The silver blade. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1895-1903, 1899-02-04

Labor Notes.
Tobacco workers' congress In Paris
declared for the eight-hour day.
A New York dispatch says that tie
international thread trust has eS0O, ,O00,-
goo capital behind It.
An Illinois Judge has decided that the
8union labor only" clause in ordinances
and laws is unconstitutional.
Oxford College, in England, proposes
to establish branch college for labor
agitators, which may be regarded with
some suspicion.
The trust bakeries In Chicago have
been equipped with new machines By
which three men and two boys can do
| the work Of so men.
| The Sigel 4 Cooper department store
nnagnates are establishing branch houses
in the south to the great generalization
Of the old-fogy one-line stores.
| Molders Of Albany, Troy and schenec.
tady have been injunctioned from boy.
cotting concern in which there IL .
strike. Injunction 10 temporary.
In the case Of Columbus, O., unionist
who had been brought into court upon
the charge Of violating the antitrust law.
the lower court held that q trade union
ID not trust
| A London cable announces that British
capitalists are agitating the formation
Of trusts to keep pace with American
competitors. They fear that the Yankees
will encroach still further ON their mar.
kets.
| The American steel and wire trust haa
"readjusted" the wages of its New Castle
employees to the Beaver Falls basis,
which is lower than the Cleveland scale
Another "readjustment" at the latter
place may be anticipated.
| The miners convention voted down =
socialist resolution by lO3 to 92. Lats-
Ratchford was slapped hard by the adop-
tion of resolution that officials who ac-
cept political jobs must resign or be 70
moved by the executive council.
| The Standard Oil company's distilling
and distributing combine has been reor.
ganized and acquired possession Of nearly
all competing concerns--A pressed steel
car combine, capitalized at $25,O0O, 900,
has been formed.-A pool of all the CON.
| SSiHS uuhuilS hcaBuI CdlH - oAkuukzluBs
/ The New York Central railway and
the Metropolitan street railway system
OF New York city will adopt the com.
pressed air plan Of motive power. It il
claimed that there is greater economy
in every respect in compressed air
power than in steam or electricity.
| Some time ago the U. s. supreme court
declared the railway traffic associations
Illegal. Now the railway magnates and
interstate commerce commissioners are
discussing plans to adopt uniform rates.
which is precisely what the pools were
organized for. So the railway trust u
bound to come after all.
| The four big loan corporations in
Canada have decided to consolidate, and
in all the cities of the Dominion the
deal will affect large office stats, where
one office will take the place Of four.
The combine will have paid up capital
Of $6,OO0OOO, a reserve Of $4,000, 900, and
assets of $25,000,0O, and assets Of $685..
100000.
/ There is big strike on Of cigarmakss
at Tampa, Fla, the workers demanding
higher wages. The trouble, according
to a tobacco journal, is having q ten.
dency to bring the employers INTO
combine. An effort Is being made to
get all the manufacturers together and
ax scale Of wages, and pledge all to
stick to it at any cost and to assist each
other in controversial.
/ Rockefeller's Standard Oil trust raised
the price Of gasoline at Wholesale so per
cent; the same gentleman's new copper
trust has advanced prices; the new pho
tograph paper trust has done the same
thing; the wire and nail trust raised
prices, and some of the iron and steel
combines are following suit. So It goes
n is to be hoped that those democrats
who were wildly clamoring for higher
prices in 1895 will now be happy.
A startling story comes from London.
II is to the effect that the employers are
organizing a general federation along
the line of the one that defeated the
engineers and machinists In the great
struggle Of year ago and for the pur-
pose of destroying the trade unions. Each
firm locking out its employees for being
connected With union will be indem-
niied to the extent of its previous years
profits. One concern is reported to have
started the ball rolling by contributing
$l75,OOO to fund to be used when the
attack begins. It is also proposed to
bring pressure to bear upon parliament
to grant favorable legislation protecting
: capital, as Is the custom in America
Thus the British workingmen are being
slowly and surely forced into q corner
where they will surely recognize their
superior numbers and strike powerful
blhu with THAR nolifical woanon