The Savannah morning news., 1904-08-08
ALL The UNIONS
BACK STRIKERS
BUTCHERS GET SUPPORT,
BOTH MORAL AND FINANCIAL,
FROM 100000 MEN.

Its IndOrsement to the Strike of
the Meat WOrkers-DOnneIly, the
Leader of the strikers, Addressed
the FederatiOn-End of Fourth
Week shows no Promise of End
of the Strike.
Chicago, Aug. ALI the labor unions
in Chicago have indorsed the stock
yards strike.
After listening to the strikers side
of the controversy, which was present.
ed to them by Michael !. Donnelly,
president of the striking Butchers
Union, the Chicago Federation of La
Dor, which is composed of every labor
organization in Chicago, and has a
membership of nearly 300, 900, adopted
resolutions tonight pledging the moral
and financial support of the federated
body as long as the strike continues.
Each member of the central body
will be assessed a small sum per week,
and the whole amount will be turned
over to the striking unions to help in
the support of the strikers and their
families during the struggle with the
packers. The exact amount each men-
ber is to be assessed was left in the
hands of a committee, with orders to
report results tomorrow While the
officials of the Federation of Labor
were unable tonight to give an exact
estimate of the amount of money the
strikers would secure from this source,
it was stated that the total sum would
be well up in the thousands each week.
Neither Side Wenkens.
After a fight which has lasted for
nearly four weeks, a settlement of the
stock yards strike seems tonight to
be as remote as at any time since the
struggle began. Neither side to the
conflict, during all this time, has
shown any sign of weakening
The packers, while claiming that
they will soon have their affairs in
normal condition again, so successful
have they been in securing non-union
men, admit that so far they have been
unable to get only $50 of their old en-
ployes back, and that the majority
of these men are unskilled workers.
| In the last statement given out by the
packers 1t was said that nearly halt
as many men were at work now as
before the strike began. These men
have been brought to Chicago from all
parts of the country the majority of
them never having seen a meat pack
ing plant before coming here. With
these men, the packers have succeed
ed in accomplishing a great deal of
work, but according to the strikers.
every animal that has been slaughtered
since the strike was called, has been
at a financial loss to the packers. as
in a majority of cases lack of skilled
workmen has made it impossible to
operate the by-products department,
and this source of revenue, which un-
der normal conditions is a clear profit
to the packers, has been allowed to
go to waste.
End Is Not in Sight.
Last week the packers were figuring
on a break in the ranks of the strikers
when work should be resumed to-mor-
row morning but there was nothing
that would Indicate that the men were
even considering such step or that
they had any idea of surrenderng to-
morrow, or at any future time. Ac-
cording to Michael J. Donnelly, presi-
dent of the butchers union, the organ
ization which precipitated the strike,
the strikers are in a better condition
to-day than they were on July u, the
day the original strike was called.
During the four weeks the strike
has been in progress" said Mr.. DON
nelly tonight, there have been less
than 1900 desertions from the various
unions whose members have Joined the
struggle for living wages. and not one
of these workmen who has gone back
to the packers is a skilled worker. To
offset these desertions, our men have
secured at least twice that number of
new recruits from the men the pack
ers have brought to Chicago to take
the strikers places.
From a dispute between the pack
ers and butcher workmen the strike
has spread into struggle between
organized capital and labor, but there
are not enough men and women on
this continent to break this strike, de-
spite the assertions of the packers
that they have nearly all the work.
men they require and that their busi-
ness is about back to its normal basis.
We have received assurances from the
most powerful labor organizations
throughout the United states that they
are with us in this fight and are only
waiting to have representatives from
our unions sent before them and make
the request when contributions to our
financial support will be freely made.
Under these circumstances. there is
nothing for us to fear as the victory
will be with us in the end, no matter
how long that may be-"
without Ala of strikers.
The determination Of the packers to
re-establsh their business on a normal
footing without overtures to. or recog-
milton of the union, was given empha-
sis by pacards which were posted in
the Nelson Morris e. Co. work rooms
and along the new loading docks. The
placards read as follows
"Foremen and old employees, engaged
in all departments Of this plant, Will
watch new employees and instruct them
as much as possible In the details of
their duties This order Is issued I'm aid
of the rapid organization Of our forces
as few, II any, of our former em-
ployes will be reinstated."
Representatives Of the packers left
tonight to seek recruits in the Mich
iean and Wisconsin lumber camps. The
search in new territory for strike
breakers arises from the fact that
fewer men are being enlisted in South
ern states. II having been found that
the plantation negroes do not take
kindly to the hard labor Of the pack
ing houses.