The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-02-01
NEW ENGLAND STRIKERS CAN
NOT UNDERSTAND IT.
GOT HIGHER WAGES UNDER DEMOCRATS
They Deplore The Election of Mckinley 1hous
ands Who Worked For Him Say Now
that They Were Deceived by
Fair Promises.
(From the New York WORLDLY

the thousands of mill operatives in this
city, When it was inauguated they
paradcd the streets, carrying brooms and
banners, lauding it to the skies. The
operatives of each mill were marshaled
in companies, and they mrached be-
hind banners that bore all kinds of
words of hope and good cheer. Today
those words are a mockery.
The city went overwhelmingly for
Mckinley at the last Presidential cleo
tion Within a week his picture, thrown
from cinematograph in local theatre,
was roundly Missed and derided The
mana gememt saw fit to remove it imme-
diately.
At the manufacturers conference,
when the operatives representatives
pleaded for delay in the reduction of
wages, one good Republican on the
operatives delegation stood up and
spoke his mind to his employers. His
name is Albert HILBERT, and he is the
assistant secretary of the Viewers
Union. Said he:
"Gentlemen last year | voted for Nc
Kinley and prosperity, but | was a
sucker, and there were thousands like
me in the city. No more of Mckinley 5
prosperity for me, / tell YOU
Charles Phillips is Il member of the
L0omfixers' Union, and is employed at
the King Phillip Mills, where there is a
strike now on against Il reduction in
wages. lie is prominent in politics, has
been a member of the Republican city
committee, worked and voted for Nc
Kinley and is the typical ward worker
among the Republican trades unionists
in the CITY, He was in the headquarters
of the Carders' Union this evening when
he was asked what he thought of Nc
Kinley prosperity. He flew into n pas
sion at first, because he thought the re-
porter was making fun of his misery.
His words were interpersed with curses
for some time. When he cooled off a
little he said
''0h, ] worked for him all right. /
carried broom. / stayed out of my
work TO get the fellows together, and
spent many a good dollar for the cause.
But if any gets me shout
ing for Mckinley again, you tell me!
Prosperity Why, we're worse than
ever the slaves were. We all thought
he meant what he said and we all be-
lieved these manufacturers and we
worked for their cause. They gave it to
auguration. They've been talking moth
ing but lower wages ever since. If any
one ever hears me saying a word against
Bryan again | hope he'll plug me, that's
allr'
Were there many of you fellows for
Mckinley" he was asked.
Many of us? Why, the vote was the
biggest the Republicans ever got here,
and | and otner fools like me went all
over this town working for him as
though every minute meant a dollar u
us. Many of us? Why, the procession
We had here was two miles long and
wasn't over until after midnight. Many
of us2 Well, You look at the records.
What have we got for it? Well, you
know. We've got IL to 16 per cent of
cut-dOwn. No young fellow who isn't
married can get enough out of the mills
at the present time to support himself
not ITO say a wife and IA family. It's
a starvation basis these mill men are
fighting for. They want us to get down
TO the lowest level; that's what A1cKin
ley prosperity means to us. I got $11.50
a week under Cleveland; now my wages
are so week. I'm supposed to be
skilled man ana Mckinley prosperity
means lower wages Tor me. And I'm
lucky compared with the other poor fell
lows who's getting s. cents a day He
was getting 81 before Mckinley pros
perity struck in. There's an old fellow
getting SLOT a day to support a family
of six. That's the prosperity l voted
for"
And Mr.. Philips went on in the same
vein for twenty minutes.
Joseph jackson IS the secretary of
the Slasher Tenders Union. He is a
conservative fellow and his union is
made up wholly of men. Il voted for
Mckinley the first time / voted a Re
publican ticket; the first time | voted a
Republican ticket in many day. ] vot-
ed for cleveland three times. / didn't
like the doing at Chicago and / didn't
like Bryan. I've got my fill of il. The
trouble is with us here that we let these
manufacturers blind us with tariff talk
and that kind of stuff, and we lose sight
of the monopolies and the trusts and the
manufacturers in general, and we voted
for Mckinley just as / did. Look at rs
now. The very men we voted to support
are offering us the wages and the treat
mSnt of slaves"
There were seven men in the carders'
rooms, while this talk was going on.
They were damning prosperity and Nc.
Kinley and themselves in The same
breath. One of them voiced the senti
ments of all when he said:
81 we had voted for Bryan, and al
the things happened that these manu-
facturers promised would happen, W.
could not be any better off, and I'm SURE
we could be no worse off"
While all these men were talking fou
men and four women came into tn
headquarters. Each had a can and eac
shook it vigorously. They were Ne1
Bedford operatives who had been al
over the city during the day making col
lections with cans to relieve the distrcs
of the strikers in their city. The.
hadn't obtained much. Two of then
were as pretty as any daughter of
New York millionaire merchant. The