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

iHii Tx tIuItH ana the MaSOn~.
we are IN no combination to control
prices, labor or anything else. And in
regard to our interest in our employes
| want to say this: We have operated
the mills since August without making
money IN three of them, and one OF
them has been run at a positive loss.
IN order to give our hands employ
ment.''
NOBODY HAS BEEN BLACKLIsTED.
is 1T true, Mr.. Haywood. that the
operatives here are being blacklisted
e~lsewhere?'
1T is absolutely untrue that we have
blackllsted anybody. We have not
written a letter or sent a telegram
to prevent the strikers here being en-
plOyed elsewhere. If these people fail
ed TO get employment in other mills,
as they claim, 1t was no fault of ours.
We presume it was due to the fact that
people don't like to employ strikers.
w did not ourselves want union
labor because of the character of peO-
pie Of whom the union is composed.
There are many good men and women
in it, but they are in the minority. All
the worst element among the opera
tives were quick to join, and children
compose a large per cen of its mem
bership. The idea of turning the man
agement OF our property over to such
hands is absurd
"WiIl you be able to keep your mills
running If the strike continues for
several weeks?"
we can run our mills in spite of the
strike, and we expect to do so. We
have a short force now, but we will
gradually increase it. Many of the
| StrIlynrc rrIo~~%o,I .Io,.ly-
anxious to return to work and Will do
so as soon as the pressure is removed.
Then operatives will, from time to
time, be coming in from other places.
Only yesterday two farmers came to
the office and SAID they left their
homes intending to apply for work in
tie mills, but since their arrival here
they had been met by strikers whO
threatened them and told them that
the mills would start next Monday
morning with union labor and then all
non-union men would be thrown out
Of employment. These men wanted
work for themselves and their fami-
lies"
WANT TO RETURN TO WORK.
Mr.. Robertson corroborated Mr.. Hay
woods denial of the charge of black
listing the strikers and added:
Il expressly told Mr.. Thompson, the
superintendent Of the Thos. NJ. Holt
Mill, that if any of our operatives
could get work elsewhere to let them
60 Many of the strikers are already
realizing their mistake and have eN
pressed a desire. to return to work, but
they m afraid of the other members
of the union"
In the mills at Burlington and Ora
ham | found the situation much the
same as at Haw River, though less
acute. Haw River is the storm centre.
Here the strike began two weeks ago
the union operatives walking out De-
cause of the discharge of the Whitesell
girl. At the other mills in the county.
work continued until Monday, when
the non-union notice went into effect.
and all union operatives were shut out.
The mills that were unaffected by
the notice were the Windsor. Carolina.
Alamance, Belmont, SaNapahaw and
M%ineola. Most Of these are small
mills and, as they had few union oper-
atives in them, they are O running
with a full force Of hands.
The Lakeside Mill is the only one
that is completely shut down.
The Elmira, the Oneida and the Au-
rora are running about half their
looms.
The Ossipee has one-third of a full
force at work, the f. NJ. Holt Plaid
Mill has three-sevenths Of it's force.
the Altamahaw twO-fifths and the
Glencoe tWO-thirds.
The Virginia mills have all their
looms standing idle, but it is not due
to labor troubles. as no notice was
posted in this mill.
Altogether. | am told, there are now
upwards of five thousand operatives in
Alamance county out Of employment.
"A VICTORY-AND WHO WINS T
nave now given both sides of the
controversy as [ have been able to see
it.
AS to the future, it does not look
bright for the strikers. They will lose,
because the strike was ill-advised with
out due cause and at the wrong time,
The winter is coming on n idle OPP
eratiyes must either vacate the houses
they now occupy or go to work. Soon
cold and hunger will drive them back
ia the loom and the spindle, and if
they do not 90 others will be easy to
obtain from the country at this time
of the wear. Then again, having walk
ed ont without a real grievance, the
trIko Will 11iu IL ldlu W SSt Gil
plovment elsewhere OF help from other
unions.
The mill owners will win, but their
victory will be short-liyed. They are
irving to crush out organized labor
They will not succeed. 1t is in the
North. in the West-all over the world
land it will come in the South. tie
is q. wise mill man who realizes tins
and prepares to make the best OF the
chanred conditions.
The mill owners will not win IN tins
because they do not deserve to WIN
M man has a right to dictate to ms
fellow men. 1t is a God-glven pre-
rooatiye for a free man to belong to
any organization that is lawful ana
honorable. If it were else the en-
nlove would be the slave of the EN-
Mover in body soul and mind.
\ labor organization, properly con
Quoted. uplifts labor and brings TO 'he
emnlover better return. \ abor or
oanization improperly conducted De
comes an engine Of evil that destroys
won those it is meant to help.
II being the dull season IN COTTON
-. AZ, - W.. Of the mills seem