New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-07-26
STRIKE OPENS QUIETLY.
Fail RiCcr HiU Hands to Number
OF ~ -00O Ont.

Fall River. Mass. July 25.-The end Of the
first day Of the strike Of 5000 cotton mill op-
eratires here found little or no change in iae
situation. Tho day passed quietly, as ala the
evening. and so. in al probability. VIII pass
the succeeding days ot the strike, for the reason
that the opposition 10 the strike on the part or
operatives is so slight as to be hardly feature
The mill owners and their operatives are de-
tcrEliAed in the struggle for su1remacy and
few are rash enough TO predict the outcome
With TIE strikers II is simply question Of how
long they can do without their wages and exist
strike benefits. on the part of the owners
il Is a natter of how long they car afford to
have their mills closed down at time when
the cotton and cloth markets are not Ak their
best.
portion OF one mill operated until noon TO-
day. and At another mill some twenty men
worked all day. When the mill gates Uere
opened his morning less than three hundred,
conseryatively estimated, out of an army CT
some 260Go operatives reported for work The
Bourne and Narragansett mills opened at the
usual hour but when the operatives came out
ct noon many strikers were on hand. and their
arguments were effective that not enough
workers returned to the Bourne mills to operate
the plant. and The attempt was abandoned at
30 O'Clock Only score OF employees returned
to the Narragansett mills rThese continued at
work during the afternoon.
The strike leaders repeatedly warned their
followers throughout the day that violence must
be avoided at ali costs. and with single ex-
ception, uninportant IN Itself. their advice was
needed The streets were quiet this evening.
and there was little in the mill districts 10 in
dictate that the breadwinners of thousands of
families We're engaged in struggle certain to be
accompanied with hardships and privation for
many
Neither the officers of the Textile Council nor
the mill managers would make a formal state
ment tonight, the situation. in their opiriors.
showing little or no change since morning.
The Loom Fixers' Union and the Carders'
Union held meetings this afternoon. but beyond
completing preparations for the relief of needy
families and warning the strikers 10 refrain
from acts of violence, the proceedings were un-
important The only sembance Of violence oc-
CURED At the Bourne mills shortly before they
were shut down. a non-union operative In at
tempting 10 leave the mills unobserved. started
down a fire escape from the second floor in the
rear Of The building. Strikers on thu street near
by the man, and number of stones We're
hurled At him. He reached the ground safely.
however. and made his escape in the woods. To-
night the scenes on the streets were not UNI
usual
bolH Sues duAlll lhat TINS Is the beginning
of one of the most determined contests which
Fall River has ever seen The manufacturers
maintain that they have tried every plan which
they could think Of to avoid a reduction in
wages, and took thai final step only when driven
To do so 10 save their business. on the other
hand, the operatives say that the conditions
affecting cotton manufacture here are such
that reduction in wages is no more remedy
than such step would be in attempting to pre-
vent the ravages of the boil weevil.
Chairman Willard Rowland and Messrs
Palmer and Barry, of the State Board OF Arbi-
tration, arrived from Boston before noon and at
once went into conference with Mayor Grimes
The members said that they had no plans hut
that they would spend a day or two on the field
Element Of the trouble