Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1900-12-14
BURNS BIG VICTORY
Former Rock islander the Napo.
leon Of the Window
Workers.
THE LEAGUE MEN GIVE UP
Fight Between Cutters and Flat.
teners and the Trust
at an End.

George Nj. Schaum. one OF the Rock
Islanders employed in the Indiana gas
belt, sends THE ARGUS the following
clipping from the Marion Chronicle,
which will be read with interest here,
Simon Burns, as is generally known,
being former resident of this city:
The fight between the cutters and
hatteners, on the one hand, and the
trust on the other is at an end, per-
haps permanently. Late Saturday
afternoon kilograms were received by
cutters and flatteners of Marion ad-
vising them to accept positions with
the trust plants or any other place
that might be open. The kilograms
were sent by John l. Denney, the
president of the new amalgamation.
MIR. Denney is one of the most en-
thusiastic supporters OF the new
movement, and he would not capitu-
late as long as there was hope. He
must have foreseen the hopelessness
of the fight before he gave up.
ut has been reported here that the
failure on the part of the fiatteners
was the result of the work of George
l.. Cake. 1t is charged that Cake
wanted a high position in the new
amalgamation, and that, when it was
not given him, he went to Burns and
offered to turn over his men to the
old l.. A. 800. The truth of these re-
ports could not be verified. Presi-
dent Simon Burns, Of the old l. A.
800, sent out telegram stating that
the supreme court at Washington had
decided in favor of the Hayes faction
in the Knights of Labor. 1t will be
remem bered that fight oflong stand
idg has been on in the Knights of
Labor between John l.. Parsons and
Hayes. Both claimed the position of
grand master workman. When the
annual meeting of this organization
met at Birmingham. Ala, few weeks
ago, the meeting was divided. .One
faction elected Parsons grand master
workman. while the Hayes portion
selected Mr. Burns for that office.
The differences between Hayes and
Parsons had been previously taken to
the supreme court. ard now the court
has desided in favor of Burns and
Hayes.
Burns Wins All Around.
Thus it will be seen that Burns
has won signal victory all around.
He started out to furnish trust plants
with cutters and flatteners outside of
the leagues. The trust plants have
been kept running with reasonable
degree of success. This alone was a
victory. The unconditional capitu-
lation of the hatteners and cutters
simply adds to the victory.
- Of ha no
few weeks has favored Bur!s. When
the amalgamation was effected. and
the fiatteners accepted the % per cent
basis, the same as offered by the
trust. the men could see no advantage
in keeping up the fight. since they
could not get more than the trust
offers, if they should win. Those
flatteners who obtained work soon
tired of paying rs per cent assess
ment to support the idle men. The
idle men thought they might as we'll
work for $50 or $40 week as to shift
along with s. per week.
The cutters were beginning to see
that they could not make the demand
that the L. A. 800 turn over the cut
tiers within it's ranks, stick. The old
union kept On teaching green men
how to work. and The men kept Oh
doing better work, so that the league
men be gan to see visions of an entirely
new regime of cutters. 1t seemed
that they were not hampering the
trust. They were out of work, and
there was less and less demand for
them. So it was but natural that
many of them thought it was high
time to give up the fight that could
win for them nothing save the vindi-
cation of a principle"