Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-09-09
President DOnneIly Shows
Folly of Longer
Contest.
EMPLOYEES HAVE LOST
Wages No Higher---Men Taken
Back at Packers
Pleasure.

strike of the butchers and allied trades
at the stock yards is off. The vote of
the conference board of the allied
trades council to bring the trouble to
an end was unanimous. President
Donnelly telegraphed the decision to
all cities where wOrkmeu have been
on strike.
Action Last Evening.
Chicago. Sept. 9.-The executive
board of the union butcher workmen
last evening abandoned the strike
against the meat packing plants and
ordered the members back to work.
With the decision of the various labor
organizations to adopt this course the
struggle came to an end. The strike
concluded with utter collapse. The
men receive less than they had wished
for when they first walked out and
much less than was given them in the
agreement which terminated their
first strike.
FIfty-Nine Days on strike.
Begun July u. the struggle contin.
ned for eight weeks and three days.
A week after the s,,.ke was first called
they made peace with their employers
under q favorable contract which gave
them practically all they had demand
ed. The second We kout occurred the
morning work was to Il resumed un-
der the contract.
1t was charged by the packers that
the union broke the agree n ent by this
act. and since then the organizations
steadily lost ground. In Chicago a few
L. al.
ing centers thousands abandoned the
fight. Desperate means were resorted
to to stem the tide. but the packers
continued to operate their plants with
better and better success. At the last
the only thing for the union was com
plete surrender.
End Comes at Union Conference.
The end really came in the meet
ing OF the joint conference board yes
terday afternoon. 1t was the belief OF
some members of this board that tha
labor organization could win some.
thing from the employers yet. and
| they were engaged in trying to devise
new plans to extend the fight.
President DonnelIy of the butchers
arose and took the position of leader.
BY an exhibition of backbone he
brought this talk of further war to a
close. He told the representatives of
the various unions that the executive
board of his organization had decided
to call off the strike. The union was
going to pieces. he said, and the mem
bers were suffering. No matter how
the others regarded the move. said
| Donnelly. he. as president Of the
| butcher worllmen, would order the
| fight abandoned.
Vice President c. e. Schmidt of the
union followed DOnnclly in the same
vein. The result of this display Of
courage was that the joint board voted
| its approval OF the peace course.
Terms Accepted by strikers.
The terms offered by the packers
and accepted by the leaders of the
| butchers are as follows:
| Tha packers agree 10 give work to
as mary of the strikers as are needed.
| giving preference in future to the old
men in hiring employees.
! Present non-union employees To be
kept so far as they wish to remain.
Wages Of the skilled men to be the
same as before the strike.
The packers agree to treat the la
borers fairly and declare that in the
future the plants will be run more
evenly the six days of the week.
The Union Stockyards and Transit
company to reinstate all striking live
| stock handlers as rapidly as possible.