The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1898-01-21

Boston, jan 18.-The fight between
employer and employee in the New Eng
land cotton mills is on, and what 1t VIII
lead up to cannot now be tod. The
great corporations in New Bedford are
silent and thousands of operatives are
idle while here and there discomfort
cropped out all day, the most serious
being at Biddeford, Me-, where 1900 per-
sons refused to work, thus closing two
mills, and at Lewiston, where one mill
was crippled by 400 operatives staying
cut.
The general wage cutdown is estimated
to effect LIS, 900 persons in about lzO mllls,
altk. -gn several mills have previously
adopted the new schedule and several
others have given notice of immediate
reductions. Here and there dissatlsfac-
ton was brought to the notice of agents
and oVerseers over minor grievances,
and in most cases these were either rem.
edied or an inquiry promised.
Today finds textile operatives every.
where intensely interested in the New
Bedford struggle, for here the test OF
strength and endurance will come, anC
upon the outcome will depend the ques'
ton of an industrial battle the entire
length and breadth of the New Eng ano
states. The chief point in this battle
will be discipline, and the first command
of ogranized labor brought well nigh per.
feet obedience.
Yesterday passed quite peacefully, but
. one incident is in some quarters, feared
as a forerunner of the odds the striker.
will take if they are driven to despera'
ton. There was missile throwing al
the gates of one mill which appal emily
was done by persons who took an over
joyful view of the success of the fl s
move and thus emphasized the jokes
they were cracking at the expense Of TIE
officials.
From the point of view OF the mill
owners the New Bedford situation is
now a lockout. Intervention by the
state board of arbitration this week is
hardly likely to be allowed, and nc
overt act on the part of the strikers, and
30 attempt to open mill is expected for
number of days.
il. The New Bedford strikers will receive
strike money from opera tives elsewhere,
but the sum total will be reserved until
a protracted battle brings on want and
ndIuSDlD WHICH lHe uUlOlIS Will IIltu lily
to relieve.
All the New Bedford mills opened at
bell time as usual When no help came
In lights went out, speed stopped, over.
seers and second hands prepared to
make everything snug, and mill gates
were closed Indefinitely. The labor
unions did little work yesterday except
to carry out plans of campaign which
will be developed only as faint hearted
weaVers seek to return to work.
OF the other strikes little has developed
in them as yet to forecast the future.
The Laconia and Pepperell mill workers
in Biddeford struck because they were
anxious to, While the weavers in the An
droscoggin mills, Lewiston, simply took
matters into their own hands, regardless
of other departments,
These two strikes, while on identical
issues, will serve only as minor fights
along the line, unless the strike fever
grows and they become the nucleus Of
a general fight in Maine cities.
One other minor fight now on is that
at Burlington, Vt, whe~e the Queen City
mills shut down indefinitely because the
operatives refused to accept the reduc-
ton. This trouble however, began a
number of days ago, but reached the
acute state yesterday.
Taking the days events throughout
New England it may conservatively be
said that things came to pass just as
expected. 1t is the immediate future
which aWakeus apprehension.
Boston, jar. 19.-Grfm determination
on the part of both sides, coupled with
defined issue between employer and en-
ployes and practically an absence of any
sign Of demonstration were the features
of the second day in the great contest in
the cotton industry of New England.
AS Monday, interest centered almost
entirely in the strike in New Bedford,
where the disturbances of Monday af
ternoon and evening led to the be ief that
a similar demonstration might be at
tempted Tuesday. Nothing of the kind
occurred, ana the strikers strengthened
their case by making the question of
fines definite issue with the mill own
ers. 1t is just possible that an agree
ment on this question may lead to
satisfactory ending of the whole matter
i'm that city, although at present such an
outcome seems far distant.
1t was in a meeting of the WeaVers'
union in New Bedford that the question
of fines was taken up and made an issue
by very close vote. The matter of
financial support to the strikers was also
generally discussed, not only in New
Bedford, but in Biddeford, Saco and
Lewiston, Me-, and while the union
strikers seem to have no anxiety regard
ing the next three months, the non-union
men who are out have feeling that they
may not receive sufficient assistance dur
ing the labor troubles. In Fall River the
superintendent of the King Philip mill,
where there Is a strike, went so far as
agreeing to remedy union grievances
but other than this there appeared no
breach in the line of the manufacturers
during the day
The hundred thousand operatives in
all six of the New England, states are
watching the contest in New Bedford.
Saco and Biddeford very closely, and
any signs of weakening on the part Of
either manufacturer or operative viii be
the signal for a general labor movement.
the extent of which will be unparalleled
in mill history.
sudden Death of Logan Carlisle.
New York, Jan. 17.-Logan Carlisle.
chief clerk of the treasury department
during the last Cleveland admin stra-