
many mints, puts into circulation. To
make slaves Of men, TO paralyze bust
ness, Is their malign purpose, strange as
1t may appear that they should have any
such purpose-but not so strange. either,
when we consider that they set mp the
claim that it is some underlined and un-
detinaGle principle for which they are
willing TO wreck everything.
THE News reporters in Olneyville
are not depending on any "press COM
mittee" of labor agitators, or upon the
hopes of the manufacturers, for their
opinions, though both these sources are
relied upon, subject to the check
ing of the vision Of honest
reporters. A great many men went to
work in Olneyville on Monday. probably
one-half of all that the mills needed.
There were more that went in on
Tuesday. Aud we believe our
reporters are correct in esti-
mating that every day will show some
gain in the number of toilers returning
to their toll. Common sense in the end
will prevail among the mass of the
honest men who have been fCl
lowing the agitaiors for so many
weeks when there was no one with
grit enough to lead them, right about
face, the other way. The strike leaders
are doing everything they can think
mp to keep the men out and com
pei the mills to close up again
and SO maintain their prestige, and
verify their boast, that the workers
would not go back 10 work. Some of the
men who went into the mills on Monday
were induced to stay out on Tuesday.
We are told that men whose
skill in certain departments is necessary
to the process Of the manufacture re-
main out, thus interfering with the work
Of hundreds of others. Every
method known TO the black
guard, the intimii ator, and the
demagogne of this burlesque on
honest trades unionism is being resorted
to to defeat the evident will of the
masses of the workers. But while a
good deal of show of success
may be made for time, such
we believe, cannot
long prevail against the current of COM
mon sense and resolute human indepen-
dence that are already indicated among
the Olneyville mill hands.
As for the manufacturers, they have
opened their gates that all may come ill
freely. They are using neither coor-
cion nor false promises for the men to
come to work. They have disappointed
the strike leaders who planned
it to have at least one mill kept empty
with the expectation that though all the
rest were able to run. the manufactu-
rers' agreement would result in q gen.
eral shut down and driving out |
from the mills of the men |
who had shown n disposition to work.
Thus might the onus Of the miserable
business have been shouldered on the
But the latter have not
taken the hoped-for step and we doubt
Il they are likely 10. The Fletcher
Mills, indeed, which are the particular
mark for this venomous scheme, were.
we believe, the last to shut down, and, if
we recall Alright the situation at the
outset of the struggle. their
employees were informed thar
there would be no lockout and that SO
ong rs any of them chose to remain at