The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-01-25

PORTLAND. MAIN II, 1
Industrial trouble to Texas mortimer,
and said that while the latter Is crea-
tion Of the Almighty, the present. ca
lam1ty was the creation OF man, anu Is
to be condemned. He admitted thaS
Southern competition is being felt by tne
New England mills, but added thaG II
they had paid better wages ana more
reasonable dividends there would nave
been less inclination in the South to-day
to increase the cotton mill business.
The mills that bought heavily OF cotton
with the expectation that its price
would rise, were simply the victims OF an
error of judgment, and should manfuly
pocket the loss, just as merchants 40
who make similar mistakes in stocking
up with grain and -four.
Continuing, Mr.. Andrews said that
quitting down wages will neither lessen
Southern competition nor relieve over
production. A larger home consumption
must be created. and it cannot be expect
ed to come by lessening the purchasing
power OF SO large a class of New England
citizens. He predicted that if the man
ufaoturing corporations keep up their
Bring about a revolution greater RI s than IN
this country has seen since it threw off
the yoke of English oppression.
Alderman William e. Youland, dry
goods merchant, pledged $25 to the cause,
and said he would double it If the strike
lasted and more money was needed. He
believed the operatives were unjustly op-
pressed. He worked many years in the
cotton mills of Lewiston and had par
ticipated in two strikes. Ii the corpora
tion directors had been as energetic in
keeping up the price Of cotton as they
have in forcing the present labor trouble,
there would have been less reason for
them to complain of the market. Mr..
Youland regarded the plea of Southern
competition as a makeshift. Ho advo-
Gated the enactment of an eight-hour
law as solution of the problem OF over
production.
N W. Kendall, stationer, expressed
his sympathy with the operatives, he
would not have advised them to strlke'
he said, but now that they are out, ne De,
lieved they should stay out till they forced
the corporations to reopen their gates
and remove the cut down.
| Ex-Representative Cornelius Horigan,
member of the Andrews-H Horigan COM
pany, grocers denounced the cotton mill
| trust and referred to the statement of one
of the corporation officials that the Bid
deford mills were not the first to post
notices of a cutdown, and would not be
the last to remove them, in case any OF
the New England mills in the combine
should. abandon It's agreement. "That
statement" said Mr.. Horigan, did more
than anything else to solidify the bust
ness men of Biddeford against the corpo-
rations."
N. B. Osgood, an ex-alderman and
dealer in tinware, said he had lived on
soldiers rations. for the country S sake,
and If necessary would be willing to live
again on small rations, in order to help
the operatives win in this waiting con-
| test.
| Alfred Bonneau and G. A. Lacroix
addressed the strikers in the French Ian
guage, expressing sympathy with t.,e1r
cause and pledging the united support
Of the business men of the two cities.
@. p. Stockman, furniture dealer,
said it cost him S13 day to run his store,
and business had been at a standst1ll
since the strike began. 1.-The Lord only
knows what will become of us II this
keeps on all winter" said he, "but
am heartily in sympathy with you ope-
ratives, and I will be one of 50 men to
subscribe 500 apiece to help the cause
along. He denounced the Arkwright
Astor house and Vendome, drink cham
pagne, smoke 50-csDt cigars and say:
tThe people be DID,
The strikers relief committee received.
many new donations TO-DAY, among them
five barrels of crackers from Goudy
Ss Kent of Portland.
AUGUSTA WEAVERS ORGANIZE.
Augusta, January PA meeting was
held here tonight by the weavers of
Edwards Mfg. Co., for the purpose of
organizing q local union, to become
part of the National Weavers Union.
Four hundred men have signifed their
intention of joining. The meeting Mon
day night was an enthusiastic one and
while there will probably, be no strike
here, they are in sympathy with the
striking weavers in Massachusetts,.
SITUATION UNCHANGED.
New Bedford, Mass, January 24.-The
strike siuation remains unchanged
Both sides are holding out without
sign of giving in. This afternoon mass
meeting of the operatives was held at the
South End, the first of a series, at which
Minnie Rosen. representing the United
Garment workers of New York, advised
the strikers never to give IN. Sne
promised the assistance of her union and
described the misery she mad founo IN
her visit to New Bedford.
The Union operatives are now drawing
pay. but in spite of this the calls upon the
city's poor department. for assistance
are increasing. Financial aid from out
Of town is beginning to come in and will
later be distributed to the strikers.
Outside of little work in the cloth
rooms at the striking mills no work has
been done in them by the operatives for
eight days.
FALL RIVER sPINNERs STRIKE. =
Fall River. Mass, January 24.-The
frame spinners and other help in the
spinning department of the No. 4 mill of
the Fall River Iron Works Company, left
their work at noon today and refused to
90 back. They claim that they have
been cut all the way from Is to 20 per
cent and refuse to work for the new
wages. There are about 200 out in all.
| Of the 14S frames in the mill, but IA are
running this afternoon and they are
operated by three boys. The strikers
filed no complaint with the authorities
| - +l,ay ,Qa, in