The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1900-07-20
.SMELTER STRIKE SITUATION
May Become Serious as the Company
May Snut Down and the lola
Works be Asked to SYM
pathiZe

IUlnlhC
The strike IS purely a matter of race
prejudice the American workmen
obiecting to a new furnace boss who
is Pole. They have no other fault
to find with this particular Pole, Joe
Coniersl1i, whom workmen and en-
ployers agree is an exceptionally nice
fellow and skilled smelterman. The
Lanyonville workmen lastweek object
ed to another lola Pole who was sent
out to draw metal. The other metal
drawers walked out, but after several
hours negotiations the Pole was sent
back here and the men resumed.
When Mr.. Kennedy was changed to
the night shift, he recommended Con-
jerski as an efficient man and the
company sent him out and the strike
Immediately took place.
.lr.J. 5. Rogers, president of the
company, came in from st. Louis
Monday morning and spent the day
at Lanyonville, returning to st. Louis
that night. In conversation with a
REGISTER reporter he made the state
ment that nothing would probably be
done.
"What will the company do, was
asked,
"Oh, nothing, he replied. "The
market conditions are such right now
that we have been thinking of shut
ting down at Lanyonville for some
time. and may simply allow the works
to lie idle until the present matter
adjusts itself.
"Nou see" he added, 1--WE have
been Offering a premium for good
work and the men at the lola smelters
draw considerable royalty from theil
excellent work Care on their part
makes difference of five dollars d
ton on the sale price of the metal, a
least the saving made at one lola
works amounts to that much above
the Lanyonville run. We have sim
ply been trying to get all the three
factories to an equal state of efficiency
and this affair came up"
The closing down of the smelter a
Lonyonville for month or two would
be a serious thing for the town as i
would cut off the incomes of 200 mel
and strike at the foundation of La
Harpe's prosperity.
One of the workmen from Lanyon
vile, who has been working extra, >
passed through lola Monday on hi!
way home. He got his pay because
he was an extra" but the other mel
will have to wait until the Goth. HI
stated the facts to be just as abo~
given, simyly a question of tn,
nationality of the bosses. He alsC
said that there was talk of sending {
committee over from Lanyonville tC
the lola works to try and persuad,
the men here to walk out in sympathy
IF we don't win this fight we know
what we may expect" he said. H,
also stated that the workmen at Ga,
City had promised to furnish the mer
at Lanyonyille with money to enabl,
them to hold out indefinitely.
A perusal of the fnregoing vii
quickly convince anyone that the
strike which seemed at first to be in
significant may easily become a yer!
serious matter. If the three smelter.
of the company should close there
will be an immediate business de
preston which would be most deplor
able. 1t is certainly to be hoped tina
the slight difference between the mel
and the company may be settled
promptly and satisfactorily to al
parties, permitting the companies tC
operate, satisfying the striking mel
and the other Americans and per
hitting the Poles to work at gooC
places and wages. Delays are dan
gerous in that there will be wild tall
and false reports of what the othe
side has done or is going to do, ant
the result might be a breach of gooC
will which would be slow to heal.
News was general in townWednesda!
that the trouble at Lanyonville wa
about settled, three blocks being oper
ated. f. K. Taylor heard tn
same at Gas City, but nothing definit,
was learned from the company on tn,
matter.
Drawing a 5000 Annuity.
| Mrs Mnttia i Mnll who died Inl,