Daily Kennebec journal., 1904-12-30
IT'S WELCOMED!
Rumors of Peace in Fall
River Mills.
Meeting Of the Idle Employees
Called for Today.
To Consider Acceptance Of Cut and
Return to Work.

Fail River. Mass, Dec. 29-It looks
like the beginning of the end of the
strike. The secretaries Of all the unions
issued notices, Thursday morning. to
the members of their unions that meet
lngs were to be held. at 10 O'Clock Fri
day morning. to vote on the ADVISABLE
ty of continuing the strike. These calls
to the members were issued as a re-
suit of a meeting of the executive com.
mittee of the Textile Council which was
held. Wednesday afternoon. The action
of the executive committee was kept
very secret until Thursday morning
wnen the official announcement was
| made
All the labor secretaries, with the ex-
ception of Mr.. Jackson Of the Slasher
Tenders Union, are very reticent in re-
gard to the decision of the executive
committee of the Textile Council. and
the probable action Of the unions at
their meetings. Friday morning. 1t is
the general belief though that the vote
will be almost unanimously in favor of
returning to work under the reduction,
according the vote expressed a short
While ago on the matter of submitting
the question to arbitration
Although the labor leaders do not saw
anything on the matter it is the general
belief that the Textile workers will not
remain at their machines very long af-
ter the severe weather has been passed
over. unless there is an improvement
in conditions
The operatives in other New England
cotton mill towns have assisted the
strikers here to the best of their ability.
fearing that in the event of the col
lapse Of the struggle, a sweeping cut
i'm other Northern cotton mills would
speedily follow.
According to Joseph G.. Jackson. Sec
retary of the Slashar Tenders. one of
the principal causes for restlessness
among tie operatives was the Amerj-
can Federation of Labor assessment
affairs. He says the people who were
out on strikes had been led to believe
that the Federation would carry the
strike along and there had been too
much blaring of trumpets from San
Francisco AS result of what was
sald about the assessment he added
the expectations of the operatives weIa
pitched at high scale and the slow
nesS of the Federation in the matter of
sending on the money caused many of
the strikers to become Gisheartened and
that was why the meetings Of tomor-
row morning We're called.
He said there had been too much |
promising by officials of the Fedora |
ton. but that as far as the rank and |
file of organized labor was concerned |
they had done their duty nobly 1t was |
through no fault of theirs that the full |
amount Of the assessment had not been
received. Mr.. Jackson called attention
TO the fact that the assessment had |
been voted on the 18th Of November
and that it was not until Dec. 10 that |
President GOmpers sent out his official |
notification Of the fact. Despite the fact |
that about six weeks have elapsed !
since tnat time. the strikers have only |
received $4,000 of the money which.
according to figures of the membership |
of the Federation is not quite the |
amount of the first weeks assessment. |
The call of Secretary Jackson to the |
members of the union is the shortest
of all the leaders, and IL read between
the lines goes to show that some feel
ing has been aroused among the labor
leaders as result of the strike and its
conduct. Mr.. Jacksons call is as fol-
lows:
ITO the members of .ha Slashers Ten
ders Union.
Some members Of the unions have
expressed a desire to have a vote taken
on the advisability Of continuing the
strike. The executive committees of the
Textile Council. acting under instruc-
tions of that body have decided that
such an opportunity be given and you
will therefore meet at st. Mary's band
room, at 10 o'clock. Friday morning, to
take action on this question"
Secretary Tansey of the Carders Tn
ion, who is also president of the Tex
tile Council, said that he had nothing
to say in regard to the latest develop
ment in the strike situation. He was
perfectly satisfied to leave the decision
to the members Of his union What the
action of mis- members would be, he did
not care to try to predict.