Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-11-01
FALL RIVER LABOR STRIKE WORST
EVER KNOWN IN TEXTILE INDUSTRY
Indicates Desperate Conditions of Laborng People in Thes
Prosperous Republican Times-The City is
Being DepopuIated

Fall River. Mass, Nov This i
the fourteenth week of the great Fai
River strike. 1t is without a parallel il
the history of textile strikes in this
country. Twenty-six thousand mil
llaborers are contesting with $4,000,
600 of invested mill capital. Both side:
are standing absolutely firm. Boil
sides are suffering extremely. There
is not much comfort Tor the stand pat
preacher here.
Some of the features of this situation
are of purely local concern. Others
have a national significance. 1t is moi
necessary to judge the merits of eth
er side of this extraordinary conflict
to reach the conclusion that something
is wrong here for which neither side
is entirely to blame. For this part, the
mill owners claim that they have been
operating for the past year at a net
| loss They state that the only way
| by which they could continue to dc
business was to order the cut in wages
of 1919 per cent, which was to have
gone into effect July &c had all the
operatives not refused TO work on and
after that date.
1t is impossible to ascertain to just
what extent this strike is injuring
these manufacturers. They have a ire
mendous responsibility to bear. They
are undoubtedly suffering the loss of
all profit upon millions of dollars of
business There is no question but
that their business will be permanently
curtailed by the opportunity which is
being offered to mills in other places to
gain a foothold in the trade. These
owners are perfectly aware of the dis
tress which this strike is bringing to
the great army of working people who
have lived here for long time. They
see evidences of disaster from which
it is possible that Fall River will never
recover. There must be some funda-
mental reason of a most extraordinary
character, therefore. that would i'm
pei them to continue a warfare so I'M
relenting as this.
General Effects of the Strike.
Evidences of the battle which is be-
ing fought out here are apparent on
every hand. When the strike began
the population of Fall River was about
10000. But an exodus of working
people has continued for many weeks.
Furniture movers report moving ten
and fifteen families a day to the rail
road station or out of town. Most of the
families going away are French. Some
go to Canada, and others to manufac-
turing centers in Massachusetts, Rhode
Island, Connecticut, Maine, New Hamp-
shire and even New York state. 1t is
estimated that between 10000 and 25,-
900 people, all told, have moved away
for good since the strike began.
Another sinister effect of this con-
flict is upon the retail stores. Many
concerns have failed. The most con-
spicuous of these failures was that of
FOurnier Sons company, the largest re-
tail dealers in pork products in the
state. Dozens of small dealers are be-
ing forced out of business. and some
thirty actual failures have been report
ed since the strike began.
Landlords are suffering extreme
ly through the non-payment of rents.
This fact is reflected in the delay in
the payment of taxes now due. Even
the city government is being forced in
10 extreme economy, the municipal of
ficials have voted to postpone indefi-
nitely the celebration of the ESQ ami
versary of the Incorporation of the city.
The money which has been appropriat-
ed for this purpose has been turned
back into the contingent fund where
the poor fund might call upon it should
occasion require.
Suffering Among Working People.
Loss in wages to the operatives of
the cotton mills since the strike began
approximate S1,75O.O0O. This does not
take into account the loss the working
people have suffered from having had
to spend their small accumulatiOns in
this time last year the payrolls of the
various mills located here amounted
TO about $234.00O per week. That fig
ure was cut 10 per cent in the autumn
but even in July it was 100000. Since
July &c. however. these 10000 people
have lived upon never more than $50
600 week. supplied by labor unions
and other contributors from all parts
of the country.
At the present time the actual suf-
fering has reached the stage where the
very best efforts of charitable societies
and labor organizations are not suf-
ficient to prevent abject want. En-
sign Quarebriggs, of the Salvation