Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1899-09-21
PARADE THE STREETS.
Headed by a Brass Band the strikers
March to DIFFERENT FactorIes-Eight
Out Of Fourteen Factories
Are Affected.
From tuesdays Daily.

i
streets, headed by the Wapello Chief
band. and the strikers We're gathered
from shop to shop, until when every
non-union shop had been visited, fifty
were in line. They then went to La
Dor hall on Second street, and have
been in conference all day.
About $3.50 o'clock this morning, Lew
Stark. as chairman of the committee,
accompanied by two other union men
and the band, started out to gather up
the strikers. The Morey & Myers CT
gar factory, on South Court street, was
first visited. Here there were between
thirty and forty men and girls at work.
out of that number between twenty
five and thirty went out. The process
sion next went to Emil Fecht's cigar
factory on Main street, but were un-
able to get any OF the twelve cigar
makers at work there to come out.
Higdon & Co.'S factory was the next
one visited, and here the strikers were
Joined by two girls, out of the five
cigarmakers employed there. The pro-
Gsssia 2G then marched to Julius Feehts,
factory on South M f1d,lss street., where
they We're Joined by three men, out
of the twenty-nine cigarmakers at
work. At Pallister Bros, where fifty
cigarmakers are employed, five girls
and one man went out. +. j. Graves
& Co. was the next factory that was
visited. but none of the fourteen cigar
makers there came out. The process
sion then marched to Mckee & Potter's
shop on South Court street, but were,
unsuccessful in their attempt to get
anyone to strike. One man in the fac
tory, went out. but he did not come to
,vofA, at all this morning. II. j. Ost-
Z dick lost one man, an apprentice, as
the result of the visit there. After
visiting the above named shops the
strikers proceeded to, Labor hall. There
they held a meeting and have been in
conference ever since. The whole pro-
-eession of the. strikers caused much
excitement; on the street, and crowds
OF interested people followed them
from place to place to see what devel-
opments the visit would bring.
In the city there are fourteen cigar
factories. six of which are UNION ar,
eight non-union. The men in the I'M
ion shops average SIP week and work
eight hours day. They work under
the Cuban union and international ul-
ion, bill OF scale, which ranges from
So, the lowest, to S66, the highest, per
thousand for making. In non-union
shops the girl worker gets from So to
Sc per week. on an average. and the
men receive, on an average, from 81 to
$40 per week, as compensation for
their work.
The men, boys and girls, working in
the unorganized shops complain that
they were being compelled to do the
same work as the workmen in the un-
i'm shops, for perhaps one-half less
wages. Accordingly after week of
eecret meetings and conferences it was
decided to. go out this morning, de-
manding higher scale OF wages. At
the meeting which is being held i'll
Labor hall there ere probably seventy
five in attendance. The meeting is pri-
waite and any action which they are
taking is as vet unknown. They do not
expect to arrive at any conclusion be-
fore tomorrow, as theyiare DESTROYS OF
waiting to see other workers in non
union shops, and get as strongly or
ganized as possible.
3After the strikers had convened in
LabSr hall and everything was again
a
Visited the proprietor of the various
non-union shops, in guest of their opin-
ion of the strike. Julius Fecht said:
sit COOS not hurt me, personally, but
my. idea is that it will have a bad in
fiuence," L. A. Pallister, in speaking
aboat the strike, said: IF it is brought
onto me, and they force me to run my
busiess differently than ] do now,
will t.ose up and go into the jobbing
business, and buy my goods east. 1t is
cheaper and they are just as good
Ira a. ,syers, of the firm of Morey &
Myers, stated that they would let the
mater stand as it is, and await devel
opments on the part of the strikers
When f. ID. Mckee, of the firm of Nc
Kee g. Porter. was asked about thu
matter, he refused TO say anything
Emil Fecht said that all his men wer,
xtisfied, and would remain. e. ]
Graves would say nothing in regard t.
the affair, and Herman Ossdiek ais,
remained silent. Otis Higdon, of Hig
don & Co., said that he did not care t.
say anything abou: she strike.
Later Developments.
DEVELOPMENTS in the strike situatio,
this afternoon show that out of tn
1877 non-union cigar makers in thi
vty, seventy-fve have gone out. Tw
more shops, employing together TWEEN
ty-five men and girls, will probably g
out this evening. Six more cigar. una
Rers left the Pallister Brothers ciga
factory this afternoon, making a tota
OF twelve from that place, and tw
{ left the f. ]. Graves & Co. factory thi
afternoon. The other factories repor
that no more of their workmen hav
gone out.
4. Nothing was accomplished at tn
meeting held by the strikers in Labe
hall this morning. This afternoon
meeting was called at 2:30 O'Clock, :
which there were between seventy an