The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-09-25
Minneapolis
MILL[Rs GETTING
READY FOR D SIEGE
Are Now Fencing in Mills to
Keep Strikers Off Their
Property.

Unless the flour leaders Withdraw
their eight-hour demand the big mill
strlKe is scheduled to be prolonged in
definitely.
The millers are determined to stand
firm; there is no doubt of that, and will
not listen to any proposal to settle the
dlff1cuIty by arbitration. The tone of
their address to the public distinctly
meant that two days ago, and such or
CARNATIONS as the Commercial club
and the Citizens alliance have taken
their cue, that they are not to butt
in
w. G. Nye of the public affairs COM
mlttee of the Commercial club, said
yesterday that he considered it useless
to ask the millers to arbitrate.
The strikers want to do that" he
said, land we would only be taking
their side of the controversy, which we
do not want to do. Later on condi-
lions may be more favorable for this
solution of the difficulty"
e. j. Phelps, of the Citizens alliance.
said: There is nothing to arbitrate at
present."
Strikers Issue Statement.
The strikers addressed the following
letter TO Mayor Haynes:
honorable Sir-The mill owners, in
communication to the public, have
stated that the request made by the
flour leaders for an eight-hour day is
unfair and unreasonable. They say:
To grant this request now means a
gradual reduction of the milling bust
ness In Minneapolis, and consequently
a very material decrease in the num-
Der of men to be employed in the city,
They further state that their refusal
TO grant our request was prompted by
their desire to maintain for tlas city
the supreme position which it now
holds in the milling world. They claim
that the change to an eight-hour shift
would mean an increase in the pay roll
so large as to prove serious handicap
This we deny. The additional cost in
volved in this dispute is so small that
1t is not worth considering. We can
prove this. E
THE mill owners have appealed to
the civic pride of the citizens of Min
neapolis. We are willing to meet them
In this issue, for we are as proud of the
Flour City as they are.
IF you will appoint committee of
five representative citizens to arbitrate
this question we will return to work
and await their decision.
Kindly place this proposition before
the mill owners and endeavor to secure
their consent" r,
This statement is signed by the pres
ident of the International Union Of
Flour and Cereal Mill Employees, presi-
dent of the Millers' union, president Of
the Packers and Nailers' union, .presi-
dent of the Flour Leaders union. enT
Effort Made to Operate Mills. ~.
The millers evidently mean to fight
to keep the mills going. While twelve
of the mills are closed down, five others
were running yesterday after fashion.
These were the st. Anthony, the Wash
burn B, the east half of the Washburn
A, the Humboldt and Palisade mills.
They were able to do this by employ
ing the office forces and bosses, and
the machinery was kept going. An eff
fort was evidently made to- eimport
some help from ST. Paul, but Of the
three men brought over only two went
to work.
In the Washburn A and B mills girls
that were formerly packing breakfast
foods at slips a day were put at work
at 81 day packing five and twelve
and a half-pound packages, but when
they were given the twenty-four and a
half pound packages they baked.
The strikers have pickets posted
about the. milling district, and high
fence is being constructed by the mills,
which will extend from the North Star
wooden mills to the Pillsbury- Wash
burn elevator. This is to keep the
strikers and their friends from gaining
access to the platform. ~
Detail of Police Keeps Order.
A detail of police. is being kept in
the milling district, but. there have
been no indications of any resort to
violence on the part of the strikers. A
few pickets were scattered about last
night, evidently on the lookout to see
if any men were secured to take the
strikers places.
Each of the big milling companies
had one mill in operation, or seemingly
SO, but only in the Washburn "B' was
any work really being done. In the
ST Anthony mill, Of the Consolidated
company, and the Pallisade, of the
Pillsbury- Washburn company, the ma
chinery was running, but no flour was
being ground. m
The four individual mills, the Cata-
ract, Christian, Phoeniy and Nation
al, were running with the consent of
the strikers, as the owners say they
will come to eight hours whenever the
big mills do.
The strike did not greatly affect the
market yesterday. except to make 1t
dull, the mills not buying. At one
time there was slump of one cent.