Omaha daily bee., 1903-05-10
PACKING PLANTS SHUT DOWN
Hammond's House and Cudahy's Louisville
Branch Closed by Strikes
HAvEMEYER WANTS DEBATE WITH UNIONS
Oners to Defray All Expenses of
Effort 20 Answer His Questions
and Will Consider RefusRl
as Inability.

On account of labor troubles in Hammond,
Ind, the plant OF the @. II. Hammond
Packing company there was closed today,
throwing 1,sOO men out Of employment.
The immediate cause of the ~company's
decision was the strike OF 900 laborers and
thirty-fve hremen, but II expected to move
to its new buildings in the Union Stock
yards in July or August in any event and
already had shipped considerable machin-
cry to this city.
Trouble with the fremen began a week
ago last Friday when they presented their
demands for an e%ight-hour day and addi-
tional pay. They had been working in
twelve-hour shifts. The impair refused
to accede TO the demands, but promised to
give them the same hours and wages which
prevail in the Union Stock yards. The fire.
men rejected this offer and a strike was
called. The laborers went on strike yester-
day out Of sympathy and this Resulted In
the decision by the company to emove at
once to Chicago.
Cudahy Plant Also shut.
LOUISVILLE, May 9.-The Louisville
Packing company, the local branch of the
John Cudahy company of Chicago, is closed
today as the result of a walkout of $50
laborers employed there. Their action
grows out of the refusal of the Louisville
Packing company to recognize certain de-
mands Of the meat cutters as to who
should be employed at the plant.
Deny Aiding Union Pacific.
BAKERSFIELD, Cal, May 9.-superin-
tendent Burkhalter today received a tele-
gram from General Manager Krutschnitt
giving the company's side of the Union
Pacific strike. The dispatch denies abso-
lutely the charge that the Southern Pacific
has assisted the Union Pacs1c in any way.
The b~oilermakers employed at the South
ern Pacific shops today served formal
notice on Master Mechanic French and
superintendent Burkhalter that the strike
will go into effect on Sunday at midnight.
Havemeyer Wants Debate.
NEW YORK. MAJ s.-John c. Havemeyer.
in an open letter published in the news
papers of Yonkers, issues a challenge to
the trades unions in which he offers to en-
gage a public hall and defray all expenses
excepting for the speakers, and makes one
condition-that the unions agree to confine
their speeches to answering questions to
be furnished by him in advance He as
| serts that a refusal to accept his offer will
be acknowledgment of weakness on the
part of the men. In. his letter Mr.. Have
meyer say to the trades unions:
Has it ever occurred to you that the
! ability or skill to do any kind of work
| comes from good and is a trust of which we
are bound to make good use? To what ex-
tent has any mar the right to cease from
work and thus cease to use the gift, and
has he the right by persuasion or force to
keep other men from exercising this. gift,
even Y he Is unable to use It himself.
use the talent which God gave them they
certainly are lighting Him and are engaged
II a man assaults me, steals my pocket
book or takes other property and Is con-
victed' he is sent to prison. How far does
the morality Of such acts differ from that
man who. ~designedly compels me to lose
money, which is practically what the thief
keep a lot Of men from working and thus
causing the loss TO other people and pre-
vent them from earning money needed for
the support of their familiesf
the courts win so decide, for the world can
prosperity interfered with 50 seriously by
the suffering and Generalization practiced.
to the trades union Of Yonkers to discuss
this question. The object of this will be to
prevent a waste of time by irrelevant and
e~xcitable Appeals and to secure a clear and
full statement of the grounds upon which
the action of the trades union is based.
Dubuque Mob stops Cars.
DUBUQUE, Ia. May s.-(special Tele-
gram.)-The mobs stopped the Union Elec-
trio company's cars about 1890 o'clock this
morning. One mob gathered at the foot OF
Main street and pulled Off the trolley, the
motorman and conductor. Policemen at
tempting to defend the men were rotten
egged. In the north end Of town cars were
asailed with brickbats and turned in at the
station with every window broken. The
mob also stopped operators at the power
plant and the 'scab" engineer was escorted
out by a policeman. The company then
abandoned the effort to operate cars. say.
Ing it was up to the people to furnish pro.
lection.
The molders at the Screiber-Concha
company's factory struck out of sympathy
and the Teamsters' union notified the bosses
to haul no coal for the electric company
Mayor Berg says he may be obliged to cal
on Governor Cummins for troops.
This evening Judge O'Donnell of the dis
trict court isused a temporary injunction
restraining the strikers from interfering
with the operations Of cars by men I'm
ported from Chicago.
Iowa Central switchmen Strike.
osKALOOsA, Ia. May s.-Iowa Contra
switchmen here have struck because of thu
discharge of four men who refused to obey
orders. Freight trafic is crippled to som'
extent.
Mobile & Ohio Men Out.
ST. LOUIS, April s.-Mobile s. Ohio con
ductors, brakemen, yardmen and baggage
men all along the line between st. Louii
and Mobile went out on strike at $3.50 to
day because they were not given a 10 pei
cent increase in wages for freight servic,
and a Z per cent increase for passenger
service. which they have been trying Il
get since January last. About 800 men ar,
involved.
w. G. Lee. first vice grand master. ant
@. H. wilkins. grand senior conductor
have received kilograms from various point
between st. Louis and Mobile saying tn,
men walked out promptly when notified b!
wire. The strike was the result Of a can