The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-07-23
Union Men Claim the Big COn- panies Have Violated
 Their Agreement
WOULD NOT HIRE BACK
 ANY UNION OFFICIALS
Smiles of Joy Were Changed to Ex- pressions of Anger When So Few Men Were Taken Back
 Into the Plants.

Chicago. July 22.-The stockyards strike which was renewed this morning in Chi cago and all the other points where the big companies have branches because the strikers were dissatisfied with the manner in which the employees proposed to rein state their former employees, pending a settlement by arbitration, will continue for another day at least.
 joint conference between representa- tives of both sides to the controversy and representatives of the allied trades in au attempt to bring about peaceahle ad- justment of this second strike, was un- successful, and the meeting was adjourn ed tonight at S:3O o'clock with the under standing that another conference would be held tomorrow at o'clock.
 At todays conference which lasted live hours a committee of ten, consisting or five representatives of the packers and five representatives of the meat butch CTS union, was appointed to go over the whole situation, but the committee was unable to reach a working basis with which both sides would be satisfied.
 Each BIames the Other.
 Whether the difficulty can be satisfacto- rily settled at tomorrow's meeting Is problematical, as both the packers and the strikers maintain that they are living up to Wednesdays agreement for a set clement by arbitration, and that 1t Is the other side that Is responsible for the re- newal of hostllftIes. After tonights ad- 1ournment, no written statement of what transpired in the meeting was given out. Unless a settlement Is reached tomorrow, the general belief Is that sympathetic strike of the allied trades in the packing industry which was threatened last week to enforce the demands of the strikers will be called. All these unions have sig nifed their willingness to stand by the butchers if they are called on to assist in the struggle with the palk@s for SUI premacy.
 In the following statement given out tonight by Mir Donnelly, president of the Butchers union, the reason vhy the strilS- CTS refused to return to work today is given:
 Donnellys Latest Statement.
 ''The packers signed an agreement that there would be no discrimination in the re-hiring of the men. This was accepted by the officers of the organization in good faith On the return of the men this morning they were lined up like cattle. The foreman and superintendent through the line would pick out man and say, You come up. The next man would be pushed out of line and told that he could not be used. and 1t was always the good ac- tive union men whom they could not use.
 We understood the agreement perfect ly and the strike was only called after the packers had violated the same. This nas been their system in the past, and that was our main reason for insisting on the time limit in the agreement but in spite of this the packers intention was 10 hire only such men as were fayorites. They also hired men in some of the depart ments who had not been employed prior to the strike.
 "superintendent Pension of the Armour canning department addressed the em- ployes in the following language this morning:
 "sYou went away like cattle and we will take you back like cattle
 "rhis language was used both to men and womenp said MT. Donnelly.
 Violation of Agreement Alleged.
 The backing house strike was today or dered renewed in Chicago and all other cities. violation of agreement by the pack ing house proprletors Is assigned as the. reason.
 The following telegram was sent by President Donnelly to all employees or various packing houses in the different cities affected by the previous strike;
 "Order out all the departments again. Companies violated agreement.
 "MICHAEL DONNELLY, "President International Meat Cutters
 and Butcher Workmen.'
 Today 3O0O cattle butchers reported at the stockyards here for work. Only half of them were given places. Thereupon all to work. They reported in body at their union headquarters. The general order for a renewal of the strike was soon 
 While the immediate provocation for of the strike was apparently the failure of the packers to take back lar ger proportion of the strikers who re- ported for work today the real cause of the rupture was inferred 10 be a circular issued yesterday by the packers. The cir cular purported to explain to the public the agreement entered into with the labor leaders. Seemingly the circular could be taken as implying that the agreement did not bind the packers to re-employ all of the men who walked out. The construc- ton the labor leaders had placed upon the was that all should be re-em- ployed within forty-five days.
 Not More Than Half.
 When the 3O00 butchers and their 'help- CTS went into the yards here today to take their old places, the general greeting received was:
 ''We cannot take back more than half the regular force" Immediately there was a woeful display of chagrin and dis appointment The men held a conference of an impromptu nature and reached an agreement to act as a unit or not at all.
 "You must take us all back or none." came the reply of the union men. who saw performing the tasks they had done before numbers of non-union workmen. The packers refused to accede to this, and a committee was sent to see Pres- dent Donneliy. The latter was quickly in communication with his advisers. With in an hour and half the decision was reached to reopen the strike. President Donneliy's telegram was accordingly sent to all unions
 The breaking of the agreement. as al- legged by President Donnelly. on the part of the packers. and the ending of all peace plans on the part of the unions l came as a violent surprise to the public,