The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1904-08-06
BIG PACKING USE STRIKE
OPENS: EYES or AMERICANS
Review Of Social: Conditions
Surrounding Those Who Toll
Away Their Lives in the Big
Packing Industries of the
Windy City.

Packing Industries of the
Windy City.
CHICAGO, ILL.,, Aug. 4-The big
packing house strike is the topic of the
hour in labor circles. A review of the
social conditions in Chicago brings out
the feet that the men have the very
best reason for strike. A. M. Simons
in his book, "Packtngtown," describes
the racking, horrible life of those en-
ployed in the meat business In. the
Windy City. The writer Is a Chicago
an and familiar with this special In
dustry. In view of the fact that owing
to the customary treachery and un-
faith Of employees in such cases the
strike trouble has flared up again
something descriptive of the life of
the wretched and exploited meat
slaves will be read with interest. The
following are extracts from Mr.. SIM
on's book:
1.-THE Pride Of Chicago"
Perhaps there is no one feature OF
the WINDY City, Of which it's ruling
class are so proud as the Union Stock
Yards and Packing Houses. Perhaps
1t is because from start to finish they
are more nearly tpical Of the system
In which they exist thany anthing else
iii the great city. From the general
air of hoggishness that prevades
everything from the general managers
offices down to the pens beneath the
buildings and up to smoke that hangs
over it all, the whole thing is purely
ca pitalistic. o.
The visitors interest and admiration
is divided between the iron and steel
Of human intelligence that
follows al 1.-The curves of a hogs ana
tony to remove the bristles, and the
flesh blood mechanism that re-
a single stroke Of the knife. He Is led
into the great cooling rooms and gazes
ON acres of freezing hogs In course of
preparation for journeys perhaps half
way arohnd the world, and he is
asked to admire the perfect machinery
that carries the carcass along through
all these various processes, with never
4 break or slip.
Visitors Not Told All.
But his attention is never called to
the gangs Of workmen with bare arms
rushing at headlong speed from the
fngid atmospheric to the. torrid heat Of
the ling floor, Neither de- old
Z
fines off Is { 81 ard un til !. he leaves,
H1stEvERY MOVEMENT rs NOTED
BY PAID SPIES who dog his foot
steps or note his presence as he passes
hot fo1 ct
Let us look for time at the condi
ton Immediately surrounding this gil
gantic expression Of modern CONNER
cialism. The allied industries here To-
Gated employ $4,000 men, women and
children, supporting a population of
between 100000 and 100000 people.
This makes it the largest industrial
community in the world.
Under what conditions do these peo-
pie live who prepare the meat for the
world: We have seen how all things
work, to the advantage Of, those who
OWN these mammoth, complex butch
er shops and the tools that are within
them; how is 1t with those who OP-
ERATE them, and who PRODUCE
this mighty mass Of food? Have they
shared in the economies Of produc-
ton, in the savings Of combination, in
the benefits Of improved machinery?
Where and how do they nve what
manner Of homes have they, and what
are the conditions under which they
work?
The Workers "homes."
These are questions that the casual
visitor seldom asks and the answers
TO which are never volunteered. Yet
the most hurried visitor cannot fail to
have one of. the conditions of life in
the Yards thrust upon him as his nos
1riis are assailed at every point by the
horrible, penetrating stencil that pre-
vades everything and fingers for
hours after a return to a more salu-
brious atmosphere. =
Great volumes of smoke roll from
the forest Of shimneys at all hours of
the day, and drift down over the help
less neiglborhood like a deep, black
curtain that fain would hide the suf-
fering and misery it aggravates. The
foul packing house sewage, too horri-
bly, offensive in it's putrid rottenness
for further exploration even by mon
opoltstic greed, is spewed forth in a
multitude Of arteries of filth into a
branch of the Chicago river at one
corner Of the Yards. where 1t rises to
the top and spreads out in name
less. indescribable cake Of fostering
fou]ness and disease breeding stencil.
Is Thi. Race suicide7
Is it any wonder that this particular
section of the Stock Yards comrnun-
ity, known as Back Of the Yards"
has the highest death rate of any place
Of the city of Chicago-so high that
on one street the DEATH RATE OF
CHILDREN UNDER SIX YEARS
ACTUALLY EXCEEDS THE BIRTH
RATE:
Complaint after complaint regarding
these conditions have been made to
the health department, but all in vain.
Who should care? They are ONLY
LABORF,RS! The owners live far
away from any danger. When, as a
last resort. Mayor Harrison was visit
ed, and he was asked II he would do
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