Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1899-07-06
SOVEREIGN SPEAKS.
Action Of Gen. Merriam in the Ceur
d'Alene Trouble Denounced.
OBJECT TO PRESENCE OF MILITIA.
Troops Sent to Carterville, ILL.,, Probably
Believed to BE Mistake-AnOther
Strike Probable In Cleveland Chica-
20 Packing Houses Quit.

otEthc TVuhuic
60 Packing Houses--Men Quit.
New York, July 8. Ex-General Mas
ter Workman James R. Sovereign, of
the Knights of Labor, yesterday visit
ed the Central Federated union and
stirred up excitement among the dele
gates on the action of ten. Merriam,
in the CGur d'Alene district. He said
he had come up 800 miles as repre-
sentative of the organized miners of
the Rocky mountain mines and he
thanked the New York unions for the
protests that they had made against
the despotism that he alleged existed
here. Mr.. Sovereign threw the re-
sponsibility for all the troubles in that
mining district upon John D. Rookie
Teller, who, he said, owned the
Bunker Hill company and controlled
other mines. The manager of the
mines, he said, had an agreement with
the miners that when the prices of sill
yer and lead ores rose they would pay
them union rates of wages. The prices
did rise and when the men asked for
the advanced rate they were refused.
The men organized and the managers
began discharging them in blocks of
10 and 20. The eX-general master
workman then described the gath
ering of men, their taking possess
sion of train and loading it with
1000 pounds of dynamite, with which
they blew up some Of the works. 1t
was the grandest pyrotechnic display
that ever knew of in my life, " he con-
tinued, but it had not been ordered
or planned by the union. 1t was the
men themselves who had been goaded
to desperation. We propose to make
national issue of this, because it in
wolves national interests There may
be jealousies and rivalries among trades
unions, but when the enemy turn the
Calling guns against one union they
will turn them against all unions We
are of fighting blood out west and we
will fight it out there"
OBJECT TO PRESENCE OF MILITIA.
Carterville, Ill.,, July 3-Had it not
been for the militia patrolling the
streets yesterday strangers would
hardly guess that the little city was in
the midst of struggle between capt.
ital and labor. Both sides in the trou-
bic between the union miners and the
non-union men lay on their arms and
there were no disturbances The pres
ence of troops quoted matters and al
layed fears of riotou, outbreaks. No
manifestation of hostility was made
toward the soldiers by the crowd
that had assembled at the sta
ton when they came in, but the
consensus of opinion was that there
was no occasion for their presence
here Sheriff Gray was roundly de-
nounced by several merchants for his
kilograms to the governor, which re-
suited in the calling out of the troops.
AT the meeting of the leading mer-
chants of the town Saturday night,
$3.50 was raised to defray the expenses
of sending away the non-union miners
in the Brush shaft, The negroes have
expressed their willingness to go, and
had it not been for the arrival of the
militia it is said that within As hours
not one of the negroes would be in the
mine. As it is, the citizens fear that
their purpose has been temporarily
thwarted.
ANOTHER STRIKE PROBABLE.
Cleveland, o., July 3.-There are ru-
mors of more trouble among the en-
ployes of the Big Consolidated street
railway There may not be another
strike, but meeting of employees has
been called for to-day, at which the
question of whether the company has
lived up TO its agreement with the
strikers will be discussed. The men
claim that some parts of the agree
ment have been violated, especially
with respect to the placing of non
union men on runs, though the
attorneys of the strikers during
the negotiations leading to the
settlement say the company is liv
ing up to the agreement The union
leaders say that the company must be
forced to treat the men fairly. Pres-
dent Everett of the Big Consolidated
company, said last night that he held
the union men responsible for the trou
Bile That mas occurred since the settle
ment of the strike. He said he had
evidence that the assaults on non-union
men had been melted by the strikers
who had returned to work and he even
charged that men and boys had been
employed to throw stones at cars.
THE CHICAGO PACKING-HoUsEs.
Chicago, July 3.-There will be no
general strike of packing-house en-
ployes at present, This much was de-
cided on at mass meeting of discon-
tented laborers held yesterday after
noon at Forty-third and Wallace
streets. The idea of strike has not
been given up altogether, but the
opinion prevailed that the time was not
yet ripe and that the interests of the
men would be best conserved by
waiting until an organization
could be perfected Of sufficient
strength to carry to successful con-
clusion any movement of the kind The