The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1907-09-27

"The Amal9amated people have GER
tainly adopted no halfway measures
The ak swung right and left.Fully 80
per cent of the mining force of the
Amalgamated company was laid off in
a few days. Married and single men
were forced to 90 together although
some preference was shown the mar
ried men where it was possible. The
machinist's strike will do the rest
Those mines that have not closed al
ready will be forced to do so soon. The
Amalgamated people have brought
everything to surface at the mines
which they closed and it looks like a
long siege.
''People in Butte refuse to believe
that the shutdown was brought about
by natural conditions of business. They
say that they are at the mercy of the
whims of few men and that the pres
ent calamity was brought about by
the depression in the stock market.
Some of the more radical declare it
was a blow at the labor unions, on ac-
count of the machinists' strike, which
would have seriously crippled the mines
in short time, had not Amalgamated
taken the initiative in bringing about
the shut down.
f"There was some talk among the
union men calling out the men who
we're laid not off, but better iudgel
ment prevailed. They realized that
such . course; would mean sudden
death to Butte. All hopeof the city
ever coming to life again for a long
time would be practically abandoned.
The mines would fill with water and
the ANA lgamated could desert the camp
for many years without distress.
"People who knew Butte in its best
days would hardly recognize the city
today. There is no squandering of mon
ey. Every man is facing the situation
with full realization of its serious
side. Some who have been laid off are
hoping against hope that the mines will
start again and in the meantime, they
are saving their dollars to leave if
they must Those w)h are w,.rking
are saving for the same purpose.
"The crowd on Main street between
the postoffice and the cornor of Galena
is a good indication of the magnitude
of the shut down. On both sides of the
street, every day in the week, idle
men tramp up and down, serious mind
ed facing a situation, which may mean
the breaking up of their homes and a
new start in another field. The shut
down is beginning to spread. Hennessy
the big merchant, is beginning to lay
off some of his force. Other big stores
are doing the same. If it continues, it
will spread to other interests and the
man who is sure of his job in Butte
today, is lucky individual.
"The scenes at the railroad stations
and ticket offices are chaos. Men are
leaving Butte by thousands. Every
train is crowded to the point of suffo-
cation It's fight for places at the de-
pots and they don't even give the
crowd a chance to get off on the ar
rival of trains. Hundreds get off trains
hardly knowing their destination. They
have no object, but to get out. Others
count their money, decide they can
spare so much for ticket, and pay
that sum to take them as far as it
will The Occur ID Alene district of
Idaho is drawing many. Some 90 to
to the coast, others to British Column
bia. others are talking of coming east
and going to the Cobalt district, but
every man is thinking of leaving Butte.
Nobody but the insiders i'm the Anal
gamated Copper company knows where
it will end. Uncertainty reigns in Butte
and until the population either settles
down to point commensurate with
the industry, or the Amalgamated an-
nounces definite policy, Butte will
be a good place to pass"