The daily silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1903-1907, 1904-08-10
NEW WAY TO SETTLE STtiktS

AT Fall River, Mass, there exlStS, per
haps the most peaceful and peculiar
strike in the nation. Twenty-six thou
sand employees are on a str. ke-lock out
a sort Of mutual half strike and one-half
lock out by consent of both the employ
ers and employees.
Several weeks ago the textile manufac-
turers in Fall River served notice on the
employees that a reduction in wages o.
about 10 per cent. W uld be made on a
certain day. The employees promptly sent
word back that they would not work for
any reduced wages. The mill owners re-
piled that they had raised the wages al
most 80 per cent. during the last seven
years and that they had raised them IL
per cent. too much and that it was abso-
lutely necessary to make the cut of IL
per cent. or close down their mills. The
employ es thought the mill owners were
bluffng and held fast to mo reduction
When the day set for the reduction ar
rived. the employees were notified that the
mills ndO DeeH running at Il lOSS dllt.
rather than to continue at a loss the
mills would shut down until the men de-
cided on a reduction of the wages. or un-
til the price of textile goods increase suf-
ficiently to warrant the payment of the
wages. The mill owners said they would
make no effort to run the mills with
l. 49,, --l 49, 10 tIAxr ao,,IA
operate at a profit the mills will remain
closed.
There is no trouble or disorder in Fall
River. Only one-fourth of the mill EN-
ployes belong to unions, but the unior,
and n%Gn-union operatives are working in
harmony in insisting on the wages paid
for several years past. They say it is
too hard to get a raise to permit a reduc-
ton without an effort to prevent it.
The trouble, however. is presenting
itself at the homes of the empl yes where
the flour barrel is empty and appeals are
being made for help. The situation In
Fall River is most unusual. 1t appears
Aiidt ool SioSS III q CdSC Inc tAlAS Siioutu
submit their grievances to an arbitration
committee. OF course. If the arbitration
was against the mill owners 1t could net
be enforced for the reason that the MIL
owners could not be forced to operate the
mills IL they did not want to, but the ar
bitration would at least lay bare the CEN
taptfnp ~ tho mill upar r-hatbar thay
are losing money or not. The strikers
would probably go to work at a reduction
IL they were convinced that the mills are
losing money. 1t certainly is a new con-
dition for organized labor to confront,
when the works are shut down until labor
accepts the price offered. 1t remains to
River will be maintained. If organized la
Dor generally throughout the United
States will contribute to the support of
the 5000 union men and $4,000 non-union
men now locked out at Fall River, this
new dodge CT forcing the w~orkingman to
time may be defeated, because the mill
o
wipe out all of the trade and good will
already established.
This peaceable Little strike in Fall River
may aver lead to the greatest strike In
the nation. because the textile mills >
other cities will supply the orders of the
Fall River mills, and when the empi yes
discover that fact a general strike VIII
result. which may involve the whole coun-
try. The old saying, big things evolve
from little beginnings, may prove true
ever in labor troubles. The Fall River
strikers. however. say that they can
hold out until November. when the cleo
ton CT Roosevelt will give textiles such
a boom that they will be put to work at
the old price, and that the few months
vacation is nothing compared with a
permanent reduction of 10 per cent.