Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-01-20
Being Waged by Rival Labor
Factions at Lynn.
Boot and Shoe Workers Unicn Supply
Some Help, Monday.
Hand to Hand Fight When New Men
Leave Shops. y 4 81

on the pavements in front of the 10
shoe factories where the Knights of
Labor cutters are out on strike. They
We're watching for importations of cut
tiers to fill the places of the strikers by
the Boot and Shoe Workers Union, the
organization which owns the union
stamp and permits the manufacturer to
use it after the organization has put
his factory under union rules. The
fact that with the operative in stamp
factories it is to join the Boot and Shoe
Workers Union or find work some
where else, explains why there is so
much sympathy with the knights of
Labor in their struggle against the
Boot and Shoe Workers Union.
Cutters from Lewiston and Auburn,
Me-, and from Rochester, N. Y, were
expected this morning to go into the
stamp factories affected by the strike
The manufacturers have given the
Boot and Shoe Workers Union until
Wednesday to give them full force of
workmen. If the union fails to do this
the manufacturers will consider the
agreement broken and take action for
themselves. This would mean the end
of the union stamp in Lynn and of
knights of Labor.
Not man appeared at any of the
factories to take the strikers places up
to s o'clock, when the big volunteer
picket force went back to work. There
were 1000 knights OF Labor memberc,
employed at all the shoe factory in the
city 400 members of the Grain Count
crs Workers Union, who also have d
grievance against the Boot and Shoe
Workers Union, some 200 heel workers
and as many more turn Workmen,
They had promised to remain away
from the factories during the early
morning to help receive any men
brought into Lynn to take the strikers
places.
Thee mercury in the thermometer
stood at four below zero and it was
cold work for the pickets, but they
stuck it out until shortly after s and
then ali but the regular strike pickets
went to work. This volunteer picket
ing delayed all the Lynn factories, to-
day, for over an hour.
The Boot and Shoe Workers Union
won it's first success in the strike this
morning when Is cutters were put into
the cutting room of the Walton & Lo-
gan factory. They were brought by
Agent Jaclkman, of the Boot and Shoe
Workers Union, and Billy Murphy, an
old time baseball player. The Knights
of Labor had heard that the men were
on their way on the 1905 train and
We're waiting, but the men did not APP
pear. The pickets cheered and the
knights of Labor delegation marched
back to headquarters. On the next
train the men appeared and the depot
pickets closed about them. There was
Il rush from Knights of Labor head
quarters and the. men were followed by
Il crowd of about 800 to the factory, a
large detail of police escorting them
and preventing violence. There We're
Kisses and jeers but the men were got
into the factory without trouble.
Thomas Corcoran a. Sons report that
they have been supplied one cutter by
the Boot and Shoe Workers Union and
that more are promised. Today, their
factory is running in the other depart
ments as usual
There are no more stitchers out in
sympathetic strike, this morning,
though there are about 100 more unem-
ployed, today, than on Saturday,
II ainly because of lack of work in con-
sequence of the cutters strike in the
factories where they are employed. In
the ether factories no men have been
put in, though the manufacturers have
baen promised q force of cutters right
away.
There was apparently a break in the
ranks of the striking Knights of Labor
cutters at the Walton q Logan factory,
Of al
ters returned to work, giving this fac
tory cutting force with the men
brought in by the Boot and Shoe
Workers.
Today, a conference of the manufac-
turers who have the union stamp was
held and committee was appointed to
retain legal advice and proceed with q
petition for an injunction against the
Knights of Labor Cutters Assembly tt
restrain that organization from inter-
ferring in any way with the coming OF
Boot and Shoe Workers Union men
who are brought here to fill the shops
where sthe strike is now on. The
executive council of the manufacturers
held a secret session at noon to con-
slider the situation.
At the noon hour strenuous efforts
were made by the stitchers now in the
strike to induce the stitchers in the
factories not affected by this sympa-
thetic strike to come out, but these eff
forts met with little success. Owins
to a break in the fire protection waite
supply system in the Harvey Bros
factory during the night the place wa
wet down so much that general work
today, was impossible. This gave ris'
to a rumor that the entire factory hat
struck. &
But the picl1eting, the arrival of tn
new cutters and the scene at the rail
road station all fell back into insignifi
canoe before a hot >hand-to-h hand con
tict just outside of Lasters' hall jus
after 6 o'clock, tonight. 1t was the frs
personal fight of the strike and Will
it was short. nevertheless was yer.
lively.
The Is new cutters who went to worl
at the Walton Logan factory at noon
today, left their benches at O'Clock. to
night, an hour earlier than the usua
tirne and started in an express Wagon