The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1904-07-27
LONG FIGHT
EXPECTED
Packers and Their Striking EN-.
ployes Preparing For
Bitter Conflict.
Days of Peace in Chicago's Big
Labor Contest Seem to
Have Passed.

{ ! 1
Chicago, July 27.-In the great In
dustrial war now we'll under way the
packers and the strikers rallied dur.
ing the day and prepared for bitter
conflict. The one side went about its
preparations quietly, yet effectively !;
the other enthusiastically and, as they
hoped, also effectively. Meantime the
day took on the real aspect of a
mighty strike. Riotous scenes devel-
Oped and continued Internationally
throughout the day.
Riot calls were sent in from a num-
Der of points. Many arrests were made
and altogether the days of peace
seemed doomed for some time. On
the one hand the packers declared
emphatically that their plants were
running and would continue to run !;
strike breakers were rushed into the
yards by the hundreds and nonunion
help was employed wherever it Of
fered itself.
Emergency preparations were made
with a view to compactness; as, for
instance, the Capitalization of the
steam power plants of the Armour
and Swift companies.
While the mattresses in the restau-
rants of the big plants joined their
brother strikers in the sympathetic
walkout there were Individual defec-
tiOns reported from the strikers ranks.
A few OF the strikers were reported to
have thrown away their union buttons,
frankly admitted the fact, marched up
to the recruiting offices and to nave
been hired on the spot.
Strikers Are Enthusiastic.
On the other hand it was whoop-
ing day for the strikers.
All was enthusiasm about the yards
and this general feeling Of energy cen
tered at Forty-seventh and Halsted
streets. This corner promised to be
the seething center of strike agitation
during the strenuous times to c5me.
Here is the Watita Club house, where
Donnelly, Schardt, Golden and all the
rest of the labor leaders have pitched
their camp, and here is the place
where all the orders, instructions to
individuals, advice to the doubtful and
encouragement to the hating will be
distributed with free hand.
Evidence of fighting enthusiasts was
shown during the day when thousands
of strikers and sympathiZers began
to stream up Halsted and Forty -sev-
enth streets and concentrate at the
Watita corner, where the strikers in
itial mass meeting was held and, as
the leaders had predicted, it was a
rousing one. When the meeting came
to order there was a great wave OF
shouting that sounded Ominous enough
to the packers, managers and trusted
assistants in Offices not far away. All
the strike leaders spoke briefly to the
crowd and their talking was interrupt
ed repeatedly by applause.
Tired of temporizing with the strik.
ers the packers during the day began
sending meat laden wagons out of the
yards, driven by union teamsters,
working under police guard.
The police encountered no difficult
ties, Notwithstanding that at every
gate were large numbers of pickets
representing every trade interested in
the general strike It was the first
day of picketing by the allied trades
and the developments indicated that
been quickly made.
Claim All Plants Are in Operation.
Despite the fact that 25,000 or more
regular employees are on strike at the
stock yards here, including the num-
ber who went out Monday after the
call for sympathetic strike had been
issued, all the big packing plants were
declared to be in nearly full operation
during the day. Nearly every man
who went out Monday, it was claimed,
had been replaced by one who belongs
to no union, and among the recruits
were said to be number of young
men from Armour institute, who have
taken the places of some of the fire
men in the various plants. While the
flremen went out the engineers, it was
asserted, with possibly a dozen excep-
tions, remained in their places. This
was due to the fact, it was said, that
the general strike order did not ex-
tend to the engineers, few of whom,
according to the employers, were un-
tionary engineers employed in the
packing plants and yards is 110.
According to the packers 600 non
uulOu mCu llOn OIACl 1SAtlCS WCI z
brought into the yards during the day
within a couple Of hours and dis
tributed among the various plants. OF
these forty were skilled butchers from
New York. There was killing of cat
tie, hogs and sheep in all the plants.
Men with Panama hats, expensive
clothing of the latest cut and fine
linen stepped in among the hogs dur
ing the day and took charge of the un-
loading of the days arrivals at the
yards. The volunteer crew of stock
unloaders was made UP of the office
and clerical forces of the various com
mission houses at the yards. While
the amateurs toiled among the grnnt
| ing swine strikers in heavy boots and
i 4 80 As<,ko