The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-03-20
COMP ANY | MAY
Go TO nUsCATINE
If Strikers in Button Plants Make
Trouble the Militia of the State
May be Called
Out,
TO OPEN PLANTS TODAY
Apprehension OF Trouble Has Caused
Owners to Appeal to Governor
Carroll for Pro-
lection.

Absorbing q TO Captain Frank Ie-
Bron of Company l.. the local militia
may be called to Muscatine, iowa, to
protect the property OF button plants
when they resume operations. 1t is
said that the matter OF sending miii-
tia to the uprriver town has been TAX.
zen up in Des Moines, and the com
panies will be instructed to hold
themselves in readiness. not more
than four companies at the most will
be sent i'll case of {, strike, it is said.
The plants were scheduled to re.
sumo operations today. Apprehension
of trouble with their employees when
the doors were thrown open caused
three button manufacturers of Musca.
tine to appear before Governor Car
roll Sunday to present their side of
the controversy.
e. W. Van Duyn, state labor com
missioner, of Des Moines, will go to
Muscatine Immediately to investigate
conditions for the governor. He prop
ably will stay until the factories are
in operation again.
In denial of the reports originating
from Muscatine to the effect that a
strike exists among the button fac-
tory employees, A. l.. Urick, president
of the Iowa Federation of Labor, de-
clared that the situation was not that
OF strike, but shut down, and still
more, lock out. He denied the re
Of re- >f ,;DI fl,r.
part Of employees. He visited Musca-
tine recently and is in close toucn
with the situation.
Three weeks ago six of the largest
button factories in Muscatine shut
down. said Mr. Trick Shortly pre-
vious to that time the employees had
commenced the organization of a
union. Such organization is opposed
strenuously by the manufacturers.
They decided to kill two birds with
one stone. They were overstocked be
cause of the garment workers strikes
in the east and they wished to put {
stop in the organization of the buttoI
workers. So they closed their doors
There are $3.50 employees out ol
work and all are members of the
union. The factories have announced
that they will open their doors, oper
ate four days a week and give worR
to all they can accommodate.
'All the button workers want is re
instatement without discrimination
They want to continue their organize
tion and want no interference.
while in Muscatine, proposition
was made to me by one of the manu-
list of employers. He promised ria
all the factories would open up imme
diately if | would assure him tina
there would be no organization of bue
ton workers in Muscatine for one
year The incident convinced me tina
one of the principal motives Of the
manufacturers in Closing dow, wa:
TO kill the union.
Il am informed that there is M
danger of an outbreak at Muscatine.
received a telegram last evening stat
ing that attempts were being mad,
there to call out the state militia de
spite The fact that all was quiet
"One of the manufacturers declared
in conference at Muscatine that ht
had never known of such Il quiet con
dition OF affairs with so many EN-
ployes out OF work.
There are numerous minor diff
cuties that have arisen between the
manufacturers and the button work
ers. but not of sufficient import IL
cause an outbreak of any kind. 1t wa!
for the purpose of correcting certain
phases OF the management of the EN-
ployes that the union has been form
ed.
1T is unfair to intimate that these
people are strikers. They have beer
locked out. If anything. They have
caused little trouble during the Ell
forced idleness and expect no diff
Guilty when the plants open Mondal
morning