The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-06-02
STOPPEDBYSTRIKERS
ELEVEN ITALIANS BROUGHT TO
SAVANNAH BY S. A. l..
SAID THEY WERE FOOLED.
UNION MEN MEET THE FOREIGNERS
with AN INTERPRETER.

strikers tAG Olty-FOlhCe Ar
rived at the Shops After the Men
Had Left-Non-Union Men Are BE-
ing Looked After by Local Ma
ehinists and VIII Be Sent Back
North-Committee of Union Men
VIII Wait on Mayor Myers To-day
and Ask Him to Take Steps to Pre-
vent Importing of Such Labor.
The Italians Cannot Speak the
English Language But Tell an In
teresting story Through Their In
terpreter.
Eleven non-union machinists arrived in
savannah over the Seaboard Air Lane
Yesterday afternoon at 1870 o'clock, and
il Is understood were to have been put
to work in the shops here. They were
Italians, and only one of the number
could speak English. The strikers had
been informed of their coming and of the
fact that they could not understand
English.
The union men secured the services of
an Eastside italian blacksmith, who
speaks seven languages and who is in
sympathy with the striking machinists.
The Interpreter was taken to the shops
and. with the aid of the committee of
unior men, got in some telling work. Aft
or talking with the men in their native
tongue for about half an hour, the ,non-
union men were induced to leave the
Yards and come to the city with the
strikers and the interpreter
The conference had ended when the po-
lice we're notified and Mounted Patrolmen
Cronin and Umbach met the crowd COM
ing into the city. while they were on
their way out Had the officers reached
the shops before the conference they could
not have interfered inasmuch as the men
were orderly No threats were made and
the non-union men were convinced by ar
gument that the thing for them to do was
TO leave the railroad.
Nine of the men had inspected" stamp
ed on the satchels that they carried,
showing that they had only recently ar
rived from their native land. They were
4 looked after by the union machinists,
and will probably be sent back north by
steamer to-day. They came from Phla-
& delphia
A Morning News reporter saw the men
st night in the quarters which had been
provided for them by the striking me-
chanics They were seated around a ia
be devouring a plentiful repast with the
Il appetite of half-famished men.
OF the entire party only one could ac-
compIsh much in the matter of speaking
4 English, and his attainments in this line
were limited. He was the leader of the
party and. like all the rest of its mem
hers, an Italian. He said that he and his
fellows had been engaged by a represen-
tauve Of the Seaboard in New York to
60 TO Buffalo, where they were to be
given work. Nothing was said to them
about filling the places of strikers, and
they knew nothing and were told nothing
Of the existence of a strike in any place
to which they were to be taken.
Ihey got on train to which they were
directed, but instead ofNbeing sent to Buff
falo, found themselves al Portsmouth.
Here eleven of the fifteen who had made
up the party when it left New York were
sent on to Savannah, the other four not
liking the looks of things, insisting upon
and securing their return to New York.
The man who did the talking for the
crowd stated that he had been promised
% cents an hour for his work, while his
companions were 40 be paid 80 and 3215
cents Tor theirs. This is the scale for
"hth the striking mechanics are now
contending
The Italians were Disguised when they
round themselves, on arrival here, with
Out little TO eat and nowhere to sleep.
Ihey think me pick and shovel man."
SAD their mouthpiece, with fine scorn. Il
snow EN-. l won't sleep on the fio."
They say they no longer have any am
9inon to work in Savannah, and won't
20 1t. that all they want Is transporta-
tlon back to New York.
seated IN the room with the men, whose
PAGES they have taken, the Italians Of
Iefed striking contrast to these brawny
aAo intelligent American mechanics. They
"O'e all sorts of CARDS and carried all
aloS Of outlandish weapons. They had
'Hlee strong wishes; first, to eat then
" steep and then to be taken back to
we place whence they were shipped.
Chalrman McMahun of the Executive
utonAIAttee of the strikers, said last night
n'. committee of rnachinists will call
vi mayor Myers to-day, and ask him to
~ some step in the matter. I'VE think
s"a' lhe Mayor should do something to
prevent the railroad from bringing such
psope 70 the city," he said Men who
t,l0t speak our language are brought
:son their ships to Savannah and the
NOu'h to take the bread out of our
Wv Nuns. We think 1t proper for Mayor
,eIS 10 take some action in protesting
as' this outrage and shall certainly
ask MIN to do so.
sA"V are very well plea sed with the way
~ a ~. are progressing. and are thorough
eaus"ed with the outlook. Despite the
psaeHeht OF Master Machinist Stump of
ty-"Houth, we have positive information
Ia. mere are only four men at work at
mo-. point We keep posted on these
". IT, ana our informatio is reliable.
". nave again demonstrated to-day that
nm, 10 not intend 20 resort to violence,
me, .Ia, we will induce the non-union
6o , ieaVe the company. This we will
ar. '.p nave done with plain talk We
hama '.ueiy whether the police are on
bt,.s 'Hen white fagmen on the Sea-
Cd ~ u is reported. have been discharg-
na,. a"u lnelr places have been filled by
lA'tI''s' me white fiagmen have been
me-, Jug 81 80 a day while the colored
recst,9 "hom they have been supplanted
kas 81 Considerable dissatisfaction
l,,, report is current among the nachin-
c. ne effect that Vice President and
boa.a manager Barr came to the Sea-
year uuler a contract to receive $4,000 a
ren,.lp 'oEided he kept the operating ex-
on, OF the system down TO 90 per
ba, IT'S gross earnings. To do this,
cay II Is absolutely necessary that
bs '1 get his knife into salaries, and
Tt. lions are a result.
~ ''a,nlnists on strike seem confident