The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-09-04
LoNGSHoREMEN MAKE A KICK.
REFUSE TO WORK For THE
WAGES THEY HAVE BEEN
GETTING.

An Earnest Meeting of the Long
shOremen's Protective Union Assoc
citation Held Last Night at which n
Resolution Was Passed Refusing
to Load Cotton at $3.50 and S3 "a
Day The Ship brokers and Col.
Harmon Had Previously Been Ask
ed For An Increase to - and 80 "a
Day and Chanse In the Rule of
Time, which Was Refused.
There is going to be trouble in the stor-
ing of vessels with COTTON this season. If
anyone had thoughts TO the contrary and
had been present at a meeting of the
Longshoremens Protective Union Asso-
citation held alst night these thoughts
would have been quickly dispelled.
The Iongshoremen have been dissatisfied
( for some time with the wages they have
received and in the early part of July the
association held meeting at which a COM
mittee was appointed to write letter to
the shipbrokers and Col Harmon, asking
for an increase in wages and a change in
the rule of time from hour TO a quarter,
half, three-quarters and a days work.
This committee, which consisted of F.
| Cobb. H. D. Cannlcl1s G. H Ralph, Moses
Cook, w. H. Harris, j. r. Maxwell and
John Williams, drafted the following let
| ter and sent copies of 1t TO Col. Harmon,
! Messrs. Wilder & Co, Strachan G. Co,
Richardson & Barnard, and J. F. Minis &
| Co.
I'VE, the laboring men in cotton, have
! come together to set forth our grievances
and to ask an increase in wages. You
! promised us an increase in wages when
we became better woFkmen, and you have
not done so. Our work is hard and We
are unable to live upon the wages paid us.
We ask that you increase our wages from
$3.50 and 50 a day to 81 and IS and to
! change the rule of work from hour to
| quarter. half and three-quarters days
| work.
Most of the brokers were absent from
the city and no reply was received to the
communication of the association by it,
Yesterday a committee from the union
called upon some of the brokers and upon
| Col. Harmon and the meeting was held
last night to hear the report of the com
mittee. The meeting was held at Sheftall
hall, at the corner of Lumber and Bay
streets, and about 400 men were present
! President Sandy A. Rhett presided, and
! Peter ]. Robinson was secretary. The un-
| ion claims a membership of las.
The committee reported that it had call
| ed upon Mr.. J. F. Minis, of the firm of
| j. +. Minis & Co., and Mr.. Minis had said
that he had nothing to do with the matter
and the longshoremen would have to see
| Col. Harmon. The committee saw Col.
Harmon and it's report was: "Col Har-
mon said that he would not give us any
I 1aaN
| we would have to work as we
| had heretofore, and by the
same rule. That he had a hard battle to
| fight with the Central railway and that if
we didn't care to work for the wages Of
| fered by him we could go elsewhere.
The sense of the committee 5 report was
already known to those present, but the
reading of it seemed to have a warming
up effect, for cries of "All right, wen go
elsewhere" were heard all over the hall.
A number of the most prominent mem
bers of the union then made 'sp eeches re-
citing the particulars leading zap to the
meeting and stating the condition of the
men, which they claimed was brought
| about by the starvation wages paid them.
G.. r. Maxwell said that most of them
had lived all their lives in Savannah and
| expected to end them here All the
money we have made" he said, sis stored
away in the houses OF the rich in Savan-
| nah, in England, Germany and other for
| eign countries. We haven't dollar. All
the money we make is spent here. We
have worked hard three years for the
| present wages, and not a man can say
| that he Is able to live on them We are
not asking for something t Nat is not ours
| We only want what is dutN us. We want
to be good citizens. to be aNble TO pay our
grocery bills and house rent and the mag
istrates. We have a sea before us and
a horse behind. with a 70 ok on either
side, but l hope the good lpord will see
us safely out of danger"
That the men were enthu siastic were
shown by the tremendous app lause which
Maxwell got at the close of his talk.
II. D. Cannick said that, al tn ough Sa-
vannah was one of the greatest cotton
ports in the world it paid the lowest
wages to the most skilled set of men in
any port. He gave tine scale o.. wages
paid in other ports, and claimed to have
proof of their correctness. They were as
follows:
Charleston, IS a day to tire header and
$3.50 to the gang; Port Royal. head er, So;
bosen, 81, and $3.50 to the gang; Nc rfolk,
header, s. day and 81 to the gang; Gal
weston header 81 a day, and IS to the
gang; New Orleans, header, S.; ganl-, IS;
Mobile, header, IS; gang, 81.
Notwithstanding this" continued <Ean-
nick, "the annual review of the Morn ling
News shows that Charleston has in
creased 30 per cent in the receirAs of
crease of u per cent. So you see it
can't be said that it is labor which does
it,"
Joseph Williams came to the point of
the meeting, and his talk was Doubt eAl
what the men had been waiting for. Me
said that the union did not intend to 20
on strike, nor did they intend to lay a
straw in the way of Col. Harmon or tn g
shipbrokers but he wanted to know {
four shpbrokers could hide behind a,
curtain and one man tell them that he
would not pay them a cent more and If
they didn't want that they could quit"
Now, what we want to know" contin-
ued Williams, lis whether these negroes
shall give their labor to Mr.. Harmon at
the wages offered by him." Cries of mo,
no. no." were heard all over the hail.
IF MIR. Harmon says he can import
labor to do the work. said Williams, II
say, let him do it. Let's hands off and go
to work for 80 cents day where we will
be paid for what work We do and won't
have to kill ourselves making money for