The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-10-06
LESSONS OF A STRIKE,

The Nominations of a Sympathetic
 Striker in the Woolen Weaver's Trou
 ble.
 The Manchester, Conn.,, Herald has the following:
 Sympathy; I believe that is the ground taken or the excuse made by those who were employed by the Amer ican Woolen company who left their looms in various mills and struck in conjunction with those weavers who went out of the mills in Providence on a strike against the two loom system Now, it is not my object in writing this letter to open any argument on the jus tice or the injustice of the present strike, for I believe much can be said for or against both sides, but to call at tention to several facts that must be apparent to all weavers who have been affected by this strike. In the first place, have you, MT. Weaver, consid- cred what effect all these hundreds of learners will have on the present high price list? Have you ever given it a thought; that 1t was Just the type of people who are now learning to fill your places that made this strike possible? Have you heard the claim made by the American Woolen company. and proven by them to be true, that the company have made more money since the first of January last than for any whole year since it's formation? Have you stopped 10 consider that the price list for weav- ing has been raised over twenty per cent. in the trust" mills in the last four years from the present time when new weovers are being made by the hun- dreds? Do you intend to place fancy worsted weaving on the level with the cheapest of cotton? In fact, what have the fancy worsted weavers got to do with the two loom system, anyway You answer" sympathy" refer you to your dictionary: then to g. little story told me by Plymouth weaver whom met recently. He said:
 I'm a 'scab,' union 'scah;' do you know how I became one and what they are? If you don't I'll tell you. I'm a native of Plymouth and learned to weave there between twelve and fifteen years ago, and wove in the Puritan mill. years before the American Woolen company was ever thought of, on two looms and single, but my condition was never as good nor my weekly earnings as high as when we struck last spring for sympathy. Well, the strike is an old story now, but here is something you may not know I'm a member, or was a member of our local union. In July we met, and 8 majority of the weavers, members of the union and en- ployed by the Puritan mill at the time of the strike, voted to return to work. The following day word was received from Providence to call full meeting of all the members of tfe union and reconsider the vote. Of course we were outvoted by the weavers of the indepen- dent mills and told by them to take our choice, to remain out or 'scab' the job. We'll, it took some of us about four weeks to learn that we could think for siders and about two weeks ago we re- turned to our looms. Now, I'm union man or was one and in good standing. Some speakers came from Providence and told me how unjust the American Woolen company was and how nicelywe could put them Ion the bum,' and asked us no, told us to strike for sym pathy. We did; we put a man ''on the bum" but his name wasn't M. Woods: it was yours truly. I left job that was good for sixteen at least every week and worked for about six all sum- n1er; did not call on the union for any assistance, and because wanted to call it all off we were thrown out of the un- ion and called 'scabs.' Well, don't know which is the worst. being double barrel blankety- blank fool or being a
 scab,' but think I'll scab it for mine" QUALITIES OF GOOD CITIZENSHIP
 Assuming, then, that good citizenship necessa rily implies service of some sort