Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1900-04-14
TIE WATERS Will OUT
The Des Moines Restaurant
pgietors Refuse to Grant an In
crease in Wages.
Given Till the 18th Instant to Meet
Walters Demands -Arbitra.
tion Fails

Waters Demands-Arbitra.
tion Fails.
The Trades Assembly Said to Be
Back Of the Movement-Ca
ital News.
Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines, April "A test of the
strength of organized labor will be made
in Des Moines next week, when the pro-
lprietors of all but four of the restauf-
ants of the city will lock horns with the
Des Moines Trades and Labor Assem-
bly,. The contest between the hotel and
restaurant keepers and their walters
has been going on for some days. but un-
\ til today it had seemed possible that the
matter might be settled without serious
\ trouble. Since special meeting OF a
committee of the Trades Assembly last
night, however the chances of reaching
a peac1able settlement have been re-
lduced to a minimum. The three men
who had been appointed by the assem-
/ bly, to arbitrate the differences between
/ the walters and proprietors met With
encouragement when they called at the
ieating houses yesterday morning. Every
lone of the proprietors received the COM
mittee respectfully and promised to
lmeet them at a joint meeting in the \
leYening. When the Representatives of
4 the union and the assembly got together
lat the hall and waited for the propri
ietors to show up tne;' We're disappoint-
led. Half an hour after the time set for
! the conference a messenger brought
lnote signed by ten of the proprietors,
Iwho had held an emergency meeting
and agreed To stay away from the con-
4 ,lference. The note stated briefly that the
owners had agreed not to pay the union
scale of wages, and specifically denied
the right of the Trades and Labor AS
sembly TO act as mediators between ern-
lployers and employees. w. f. O'Blen-
|ness, state abor commissioner. was one
of The arbitrators, and he, with the ott-
i er members of the committee. We're
highly yindignant at the proprieto1s for
the position they had taken. Their
4 note, said A. L. Glrick, ssecretary{of the
ASSEMBLY and chairman of the arbitra-5
A |tion committee. was an insult to the
5llassemblS. 1t will perhaps result in a
4 strike. Whether or n:t the men will
strike depends upon the waters them.
se!s;es. 1t is UP to them now. # they
i order a strike they will be backed by the
entire assembly with all its strength.
n The members Of all the other unions
a would extend their sympathy and COS
y Ioperation in the attempt to bring the
,fprs tar, ~.
Iself would only include the walters.
None of the other unions would be
called out; not for the present at
4 least In the meantime the walters
have called a special meeting for to-
4 night. ard announce that they will in
sitiate about dozen new members
With this addition they will have a
strong union. and one that Will give
she proprieters a heap of trouble before
1.-The thing is settled. The movement that
Istarted as a contest between the pro-
lprietors and walters is rapidly crystal
izing into an out-and-out fight between
Iorgan!zed labor and organized employ
ers of labor.
1 The proprietors have maintained all
q along that they We're not organized.
They have no officers, nor any special
1
past few days they have been meeting
every afternoon and half the evenings
From the first they have been deeided-
4 Ily nervous. They had the same kind
Iof experience here few years ago,
when the second attempt to organize a
Walters union was made. The first one
I had been made a year or two earlier.
; Both of these We're failures. The pro-
ft tt,r n Joo1
of trouble. tho the walters stuck to-
gether well, until they became con-
!. Ivinced of the SUPERIOR strength of their
adversaries. and gave up tie fight. This
time. tho the walters swear by all
that's sacred to ,'hasher. that they
will win or die. 1t is their third trial,
and it comes at a time when unionism
is stronger than it ever was before. Ii
! theyscan't put thar scale of wages thru
!, l!this time their chances of ever beating
the proprietors are slim. There is lit
tile doubt that there will be strike. Ii
lis plain question of strike or pike
with the walters. They have given the
bosses until April l6 to sign the scale.
the bosses have declared flatly that
they will not sign, and the walters have
!, lleft to them only the choice of walking
out of the shops or giving up the fight.
Z The restaurant cooks have come into
1.-THE ring during the past Week, and are
/ determined to stand or fail with the
,s swaiters. They took their scale of
: wages around the other afternoon, but
did not succeed in inducing any of the
> owners to sign. The men who had
Z Willingly signed the walters scale
t asked time to settle the frs,
: proposition before taking up an
, other. The cooks regard their reception
as rather cool, and are eager to prepare
for strike with the walters, but it is
understood they will be advised by the
officers of the assembly to hold OFF
awhile. until the other business is set
, tiled. From ton with members
of the unioni it appears that the wait
ers do not intend to strike all ut once
They seem to contemplate pulling tn,
men off gradually, and Tightening the
reins on the proprietors slowly, rather
than with jerk which might prove
harmful to themselves.
= Des Moines citizens have celebrated
the passage of their army post bill with
a party in honor of Congressman Hull
who carriedit ii thru. and now the prob
!, lem of raising $4,000 to 100000 to pay
j, for the ground is worrying them ter
ribly. All kinds of offers 60 sell land