The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1900-10-23

IN SCtD IN
"hol girls and omen whenever +oar
T operative.
10 ~ 'lere are many rumors comino
~ me company's office to tho atfen37
non-uhlon men out and whip tbam
CT reap other indignities upon them
nave heard of these threats, ;, s.id
SUPERINTENDENT Thompson Of tba
rahlte Mills, "but I've never haan
"oie 70 trace them to any ~esnonSihIa
source: L know it to be a fact. tbougn
.ndt the strikers are going around
+houS operatives, trying to scare
Wy oy saying: We are going to
nn; ne udy, and when We do no nom
union operative can get work."
THE UNION TRIED TO DICTATE
Ohe OF the men who has withdrawn
rom the union is NJ. A. Clark. a boss
carder. He said he Joined the nnion
because he feared he would lose bic
Jop II ne didn't join, but the union was
managed in such bad manner that he
soon became convinced mai no rood
could come from it.
i Will give you an instance, he add.
ca. L had a man under me that GOT
slA.y cents a day. | took some pains
10 learn him some things and advanced
MIN hve cents a day. Then he wanted
me 10 increase his wages to seventy
TVe cents a day. declined to do so
because the fellow wasn't worth il.
DO you know he reported me to the
union and a committee waited on me-
to demand that ] increase his wages
refused to do SO and withdrew from
the UNION. | don't care to be dictated
to in that way"
Not only has the formation of the
union aroused much bitter Feeling
DetWeen employer and employe. be
tween union and nOn-union laborer.
but families have been divided bv it.
In the Granite Mills / came upon two
cases of this. One wa a mother who
went to work on Monday with her two
children Tuesday night unknown to
her they were pursuaded to Join the
union and are today idle and walking
around in their best clothes, while she
is working at the looms for a living.
Inc other case was a young woman,
VINO. with a sister, has to support an
invalid father. For many years they
have been working in the mills and
living happily together. but last night
her sister went out to visit a neighbor
and secretly joined the union, and to-
day h is idle. AS the elder sister
stood by her machine and told me her
story there were tears in her eyes.
NO PERSONAL BITTERNESS.
And why do you not Join the union,
too" | asked.
Because the company says it
doesn't want its operatives in a union.
l take 1t they mean what they say.
They have been my friend and now
I'm going to stand by them. l have
never been to the office Of the com
pany or to its store when in need of
anything and failed to get it
Once asst winter we needed a consid-
cradle sum of money and | asked Mr.
Charlie Holt to let me have it. He did
it without making me sign a paper.
I've paid him back, but hat doesn't
make me forget his Kindness
When | related this incident to Mr.
B. S. Robertson. treasurer of the com.
pany, he said: There are many
same way, but who nave never paid
the money back, and they are now
fighting US bitterly"
And Just in this connection | should
say that one of the most peculiar fea-
lures of his strike is the absence OF
personal bitterness and abuse on both
sides. One cannO stay here an hour
without finding out that the relations
that have hitherto existed between en-
ployer and employee have been pleas.
ant. The strikers candidly acknowl
edge that they have been treated wei
and, to use their own language, they
nave mo kick coming" for higher
wages or shorter hours.
Among the operatives that | talked
to at the Thos. NJ. Holt Mill were -four
that worked under jim May. the boss
weaver who discharged the girl Annie
Whitesell and caused the strike. Al
of them denied that May was a crue
man and a harsh master, as alleged by
the strikers.
One.of them, a girl, said: Il have
worked at Danville. Greensboro ant
other places and / never was under al
easier boss than Jim May. If he /:
cruel to those under him never kneV
it. and I've been working in this mil
off and on for the past eight years.
The other operatives who had work
ed under May talked in much the sam
strain.
Never until this strike was am
such charge made against him." sait
Superintendent Thompson. IL de
clined to ioin the union and that, NJ
doubt. is in large part responsible TO
the charges now made against INN D,
the union men. l know it to be a fac
hat when be was boss OF a section II
the weaving ROOF operatives were ann
ious to work under him and no on
ever asked permission to leave his sec
ton. No charge Of harsh treatmen
was made to me against him unit
this trouble began. If he had been a
had y man as the strikers claim. II
SIRE would have heard of it long be
fore this"
MILL MEN ARE DETERMINED.
Mr.. Aft. w. Haywood, ice-preslden
Of the company, and Mr.. b.. ); Robert
son. lis secretary, discussed the situa
tion freely. Both said the mllls 0
Namahce county had taken TINS s,el
deliberatelv and with full knowiedS'
of what it meant, and there would "
no back down from it, Mr.. Haywood
added:
w are determined to run with hoh
union labor or not run at all;
..There has never come 10 'ne o
comnlaint against May. II ON
",,ainti had been made they "oul'
,yaCti0ated and the cduS'