Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-07-31
N| IS Up 1O Y[ GR0C[RS
Labor Assembly Allowing Tele.
phone Fight to Rest. Pending
Grocers Meeting.
Association Will Attempt De.
cision as to Members Remov.
ing Old Phones.
If No Agreement Can Be Reach.
ed individuals Will Settle
Matter Independently.

| SO far as outside evidences are con-
cerned the telephone trouble appears to
| be at rest for time. This, however, is
not the case, and what may seem to be
silence on the part of those interested
is simply the lull before the storm
What was done at the meeting of the
central body Tuesday afternoon 1t has
been Impossible to ascertain. Those
being in position to know refuse to
make public the result, all having
agreed that the greatest secrecy be
! maintained.
| So far as known the committee which
has the matter of visiting the business
men in charge did nothing further
Tuesday, at least they make such a
claim. 1t is believed that they are.
however, exerting quiet influences to
| bear OH the situation that may have
| their effect at the proper time. 1t is
known that the reason the committee
has not done further soliciting since
| Monday has been due to the fact that
| they are awaiting the action of the Re-
| tail Grocers' Association, which will
| hold II meeting to act on the matter
Thursday night. This was brought
about by the committee calling upon
several of the prominent grocers and
\ y, a;rc it to fha L.
ton. The men seen by the committee
requested time in order that they
might lay the matter before the officers
of the association, who, in turn, if they
saw fiji, might call a meeting of the as
ISOLATION. This was granted by the
committee and the officers have notified
all the grocerymen Of the city to be
present. AT that time the labor union
committee will be given an opportunity
to present the case, after which the
grocers will ballot on it and decide what
is the better plan to do, fight 1T or ac-
cede to the committees request. 1t Is
here that the matter now rests, pending
the agreement reached by the grocery
men. While at this time it is not
known to a certainty what action the
grocers will take, 1T is thought that if
they get together unanimously on the
matter it will be the first time that they
have done so on anything of Importance
that has come up in their association.
One cf the prominent grocers of the
city, end man who Is in close touch
with the doings of the association, said
today that he thought it would be next
to an impossibility to get all the deal
ers to stand together on the question.
II they do not do so, he says, it will
have to be every man for himself. The
sentiment among the business men in
general against the movement that the
labor organizations have pushed into
this city and in which the merchants
are In nowise interested is growing, and
there has been more or less talk that
the proper thing to do is for the mer-
chants to get together and fight it for
their own welfare. What may come of
! this sentiment is not known. and it re-
mains to be seen how far the mer-
chants will be pushed before they will
| take stand in the matter.
| Regarding the original trouble, of
which the feeling here between the
business men and labor organizations is
the outgrowth, the Register and Leader
OF this morning says:
"a special meeting Of the Trades and
Labor. Assembly will be held this eve
ming to consider the telehone strike
situation. 1t is expected that at this
meeting a plan of campaign will be
mapped out that will bring the Iowa
company to terms and compel it to rec
ognize the striking unions and grant
their demands.
"a. L. Uricls, of the Trades Assembly,
and q member of the strike committee,
said yesterday: The Iowa company will
not ask for an injunction. 1t has Moth
ing to secure an injunction against. Our
methods have been fair and violence
has not been resorted to. Subscribers
who are in sympathy with the strike
have ordered phones out and the Iowa
company has refused to or failed to
take them out. With the permission of
owners or tenants of buildings we have
taken them out ourselves. as we had a
right to do and as owners had a right
to request us to do
"The strikers took out about dozen
telephones yesterday and are we'll sat
isf1ed with the reports of progress. AT
Marshalltown reports indicate that
over 100 Iowa phones have been taken
out and as many more ordered out. At
Davenport the strike has tied up the
work of rebuilding the exchange sup
plying that city, Rock Island and Mo-
line and left the service in poor condi-
ton.
Judge Cook, general solicitor for the
lowe company was in the city yester-
day in conference with Judge Connor,
the resident attorney, but they did not
give out the result of the conference if
a conclusion was reached. No papers
We're filed in court last evening indicat-
ing that they intend to proceed against
the strikers"
MUST OBSERVE CARE.