River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1902-07-17
STRIKE is GROWING.
Nine Thousand Drivers Throw Down
Their Reins in Chicago.
Gov. Yates Orders Regiments to Be
Ready for Emergencies-Busin
of the City Tied Up-RaiIroad
Companies Obdurate.

Chicago, July 14.-What promises
to be the greatest sympathetic strike
IN the history of Chicago was begun
Saturday when 5000 teamsters quit
work and joined the ranks of the
5000 striking freight handlers.
The seriousness of the situation in
duced Gov. Yates to issue orders to
the state militia to prepare for i'm
mediate action. The colonies of five
Chicago regiments received the or
ders and are making haste to obey
them, while the union leaders are
preparing to wage bitter war against
the railroads.
Already the freight handlers are
supported by the teamsters, the long
shoremen and some of the switch
men. With their assistance they have
succeeded in tying up the business
Of the city. Wholesale grocery
houses have practically suspended
business, while restaurateufs, COM
mission merchants and packers are
seriously affected.
Shipments in Peril.
All Chicago will feel the effects of
the strike within three days. Prices
of provisions are so high that poor
families are obliged to subsist on
scanty fare. Orders have been issued
by the railroads and wholesale
houses against the shipment of goods
to the city and it's residents may be
obliged to live upon the supplies of
food already on hand.
Joined by LOngshoremen.
Late in the afternoon longshore-
men employed by the lake transpor-
tation companies joined the strikers.
One hundred switchmen employed by
the Chicago & Northwestern railroad
and affiliated with the Brotherhood
of Railroad Trainmen also joined the
strikers.
Managers Are Obdurate.
The conditions. were brought about
by the refusal of the railroad com
panies to treat with their employees.
The managers met in conference and
decided to make no concessions to
their men. When the committees APP
pointed in compliance with the terms
of the agreement entered into by the
freight handlers with the Chicago
board of arbitration called upon the
managers they found them obdurate.
Transfers Give Aid.
While the committees of the freight
handlers were experiencing these re-
Bluffs the transfers were coming to
their aid. Their officers had promised
to hold them at work until six o'clock
in the evening, but were unable to
keep their agreement.
Without taking any formal action
the men quit work and refused to
take their teams through the streets.
By noon 1000 of the 5000 truck driv-
ers in the city had entered the fight
against the railroads. Every one of
the commission wagon drivers went
out. The packing house transfers,
the ice wagon drivers and the coal
men added their quota to the total.
Tie-Up Now Complete.
The situation in the various rail
road warehouses and transportation
depots Saturday afternoon was one
OF utter cessation Oh business. Inc
tie-up of both incoming and outgoing
freigat of all descriptions was COM
plete.
The strike not only paralyzed rail
road freight business, but reached
the lake traffic centers and tied them
up as they never were before. Every
freight boat on the great lakes is
now out of business as far as Chicago
freight is concerned.
Riots Occur.
Three riots occurred Sunday in
which one man was shot by an Off
Ger, five beaten, three truck wagons
wrecked and a score of men dubbed
by the police. The scenes of Sunday
were merely prologue to what is
expected to-day.
Fruit Growers Alarmed.
Carbondale, ILL.,, July 14.-Fruit and
vegetable growers of southern Hi
nois are much alarmed over the
strike of the freight handlers in Chi
cago. Thousands of dollars worth
of tomatoes are rotting in the fields.