The Florence daily tribune., 1901-01-17
Annual Reduction Sale

returned this afternoon indicate
that an ear y settlement is at
hand" was asked. "No, that is
more of an act of courtesy because
| asked it of them When the
committee told me some time ago
that this strike would be made, |
asked them to give me time to
empty the furnaces and | also
asked them to keep the fires up
for reasonable length of time.
for | argued that it WAS to their
interest as we'll as mine to have
the mill in condition to start if an
agreement could be reached. They
agreed that | was right, and |
presume tnat is why the firemen
returned"
"Do you expect any trouble in
the way of destruction of proper
typ" Not the least. placed a
guard-of sheritf's deputies there to
make my insurance good, and to
put myself in the right light with
my company. / asked the union
to furnish me guard, and told
them it would be for their protec-
ton as well as mine, for otherwise,
if there was any damage done, the
union would have to take the
blame"
Mr.. Jacobs also said he would
not import outside labor. If the
mill starts up again he wants his
old men back in their places.
Pm sorry things have turned
out as they have he said. "I'm
afraid Florence has lost the Nation
al mill. OF course | don't know
what action my people will take,
but | wouldn't be surprised to re-
ceive similar advices."
AT best strike is a serious mat
ter and should not be entered into
hastily. If, as has been the case
in SO many instances, the effect is
disastrous to town, it takes years
to overcome it.
There should be some way Of
adjusting labor troubles before
the life of II community is put in
jeapordy or its progress impeded
Manager Macdonald insists
that the National mill cannot open
80 long as the local union remains
firm in its demands, and that his
company cannot accede to the
demands even if the abandonment
of the mill is the only alternative.
There is chance, however, that
the strike will not be confined to
the National mill. 1t is a well
known fact that the Colorado
Philadelphia mill at Colorado City
is the property of the same com
pany as the National mill here. 1t
is much larger plant, having two
or three times the capacity of the
local mill In fact, it is to the
Colorado City plant that the
National is sending its ore on
handsome sixty cars.
1t is understood fact, a
prominent union man is authority
for the statement that the local
union has advised the State Fed
Grafton of labor and the Western
Federation of miners of the strike
conditions here. The employees of
the mill at Colorado City are
strongly organized, and if the fed
erations or either of them call the
men at Colorado City out, the mill
there will have to close down. 1t
would even be possible for the
state organizations to. cut off the
supply of ore, as the Cripple Greek
miners are affiliated with the
Western Federation.
In spite of the prospects of a
permanent shut down of the local
mill, as represented by Mr.. Mac
Donald, the local union shows no
signs of weakening. The union
claims that its demands are rea-
sonable and can easily be COM
piled with, and few union men
believe that for the slight differ
ence a compliance with the de-
mands would make, the mill can