The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-01-05
STRIKERS GAINING GROUND.
Backed by the Committee Of Mine
Workers Thew Win Accessions.

The striking silk mill hands gained
considerable headway yesterday In
their work of getting the non-union
workers out of the mills employ. The
mire workers have now espoused the
cause of the strikers and have issued
a manifesto telling the members of
their union that they should not allow
their children to work in the mill until
the demands of the strikers have been
granted. AS consequence, the COM
mttee of the strikers say, a large
number of those who have been work
ing there have quit.
Yesterday the committee of the strik-
ers made an early visit to the mill and
met the limited force going to work.
They mingled with the non-union boys
and girls and after a little persuasion
three of the intending toilers turned
around and started back for home. At
noon another visit was made, and this
time seven recruits shut the doors of
the mills after them from the outside
At 2.30 five more converts were won
and at quitting time last night one
more promised not to go to work
again. This makes sixteen for the day.
The miners have taken a decided
stand on this question. Every child
who is now working at the mill has
his name taken and his or her parents
are visited and informed of the fact
that a strike Is on. and if the father is
n miner he is told that the United Mine
Workers cannot view with favor his
child working in non-unon mill.
Yesterday Marcus Frieder, superin-
tendent of the company, in a COM
munication to an evening paper, at
tacks with severity the idea of labor
organizations not composed of his en-
rloyes making demands upon the COM
pany. He says that the company has
offered to pay the expenses of COM
mittee to visit mills of like character,
but no committee has yet been ap-
pointed. He also offers to submit the
question as to whether or not the
klots Throwing company pays as good
or better wages than like mills, to
Rev. Father Coffey.
He threatens, If forced, to shut down
the local MILL not to raise the wages
but to do the work elsewhere. while
we shall suffer, we shall not suffer
alone, and II is a question whether or
not they who will thus be compelled
to remain idle and the business people
of Carbondale will not regret as deeply
as we may that our mill has been
closed"
In answer to this the members of the
miners committee held a meeting in
the mayors room in the city building
last evening to prepare a reply The
strikers committee met with them and
stated their side of the case. The
hot IL Ia,
in some of the mills down the valley
the boys employed i'm similar work
may get but dollar or two a week.
but that is no reason why they should
not get more. In the local MILL they
claim, the machinery runs at the rate
OF $4,000 revolutions an hour, fully -
600 or 5000 more than in any other
mn in this section, requiring double
the attention. Besides this, they say,
the system of docking and fines here
brings their wages down to as low a.
basis as those out of the city, no mat
ter what the scale promised The local
company is equipped with different
machinery from any other mill, and
the work is more complicated, accord
ing to the late toilers there.
In regard to the proposition of Mr..
Ffieuer to submit the whole question
to Rev. Father Coffey. the strikers say
they would be satisfied to do so, but
think it would be better to have an
arbitration committee of three or
more, one to be appointed by them
and one to be chosen by the two. In
this way while they are convinced of
Father Coffey's fairness, they would
be more satisfied.
1t begins to look now as if this strike,
which has existed forever eight weeks,
would be settled in short time. 1t is
to be sincerely hoped so. for the strik-
ers and the company have each suf-
fered much loss during the long dis
pute.