The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-05-28
RESULT OF HASTY WORDS.
Interesting History Of a Famous and
Extensive Boycott.

ago, and was perhaps the largest.thi Of
the kind, SO far as relates to the extent of
the territory covered by 1t, that ever ex-
listed In this country. 1t lasted for two
years, 1t ended quietly, and the result OF
II was satisfactory 20 all concerned. 1t
was boycott against very large manu-
featuring establishment, the trade OF
which extends over all the States OF the
Union. The employees, numbering many
hundreds, had become dissatisfied, had
made demands which were rejected, and
had gone on q strike for which no settle
ment could be found. They belonged to
q strong national labor organization,
| which has branches in nearly every city
and town in which the manufacturing
| company has customers.
| 1t was near the end of the year 1898,
when there was no prospect that either OF
| the contending parties would come TO
terms, that the boycott against the com.
pany was declared by the managers OF
| the labor organization. They made very
| extensive preparations to carry II on.
They began by securing the cooperation
OF other national labor unions which
| agreed TO assist to the extent OF their
| ability, and they succeeded in obtaining
| the help OF a national body, not the
| Knights of Labor, in which large num-
F! ber OF the skilled trades of the country
are combined. The next step OF the man
| ayers was to send notice OF the boycott TO
| every local branch OF their organizatie
| in the United States, and also TO the
branches OF the other bodies, which had
| promised assistance. Tens of thousands
| OF printed circulars, bearing the official
| seal and the signatures OF the president
| and Pecretary, were mailed, along with
| an appeal for the enforcement OF the boy
cott by all the parties to whom they were
| delivered.
The next step was one which might
| have rendered the parties to 1t liable to
| the penalties of the law. By some means
| the managers of the boycott had procured
list of the customers OF the boycotted
| company, and to each one OF the thousand
| warning were transmitted. They were
! urged not to have any dealings with the
| concern under the boycott, and were In
| formed that they would certainly lose the
business OF the working people II they
| did not give heed to the warning. Mean
while workingmen belonging to the local
| unions everywhere had been Instructed to
| go to the storekeepers in the places in
which they lived, ask for goods of the
| boycotted company, reject them, and tell
| the salesman that they would never enter
| his place again so long as these goods
| were kept The next step of the managers
| of the boycott was to send out travelling
agents armed with credentials, who had
| orders to stir up the local unions in favor
| of the boycott, and visit the storekeepers
| who kept the goods Of the boycotted COM
| pany. One .of these travelling agents, as
| the reporter learned, was on the road for
| 10 weeks. during which time he traversed
| six States, visited all the larger places in
them, spoke at many OF the close meet
| ings of the labor unions, and called upon
| as many storekeepers as he had time to
| see for the purpose OF asking them
whether they kept the goods OF the COM
pany under boycott.
/ fnr n
long struggle cost IL oney; but the labor
| organi ion had several thousand dollars
| in its treasury when the boycott was de-
cIared. As the employees of the boycotted
| concern were out OF work, many OF them
had to pick up such.jobs as they could
| munerative than the service against
which they had struck. Besides, they
| got help from the men belonging to their
| trade who were still employed by other
firms, some Of which did not seem to re-
| gret that their most successful rival had
| been brought into trouble.
Month after month the boycott YVES
| carried on in the various ways that have
been spoken of. 1t was not many weeks
| before The managers Of the manufactur-
| ing company had begun to realize that
| the boycott was working TO their annoy
ance. They lost some of their customers;
| they got letters OF inquiry from hundreds
of others of them; and they were visited
| by not few OF them, who thought that
| the quarrel ought to be patched up some
how. But the members of the company
| were determined not to comply with the
| demands of the strikers. They filed
| their establishment with non-union
hands; they turned out goods more
| cheaply than ever before; they employed
| new men to drum up trade throughout
| the country, and they offered unusual
terms to their customers. Time passed
| on, but neither side would give In. At
| the end of 1894, the first year OF the
| struggle, both parties were at a disad-
| vsntage. On the one hand, the strikers
were in bad plight, and their sympa-
| thizers were getting tired of the burdens
! imposed upon them, and the treasury of
the labor organization to which they be-
longed was empty. On the other hand,
| the manufacturing company mad been
nagged by many OF their customers, who,
in turn, had been nagged by the mems
| bers OF local labor unions IN hundreds OF
| places. The business of the company
| had fallen of greatly; that OF it's rivals
| in the trade had increased proportIonate-
| ly. The results OF the boycott were dis
| agreeable; the years work of Thousands
of boycetteFs everywhere haa affected
| the company's profits.
| In the secord year of the struggle the
| boycott became what one of it's en-
! gineers described as "dry boycott Ii
| grew uull, tue iHlStest Oh the men con-
| cerneG la 1t was iessened. and several
new boycotting agents had to be sent out
| on the road, the expenses of whom were
| paid by parties other than the original
| strikers or their orgsnizat ions.
For the greater part OF the second year
| or until near the end of the year 1895,
! things went on in this way. The labor
| organization OF which the strikers were
| members could do no more for them, and
| the memD Ders of the company against
! which the strike and boycott had been
| declared were often annoyed by the ad-
vices which they got from parties who
| had been sent out TO boom their trace.
| Both sides were yet determined never
| to surrender. 1t was an unexpected thing
| that happened to one of tho MEM
| bers of the ompany whom he met
| one of his old hands under circum-
| stances which required them to ex-
| change words. After a while the dis
| pute between the parties was spoken of.
| The employer made remark which the
| workman asked him to repeat. The work.
| man replied in terms which interested
| IL a