Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1900-03-08
GREAT Strike IS NOW ON.
Action Of Machinists Is Forcing
Labor Matters to a Crisis.
MANY TRADES ARE INVOLVED.
six Thousand Metal Workers Join the
Throng OF Idle Csrpentsrs, Plumbers
sns Othsrs Employed in the BuiidinE
Trades in Chicago-Fears OF spread.

Chicago, March 5.-A call was issued
| by the officials of the Machinists' union
Friday by which strike was declared
in every shop and manufacturing In
stitution in Chicago where machinists
are employed, save In those where the
| union agreement has been signed. The
men were not slow in complying with
the demand, and before noon practical
ly all the shops employing union men
were tied up, involving directly some
thing like 5000 men in the imbrogllo
and indirectly many times that num-
Der OF men in trades dependent upon
the machinists.
No other trade but the United Metal
Workers has yet been called upon to
aid in the strike and the leaders are
still firm in the belief that employers
will desert the employers association
and make peace with the unions as in
dividuals. The officials say that IL this
does not occur they have only to call
upon the Material Trades council to
precipitate a strike more far-reaching
than any yet experienced in the pres
ent labor crisis.
About 5000 machinists in this city
are affected by the declaration Of a
general strike. This includes those who
have been called out during the last
week. At a meeting of the board of
business agents of the Material Trades
council at 104 Randolph street today 1t
was unanimously decided that this or
ganlzaticn should stand by the ma
chinists In their fight, and men work
ing at the trades affiliated with this
council will be called out wherever it
is deemed necessary to further the in
terests of the machinists' union. This
decision means that in Il comparative
ly short time millhands, blacksmiths,
metal workers and men In other trades
will become involved in the struggle,
and by the first day of May Chicago
may be in the midst OF a labor war
that will end only with the destruc-.
ton of the unions or the employers
associations.
Not only will Chicago be affected by
other cities, it is expected. Instructions
have been sent by President O'Connell
to the members of the executive board
OF the machinists' association to pre7
pare for strikes in many of the large
cities. Stuart Reid, the general organ
izer, is in Milwaukee, p. J. Conlon has
left for Kansas City, ]. 3. Ferguson is
in charge at Cleveland, J. c. Daglish
is looking after the situation at Buffa-
10, and J. H. Holmes is in Toronto. In
addition to the officers of the Interna-
tional Association Of Machinists al
ready here, Hugh Doran has entered
the field. Signs of activity were no.
ticeable at the headquarters of the ma
chinists, at 239 Randolph street, where
the leaders were receiving reports from
the shops as the men quit work.
In New York George II. Warner,
George H. Cameron and several others
are on the ground, and 1t is not ex-
pected there will be much trouble. Man
ufacturers there have just agreed to
nine-hour day, and may keep out of
the fight. AS for the railroads, each
road will be taken as an individual,
and where a grievance is found the
men will be called out all along that
system. This will result, 1t is said, in
many of the other unions joining in
sympathetic strikes. About 250, 900 ma
chinists, both union and non-union,
will be affected in tho United States
and Canada, and probably 100000 men
working in the allied trades may walk
out.