The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-07-25
ALL OUT
Grand Rush OF Packing House
Employees for the Gates.
Allied Trades Unions Join the
Butchers Strike.
GREETED WITH CHEERS
BY Thousands of Strikers Gath
cred in the Vicinity.
Head of TRANSPORTATION Urged
Conservative Course.
THEY WOULD NOT WAIT
A Conference With the Packers
Was i'm Progress.
All Mechanical Trades and
Teamsters Are Out.
By Thousands of Strikers Gath
cred in the Vicinity.
Head of fTeamsters'UniOn Urged
Conservative Course.
THEY WOULD NOT WAIT
A Conference With the Packers
Was in Progress.
All Mechanical Trades and
Teamsters Are Out.

Chicago, July 25.-Chicago's sympa-
thetic general strike at the stockyards,
predicted by it's leaders to be the
greatest and the most expensive this
country has ever known. began at 10
O'Clock today when thousands OF team
sters. cattle handlers and members of
the mechanical trades quit work and
made a grand rush for the gates lead
ing from the busiest square mile of
buildings, yards and pens in the world.
The first big detection came when
seven hundred men. including the scald-
ers and pen cleaners employed by the
Union Stock Yards and Transit COM
pany refused to work further.
First to go were the handlers, and
this eliminated the usefulness of team
sters and they followed. AS they passed
out of the big gates at Exchange ave-
nue. they were greeted with cheers by
the thousands of strikers gathered in
the vicinity.
Prior to this spectacular exodus came
small strikes in the various plants, in
cluding carpenters. firemen, elevator
men, machinists, etc, but these did not
have the effect of tieing up the plant,
since such action had been anticipated
and as often as a union man stepped
out a nOnunlOn or a union man VINO
had deserted his organization was there
to take his place. The teamsters and
cattle handlers as a whole employed by
the various indfvfduaf firms refused to
join in the preconference movement, so
much desired and ardently urged by
President Donnelly's union. but a large
number of them quit and quietly left
the yards to attend a big mass meeting
called for the benefit of all who had re-
fused to await results of further con-
ferences.
place a conference between strike rep
resenta tives and the packers was be-
ing held at the offices of Nelson. Nor
ris & Co.. at the yards, and the dele
gates representing the allied trades
were in session at Emerald avenue and
Forty-frSt street.
Earlier in the day the allied trades
and the committee of eight teamsters
chosen last night to seek peace anew
before permitting the teamsters to
strike had been urged by President
Donnelly of the meat cutters to de-
clare the general strike and then seek
There was a lively debate, President
Golden for the teamsters' governing
body, declaring his belief that a COM
mon sense campaign would end in
peace. He pointed out the danger of
shutting up the Union Stock Yards and
Transit company, which he said would
be detrimental to the strikers friends,
the independent packers. VINO were do
ing the big packers almost as much
damage as anybody else. He urged
that the stock yards company be per-
mitted to continue under some kind of
agreement. but his argument had no
weight with President Donnelly, VINO
said: The time to strike is right now.
Let us talk about the independent con-
Germs and about settlement later
Then it was arranged that President
Schardt, representing the Chicago Fed
Grafton OF Labor. and Barney Cohn,
representing the Butchers union.
should join the Tea msters' union COM
mittee, to which had been added Jonn
Sheridan, business agent of the Ice
Wagon drivers There are l 200 of the
ice wagon drivers employed by the
packers and with their striking, it is
admitted the packers would have much
difficulty in getting ice to their refrig-
orator cars.
Before going to meet the packers the
committee of teamsters had a joint con-
ference with the allied trades represen-
tatiVeS and then with MeSSrs. Schardt
and Cohen, went to meet the packers
While this latter conference WIS in
progress, the allied trades meeting was
continued, the delegates being anxious
to learn the result of the latest fort
to bring about settlement.
Under instructions the repreSenta-
tiveS of labor. told the packers that
they could not waive their demand for
reinstatement within As hours of the
Callle DuICne1S ana meat cutters and
within ten days for all others and for
individual arbitration in all cases of al
legged discrimination. After the confer
ence a representative of the packers
said no progress had been made and
that settlement seemed as far off as
ever.
Move of Independent Packers
While the peace conference was in
session news came of the strike of all
the livestock handlers. independent
packers took advantage of this and
droves of cattle and sheep were driven
out of the yards long after 10 o'clock
When it became known that the walk
out of the livestock handlers affected
the independent packers as well as
those against whom the strike had been
called. representatives of the independ-
ents called on the strike officials to ask
for a special provision allowing them to
secure cattle from the yards in the reg
ular way.
Representatives of the allied pack
ing house trades promised to take
the question up at a formal meeting.
Meanwhile the sympathetic gem
eral strike had spread rapidly. When
the scale men quit many of them left
unweighed cattle on the scales. Not
al the machinists went out. The
lectricians and dynamo men, how
ever, made large desertions. Their