Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1899-08-31
TROUBLE IS FEARED
Nearly Three Hundred Long
shoremen Quit Work.
OTHERS MAY GO OUT TODAY
Reported That United States Shipping
Co.'S. DIcn VIII Strike This Morning.
Men May be Imported. Said They
Will Come from Baltimore.

1t is feared that there will be trou-
bile along the watsr front today
Nearly 800 'longshoremen went out
on strike yesterday. and it is re-
ported that others will follow today
1t IS learned that non-union men may
be imported. ana it is believed there
may DC trouble il they arrive today 1t
is said they are coming from Balti-
more.
Up to the present time there has been
1lu serious trouble. and the negroes
have been orderly and quiet. but last
night they made threats of what they
would do if the white men did not join
them or If new laborers We're imported
70 do the work. Their talk was rather
disuueting and turbulent
The culored laborers who Quit work
Yesterday morning We're employed by
the FuTness- Witty Company. and were
engaged in the loading and unloading
of the steamships of the Chesapeake
and Ohio Steamship Company. The
men who. it is said. win strike today
are employed by the United States
"1 MARIS,pR,s MISSION. M
Mr.. Jack Mariner. the chief stcvcdoTe
for the Furncss Witty Company is out
OF the city. and it is said that lie is
in Baltimore. where he will secure
new men to so TO work on the piers
new longshoren1en this morning but
this cannot be confirmed.
There are between 500 and 600 colored
longShorcmen engaged here in hand
ling import and export merchandise
and the strike inaugurated Yesterday
morning effects all OF them. as they be-
long TO the union organization.
CAUSE OF TIE TROUBLE.
In q few words the cause of the trou-
Die is as follows: The colorcd men
have organized local league which is
Il branch of the National League CT
whom there are only 53 engaged in this
work, have separate organization. but
the negroes have prevented them from
getting charter and have tried to
make them join the colored league. This
the White 'longshoremen refuse to do.
The negroes gave notice thirty days
ago that they would quit work unless
he white men Joined their league or
We're thrown out of their positions.
The period ended yesterday. About
Hbp negroes Went out to the piers in
the morning to unload the Chesa peakc
< Ohio steamship Kanawha They
found the white ngshoremen there
also ready TO SO to work. The negro S
left and the leaders declared the strike
NOME HAVE RETURNED.
None OF the men who went out yes
terday have returned to work and
none Of the negro lungshoremen will
take their places.
The white 'longshorernen were obliged
to Quit, as there are not enough Of them
to work a Ship.
The stike does not affect the long
shoremen handling the freight of the
coastWiSe steamship lines or the Ches-
apeake Il Ohio railroad
The colored men are determined to
hold out in an effort to force the white
men to join their union or quit work
The white men will not join Il coored
union and will fight for their right 10
|atiiliate With the national labor ORGAN
iZation
LEADERS STATEMENT.
MI. Thomas Adams, who is at the
mead of the white 'lOngShorem;rn's or
|Ganization. stated yesterday that
these men are now organized as the
Freight Handlers and Seamen's Union
and that the body expects to get a
charter from the national 'longshore-
mans league in a short time. If the
White Workmen get their charter. the
negroes will have no occasion to strike
and Will have to return to work
In giving the history Of the present
trouble, Mr.. Adams stated that the ne
Sroes organized some time ago and say
they have a charter from the National
League of 'Longshoremen. They in
vited the White men to join the lea que.
to such proposition and made app!i-
cation to the national body fol. a char
ter, which was refused them because
of the existence of one league here al
ready.
ONLY ONE LEAGUE.
1t is claimed that the laws of the
league prohibit the organization Of more
than one local league in a city, but
the White men here say that there are
separate leagues in New York and 9th
er cities.
On July 20 the colored lonsshore
men served notice on Stevedort. Mari
nor that the whites must quit work
or join their union. In the meantime
the white union has been trying to get
lrecogntion- I is believed by the anam-
oers that they will succeed. They have
no intention of quitting work and as
the negroes say they will not work
with them. serious results may follow.
| The white longshoremen say that the
claim Of the negroes that they cannot
work with nom union men is all a fare,
as they often get non union negroes 20
| take their places. Il,