Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1900-03-19
A GIGANTIC STRIKE
BY A HUNDRED THOUSAND MA.
CHINISTS OF THE UNITED
STATES AND CANADA
HAS NOW BEEN RESOLVED ON.
THE FIRST MOVEMENT WILL BIZ
AT CLEVELAND, O.
The Chicago Conference Resulted In
a Dismal Failure, the Mem and
Manufacturers being Enable to
Agree Upon a Basis of Settlement.
The Details of an Ugly Situation.

CHICAGO, March 1S.-President
James OAConnell, of the International
Machinists Union declares that 100, 900
machinists in all parts Of the United
States and Canada will be ordered on
a strike within the coming month as
the result of a disagreement between
the manufacturers and machinists
who closed a joint conference in Chi
cago at 1870 this morning.
All members of the National Ma
chinists Committee and manufacture
ers from all parts Of the United States
were present.
Chicago Labor Troubles
are responsible for the disagreement
which is expected to precipitate the
general maehinists strike. Were it
not for the fact that leaders of the
machinists union refused to call of
the strikes that now exist in Chicago,
Columbus, Ohio, and Paterson, N. j.,
the manufacturers and leaders, it is
believed, would have come to an ami
cable agreement and arbitration would
have been permanently established
between the National Metal Trades
Association and the International As
ISOLATION of Machinists.
The members of the executive board
of the machinists union, however, re-
fused to call off the Chicago strike,
as they declared that if they did the
| Chicago local would secede from the
international association. When the
refusal of the machinists to end the
strike was presented to the manufact-
urers, they issued an ultimatum to
the labor leaders, and on their refusal
to agree to it's provisions, all negotia-
tons were broken off.
Before leaving the rooms in when
the joint conference was held Presi-
dent James O'Connell, Of the internal
tional union, declared that the union
Would Begin Immediately
to call strikes in all parts of the coun-
try. The first of these strikes will be
called in Cleveland, Ohio. After all
the large cities have been tied up,
strikes will be called in the machine
shops of all the railroads in the coun-
try.
The joint conference, which COM
menced at 2 o'clock Saturday after
noon, and did not end until 1:3a
o'clock Sunday morning, was held at
the Grand Pacific hotel. There were
present representing the machinists
union: President James O'Connell,
Washington; Organizer, Stuart Reed,
Toledo; Hugh Doran, Chicago; A. w.
Holmes, Buffalo; p. J. Conlin, Sioux
City; j. ]. Connolly, Boston.
The Manufacturers Present
at the conference were: George D.
Selden. Erie Iron Works, Erie, Pa;
F. H. Stillman, Watson Stillman Com
pany, New York; w. NJ. Taylor, Chan
der G. Taylor Company, Cincinnati;
H. w. Hoyt, Gates Iron Works, Chi
cago; NJ. H. Barker, American Tool
and Machine Company. Boston; Geo.
H. Watts, Watts Campbell Company,
| Boston; H. N. Leland, Leland G. Falk-
ener, Detroit, Mich; J. w. Gardiner,
Gardiner-Governor Company, Quincy,
ILL.,; F. w. Pillsbury, Fred Wolf Com
pany, Chicago; Charles Allis, Edward
P. Allis Company. Milwaukee; Fred
Schweltmann, Wagner Electric Man
ufacturing Company, st. Louis; ". ].
| Chalmers, Chicago. and England; II.
F. Devans, New York; p. w. Gates.
Gates Iron Works, Chicago; Charles
R. Newcombe, Erie Iron Works, Erie,
Pa; H. n. Covell, Lidgerwood Manu-
featuring Company, Brooklyn; A. J.
! Caldwell, Pump Trust, New Jersey.
After meeting in separate confer
ence all the afternoon, the manufact-
urers and labor leaders began a joint
meeting at s D.. m. At this meeting
| the manufacturers submitted TO the
machinists a
Proposal For Arbitration,
substantially as follows:
All strikes and lock-outs TO be cali
ed of. An arbitration committee
consisting of the presidents Of the two
organizations and two members from
each association, who shall arbitrate
all present and future difficulties and
whose decision shall be accepted as
final by both parties TO the agree
ment.
On the second proposition the two
associations were united. The labor
leaders after holding a meeting re-
| fused to agree to the first proposition
| and submitted a demand for immedi-
ate and separate arbitration OF the
| Chicago difficulties This the manu-
facturers refused TO ratify and the con-
| ference broke I'D, both sides making
what amounted to . formal
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