The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-08-31
President DonnelIy OF Butchers
Issues a New Order.
Calling Out Workmen In the In.
dependent Concerns.
sTOCKHANDLERS QUIT.
Voted Last Night to Go Out at
10 O'clock Today.
Strike Leader Expects to Get
Railroad Switchmen Out.

Chicago, Aug. 31.-Famine in meat
is declared by the strikers to be the
probable result of their new move in
the strike against the packers. Orders
nave been issued for a general strike OF
all butcher workmen throughout the
country. They are expected to go out
tomorrow. The order will affect in all
about 1000 men in Chicago and ten in
dependent plants. The order, if OBJ
served, will also affect independent
plants of large capacity in East st.
Louis, Omaha. Kansas City, Sioux City.
New York, Milwaukee, Syracuse.
Stickney, Illinois, and hundreds Of
smaller plants throughout the country
which employ from 10 to 20 men. AL
together union officials assert that 49,
900 men will go out, and the meat sup
ply will be seriously crippled, leaving
as the only supply the output of the
big packers by their nonunion help. To-
day the pickets surrounding the yards
were. largely increased and strike
breakers were warned not to leave the
yards. Six hundred stock handlers at
the yards quit work today. They were
greeted by cheers by the union pickets.
The packers say it is Donnelly's aim
to create meat famine, which he
thinks would arouse the public to such
a pitch of indignation tnat settle-
ment would be forced.
"Donnelly is undertaking the impos-
sible," said representative of one of
the packers.
In addition to the stock handlers, 125
special policemen and nearly 400 pen
cleaners of refuse wagons. and laborers.
employed by the Union Stock Yards
company. also quit work.
Efforts are being made to call out the
switchmen at the yards, employed by
the Chicago Junction Railway COM
pany. Frank F. Hawley, grand master
of the Switchmen's Union of North
America. has been summoned to Chi
cago with the view of getting switch
men throughout the United States to
refuse to handle cars containing any
thing of the packers.
Independent Plants Included.
Chicago, Aug. 31.-President DonnelIy
has ordered 1,500 butcher workmen en-
ployed in the Independent packing
plants to cease work after today. He
said that if these men continued
handling stock previously looked after
by the men who took the places of the
stock handlers selected to quit work to-
day. The manager of the Union Stock
yards e Transit company said. in antic-
ipation of the strike of the stock hand
lerS. men had been in training to take
the places of deserting weighers, and
that a lot of such men are available at
once. He said further that no trouble
was expected in handling the stock.
A strong effort is to be made by the
union leaders now at the stockyards
to spread the scope of the strike so that
it will include every trade which is sf-
fliated in even remote degree with
the packing industry.
The first step in this direction was
taken last night when the stock
handlers now employed at the yards vo-
ted to go on strike at 10 o'clock this
There are about 1000 of these
men and their duties are to look after
and feed the cattle in the pens between
the time of their arrival and the time
of their killing. Their action, therefore,
will make it incumbent upon the pack
ers to provide other men to take their
places. President Donnelly of the
Butchers Union declared that he would
also be able to call out all the switch
men employed on the railroads which
do business at the stockyards and pos
sibly to extend the strike to other de-
partments of the railroads.
A mass meeting of the strikers is to
be held this afternoon at Watita hall,
near the stockyards, and addresses are
to be made by a number of labor lead
erS.