The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-04-10
BOSTON'S FIGHT.
Central Labor Union
Will Stick To
Strikers.
MARLBORO NEE TING
Connecticut Also Gives
Encouragement and
Promises Aid.

Marlboro April 9.-Week number y
of the strike was opened by a mass
meeting in the city hall this afternoon.
The attendance was quite large and
enthusiasm ran high at times. P. j.
Byrne presided, and the speakers were
John Collins, president of the Build
ing Trades Council, Boston, John
O'Hare, Typographical Union, Boston,
Harry H Taylor Hatters' Union, Dan
bury, Conn, Thomas McNally, SAM
tary Union, Boston, and John Jones'
Danbury, Conn.
P. j. Byrne was the first speaker and
challenged any person or paper to
prove that there was any document in
existence showing that ~. B. Rice ana
! c. W. Curtis signed their names 10 any
paper which offered to recognize the
unions.
Mr.. Collins of Boston said in part:
l deem it pleasure to speak from TINS
| $40 platform. Just so long as you nave
| to pay for it l am willing to speak
from it and help pay for it, too. Inc
Boston Central Labor Union knows
| that this is a fight of organized labor,
] anu Will SpdA Z III pains ~ MP
| Some unions have contributed three
and four times. The unions are now
| formulating a plan to boycott the Rice
& Hutchins shoes.
| Let me ask if the manufacturers
have enough help, why do they adver-
| tise for shoe makers in the Boston pa
! pers. 1t is a fact that a committee
| from the Boston Central Labor Union
are working night and day for your
welfare, and will not give up until they
| are exhausted when they will be re-
! placed by others.
The fight has just begun. In B0s-
ton we have issued 5000 tickets Or AN
entertainment for your benefit, which
will take place April 10. The hall will
| be given free, the scenery will be free,
so will the music, in fact, you won't
have to pay cent of expense.
The vultures of the labor movement
are the scabs. If I had my way 1
would placard them from one end of
the country to the other They are
vampires, sucking the life blood out of
honest laboring men struggling for
their rights. You have every reason to
feel proud of the stand you have taken.
| Organized labor is proud of the man
ner in which you have acted.
Frank O'Hare of the Boston Typo
graphical Union was the next speaker.
Portions of his speech follow: 1T is
1 time that the Boston Central Labor
Union has declared war Until the
manufacturers concede the rightful de-
mand of the Marlboro shoe workers
hostilities will never cease.
THE time has not come for me to say
anything about your mayor You can
attend to that later on. I understand
that some of the clergy have been
against you. I guess a few of them
are sorry for it about this time"
Mr.. Hare read a letter sent out by
Fred j. Kneeland, Boston Central La
| Dor Union, asking for contributions in
aid of the Marlboro strikers. For the
next two weeks we will make it bitter
| for the Marlboro manufacturers
Mr. Byrne here stated that Friday he
| had the pleasure of addressing the
Prospect Union, Cambridge, and the
Twentieth Century Club, Boston, and
members of these organizations could
not understand why the difference ex-
listing between the two parties in this
city could not be submitted to a third
party.
! H. H. Taylor, Hatters' Union, Dan
! bury, Ct, said:
/ Il have but a few words to say, and
one of them is, stand by your unionl
/ This is like the strike at Danbury five
years ago, when the manufacturers
said that they did not want to cut
wages, but it was a case of free shops.
Afterward they cut prices from Is to
/ % per cent. This will be the way here
! if their position is maintained"
Thomas McNally, Union 6064 Boston.
was then introduced. He said that
| this was the first time that he was
/ ever on a platform, but he had a
/ heart, soul and mind He said this
was the first time he was ever in MARI
| boro. When he left Boston he was
told there We're some old veterans
working in the factories as scabs.
The speaker said that he was in the
army from 1851 to 1865, and if he knew
it at that time, he would see that they
| never reached Boston. This statement
| created laughter, which increased in
1 volume when the speaker stated that
he understood there were 10 scabs in
Co. F, and he thought there were SOL
diers in the Spanish war who would
have seen that they never returned. if
they had only known it in time
Mr.. McNally continued speaking for
quite time, referring several times to
the members Of Co. F working in the
factories. He said he had prevented
four men in Boston from purchasing
shoes made by a Marlboro firm. and he
preached this at every meeting of his
union.
AlE Ae-SL SOcdhEI was JOlQ Jones,
J Danbury, Conn. He said. Il am glad
p! to meet you this afternoon. know you
are having a hard time. I know that
4 every one in a strike has a hard time.
l was in a strike myself I gave up a
SO day job to be with the bows. 7
never scabbed any mans job. I want
to tell you that We in Danbury are
going to do something for you.
A half per cent assessment will be
levied on the hatters until the strike is
won. We had scabs in Danbury. Mr..
Jones spoke of the trust being formed
In Danbury and the labor saving ma
chinery being introduced, and continu-
ing said: What is to became of our
children. That is something that must
/ be thought out. The boys and girls of
today have not the same chance l had.
| The speaker thought that the great
mass of people will march together
| When they worked in unison he be-
| lleVed that they would come out of
| bondage and he free