The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-06-17
STRUCK FOR SATURDAY PAY.
NEGRO LONGsHOREMEN OUT At THE
o. :. :. co. WHARVEs.

to Return 10 work, and Then La
hor WIN Be Sought Elsewhere If
They DO Not show Up-Work Has
Not Been Suspended, as All the La
borers Did Not striISe-StriISers Are
Peaceful, But Say They win Not
Return TO work.
Three hundred cOlored laborsrs en-
ployed by the Ocean Steamship Com
pany and the Central Railroad, at the
wharves, went on a strike yesterday
morning. No other reason than that the
pay days set by the companies do not
suit them is assigned by the strikers for
their action.
The companies pay the laborers on the
4th, 18th, 18th and 25th OF every month.
That is four tusss' month, and Il will
be seen that the intervals between pay
days is greater than a week in but one
instance. that between the 18th of one
month and the Attn of the month following
The negroes say they want their money
every Saturday night instead of as they
have been getting il. They saw no other
way that held out a promise of obtain
ing what they want except to strike,
and strike was organized.
The bnly thing that commends the
strike, or those engaged in Il, Is its thor
ough peacefulness Thus far there has
not been the slightest tendency toward
disorder No one has lnterfered with the
negroes who have continued at work. and
the strikers state they 40 not intend 10
use any but the most peaceful means of
securing their demands.
Night before last Mr. r. C. Trezevant
agent for the two companies, got an ink
Ing of the intended strike. Up 10 that
time he had not known that it was the
intention of the negroes to take that plan
TO force payment on Saturday nights for
their work. The negroes themselves say
they had addressed two or three notes
10 their foremen, telling them they want
ed the pay days changed, but the notes
were signed only Men at Work." and
were ignored.
Yesterday morning the working force CT
the companies showed up very short. Men
enough could not be had to carry on the
loading and unloading vessels as rapidly as
is the rule. The City OF Macon was 20
sail In the morning, but did not get Off
until the afternoon, owing to there beins
but few men to put her freight aboard.
The City of Augusta arrived before the
departure OF the City of Macon, but IL
was not until the men working on the lat
authority were able to transfer them to
the City Of Augusta and have that vessel
discharged.
Mr.. Trezevant was seen about the strike
He sad that all but about one-third of
his force had quit work. Those who re-
NAMED We're doing very well and Mr..
Irrelevant said he thought il would be but
a day or two before there would be plenty
Of labor. There is enough of it in the
country ne SAID and we viii not be
sent word 10 the strikers that they can
come back to work. They know we would
rather have them than green men, as they
know and are accustomed TO the labor
How long do you propose TO allow them
TO remain out and still have their jobs
open for them? he was asked.
Tomorrow viii settle The matter with
me-" he replied "Of course any hing ]
may do wiz have tog be ratified by Mr..
Kline and Mr. Egan bur IL we do NOT Ret
the strikers hack work mo
ing We will find our labor elsewhere l
have received 70 sort of committee or dep
utation from them They know l don't
want TO see them. our rules are known 10
them, and they know IL is useless TO try 10
get us TO change them. If they don't want
to work for US, why it is their privilege to
quit, and that Is all there is about IT, they
can quit and We can get other men, which
happens, also, TO be our privilege"
Mr.. Trezevant is convinced that the strik-
ers are following a suicidal policy in their
acton. He cannot see how their best in
terests can be subseryed by getting their
pay on Saturday nights. He believes the
negroes, their families and the community
reap the benefit when the men are paid
under the present plan, but IL they are paid
on Saturdays he fails to discern who would
profit more than the keepers of barrooms
and low dives.
IF the men get their money during the
week, said the agent, "as is the case
nearly all the time under The arrange
menl we have for paying them off, they
know the next day Is working day.
rooms and spending all their earnings 10
get drunk and carouse. On the contrary
they so to Their homes and their families
get part of their ns(ney. The cOmmuni-
" is aided by the plan We follow. Were
lhe Saturday night arrangement wanted
by the men ganted them, It would be bad
| for themselves, their families, the com
munity and the police"
Some of the strikers were seen. They
! had nothing more to say than that they
wanted their money Saturdays. Thai was
| the burden of their song. To many of
| them a week begins with Monday and
! ends with Saturday, and no SIX days can
end with those days. Working under the
| plan devised by the transportation COM
| panes is more Than they can cheerfuily
| consent TO, and not few of them are
convinced that they have to welt twice
as long between paydays as would be the
case of the beloved Saturday Of the race
| could be made the payday and Saturday
| nights converted into a llvesier time than
| they are now found
I Another claim made by the negroes IS
! that they are AT the mercy of pawn
| hokers and money lenders under the ex-
listing arrangement. just how they figure
that out cannot be followed, though it
/ seems 10 have its basis in the superstition
| that any other week than that between
! Monday and Saturday is about twice as
10 pay % cents for 81 from one payiav 10
| the next; that they cannot meet their
how those matters would be simplfed
| by change to Saturday nights IS more
| than Us intelligibe 10 any but the darkies
| who have reasoned it our
! From the. 18th to the, 4th laborers have a
| longer wait as stated. When they are
| paid. however, they get more money, and
| what difference the two or three days
make Il not clear The wages received
and 10 cents an hour for the men VINO
! work on the wharves and II and l7t5 cents
for those who go down into ihe hold Of
the ships. The latter are paid better be-
cause there Is an element of danger in
| their work and il is more arduous.
it Is claimed that some of the keepers Of
barrooms In Yamacraw are at the bottom
OF the trouble and that It is their influ-
ence that keeps the men away from work
II is to their advantage to have SATURDAY.
paydays, and il the laborers will stick il
out 10 Is not unlikely that they win meet
with the ready announcement of those
who would profit by the plan they are
| after.
A VISIT last night to Yamacraw where
many OF the laborers live, but no other
information than that they do NOT propose
! returning to work this morning could I've
gained. They say they will stick il out
The headers the men whom the agent
puts in chatge of small gangs Of men,
have not knocked Off and their influence
may have some weight with the others
Air TrpypV9pt eaNS IL has baav Tho a,.-