The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-01-25
MERCHANTS BEHIND THEM
Striking Mill Operatives Of Bidde.
ford and SatO Encouraged.
MASS MEETING OF BUSINESS MEN
HELD in OPERA HOUSE.

SpeechmaIers Condemn Corporations
strikers-saco's Mayor Says Their
Cause is a Holy One-P1edges of Money
and Provisions Rolling In.
ESPECIAL TO THE PREss.1
Biddeford, January 24.-For the first
time since the mill operatives strike be-
gan, the merchants of Biddeford and
Saco were heard from in an "offioial"
manner. A mass meeting held under the
auspices Of business men and addressed
by them, was attended by. as many opera.
tives as could crowd into the Opera house.
There were fully HOO present.
1t was lively meeting in every sense.
The speeches We're brimming with SYM
pathy and praise for the operatives and
denunciation of the corporation officials
VINO are responsible for the cutdown.
Congratulatory letters and kilograms
poured in and pledges of cash, tons of
coal, cords of wood and provisions Of va
rious kinds were offered. A permanent
organization of business men was formed
for the kpurpose of aiding the strikers
and relieving cases of destitution.
James 6. G. Smith, dry goods deal
er, opened the meeting and called to the
chair ex-Assessor Frank j. Smith, who
recently opened a crockery store in Bid
deford. Mr.. Smith made speech which
set the audience into uproarious applause.
He said the strike meant as much to the
business men as to the operatives. The
Biddeford corporations had been we'll
used and well managed, and have been
paying larger diviends than many other
cotton factories in the country. There
was no need of their reducing the wages
of their operatives. He condemned the
action of the Biddeford corporations go.
ing into the Arkwright combination for
the purpose of helping out some weak and
mismanaged mills.
He declared that the Biddeford reduc-
tion was case of robbery, and that the
sympathy of the citizens is with the
strikers He had visited the homee OF
some of the mill operatives and knew
what struggle it was for them to get
living. He believed the producers
are entitled to reasonable share of the
earnings Of their labor. The reason why
so many children are kept at work in the
mills Is because their parents cannot
earn enough to supply their families with
necessaries.
"We business men have come here to-
night" said Chairman Smith, to talk
over the situation and see what can be
done to assist you. We mean business.
for we realize that unless you work at
fair wages our business cannot prosper"
The following nomination committee
was chosen to present. a list of names
for permanent organization OF mer-
chants to serve as long as the strike
lasts: James q. G. Smith, X. w. Suther-
land, Geo. W. Carter. n. W. Kendall,
Stookman, P. j. Paraday, Phineas Kel-
ly. John E. Fl. Townsend. This commit
tee nominated the following list, which
was adopted: President, Frank j. Smith,
Secretary, Cornelius Horigan; treas urer,
James g. q. Smith; executive commit
tee, N. W. Kendall, George B. Gutter,
G. A. -Lacroix, W. E. Youland, ). :.
Paraday, f. F. Reauregard, John 3.
Fortin, George R. Andrews, J. p. b.
Tarte, Howard Hamilton, John 7. Hama
way. Dennis Murphy, John b; Dean,
Onesime Nadeau, e. G. Neal, +. II. Cous-
ems, Fred G. Goodwin.
Chairman Smith read q letter from
Mayor Samuel l.. Lord of Saco, who ex-
pressed full sympathy with the strikers
and declared that the cutdown was un-
warranted and in some places outrageous.
He praised the action in coming togeth-
er to devise ways and means to AID tne
strikers, and said their cause Is as molly
an one as every man or woman engageu
in, "Let us show to these wage earners,
said he, s'that we are with them, heart
and hand, and will stay with tnem as
long as they conduct themselves IN as
lawful and sober a manner as has char
acterized their attitude since the strlKe
began
The reading of Mayor Lords letter was
received with tremendous applause. "A
letter from Dennis O'Connor expressed
sympathy with the strikers and promised
financial assistance to them. Inc Union
Coal oompany's donation or nve IONS
of coal, and 3. II. Small q CO.. ouer
Of Sl5 worth of goods to assist the rellef
committee were read. A telegram re-
ceived from Howard Hamilton, bluoe-
ford merchant who was in Rockiand To-
night, congratulated the operatives on
their orderly department and advised
them to stay out till they win. >. II.
Libby Of Portland telegraphed hls,sym,
pathy with the strikers and contributed
| $25 to the cause
Henry I. Lord termed the mill opera
tives white Slaves and expressed the
hope that the corporations would be
| taught a lesson in this crisis. He pre-,
dicted victory for the strikers, and said
the longer the strike is continued the
greater will be their victory. In his opin-
Ion the cutdown in the Biddeford mills
was entirely unwarranted.
| George Il. Andrews, grocer, and an
ex-city marshal of Biddeford made tell
ing speech in which he took the opera
tives' side of the controversy with the
corporations He compared the present