A STORM OF STRIKES.

(page 9, column 1)

ACTION TAKEN BY DISSATISFIED CHICAGO WORKMEN YESTERDAY.

A Determined Stand Taken by the Lumber Hands, Whose Ranks Are Swelling in the Face of a Gloomy Outlook for Them--The District Paraded by a Rabble of Imbecile Foreign Fanatics--Box Manufacturers to Retaliate--The Position of the Lumber Merchants Accurately Defined by Mr. Van Schaick--Procession of Woodworkers--New Strikes and Concessions of the Day.

The way things looked yesterday in the lumber district it would seem that the strikers will be left out until starved into submission or until angry housewives and crying children force them to resume work. No smoke curled up from the tall chimneys of the factories and mills, and things had assumed a Sabbath-like appearance. Wells & French and Goodwillie & Goodwillie were the only firms doing any business yesterday. The former firm usually employs about 200 men, but yesterday about half that number were at work. Only part of the machine-shop was running, the planing-mill and yards lying idle. Very few of the striking men are Knights of Labor, and the latter's district assembly in this vicinity is doing all in its power to induce the men to return to work and to keep away from the Anarchists. The latter has already been done, but the former, where the Knights are so much in the minority, has not been so successful. The boxmakers will not be able to work unless the mill-hands do, and even if their eight-hour demand should be acceded to the thing would be inconsistent, as the boxmakers have decided to work ten hours. Therefore, the nailers have been endeavoring to induce the mill-hands to return. Committees of anxious men called on their respective bosses and inquired what the latters' action would be Monday. They were invariably told that the matter was in the hands of the committee of four appointed by the Mill-Owners' Association, with full power to act. The committee of mill-owners decided to wait until Monday before taking any decisive action. About half a dozen employés waited on Hair & Ridgway and told Mr. Ridgway that they were not anxious to stay out on strike, but had to do what the rest did. They left the impression that they were guided entirely by outsiders. All the manufacturers are in the same boat and are quietly resting on their oars.

The firm of S. B. Barker & Co., lumber dealers, claim that three or four days ago they voluntarily gave their men ten hours' pay for eight hours' work, the firm knowing that this demand would be made sooner or later. The accession was made with the understanding that it was only temporary--until the matter was settled in the other shops, after which the firm would do as the rest did. The firm took this step on account of the contracts it had on hand. But, as in all the rest of the mills, outside influence has been brought to bear on the men, and it is understood that they propose to dictate as to whom the firm shall employ. It was understood yesterday that the Anarchists were endeavoring to induce the men to stay out until the firms acceded to the eight-hour demand. The factory will be started Monday, and if none of the outside agitators interfere the firm intend to run the works. About [160] men work in these yards.

There is one thing noticeable that the strikers did not consider when they struck, and that is, Where will the women and children of the neighborhood now get their fuel? Day after day heretofore could a troop of from fifty to 100 of them have been seen with bags, laboriously filling them with sawdust. And now they have no sawdust. Should one of those popular cold waves that show a partiality for this city strike it now a wail will be heard across the country from the Sixth Ward that has not been equaled since the fire.

At about 9:30 yesterday morning the denizens of the lumber district were thrown into a panic by the appearance of a blood-thirsty mob of Anarchistic strikers. They had broken loose from the corner of Twenty-second street and Blue Island avenue and marched through the streets with an American flag turned upside down and two flaunting rags that had just been soaked in fresh blood. The crowd consisted of Bohemians and Poles and presented a solemn appearance. Not a Knight of Labor was among them. As they approached women, children, and policemen fled. About 4,000 men were in the procession, some of them looking as if they had just landed from the old country, while at the head was a fellow called Moss. As the procession moved along it came across a line of carriages on their funeral way. A heated discussion took place as to which should have the right of way, and it was finally decided to let the carriages go by. In the [meanwhile] the delicate breezes wafted across the river from Bridgeport brought over, besides other things, the intelligence that some mill was in operation. The busy hum could be distinctly heard above the beery exclamations of the rabble. A detachment of the procession was immediately delegated to hasten across the river and stop operations at any cost. The delegation, reinforced by a number of children, flew across and discovered that the mills of A. Bennett on Throop street were running with a few men. The men quit work for the day. The procession finally landed with a bump at the corner of Eighteenth street and Centre avenue, where it was addressed by several Anarchists, who urged the men to burn the yards of the employers who would not grant their demands. At intervals the party slaked its thirst at the fountain of Bacchus, and tick was not given either.

Box Manufacturers to Retaliate.

The Box Manufacturers' Association had a four hours' session at the Sherman House last evening, which resulted in a decision to take retaliatory action against the strikers. All of the members, with one exception, are also proprietors of the planing-mills, and the two interests being so closely identified a number of representative planing-mill men were invited to confer with the association last evening as to the proper action in view of the present general planing-mill strike. The boxmakers cannot conveniently run their factories with the planing-mills closed, but were undecided as to what was the proper course of action. H. B. Maxwell presided at the meeting and J. D. Goodwillie acted as Secretary. After two hours' fruitless discussion the planing-mill delegation withdrew, no feasible proposition for mutual assistance and joint action being forthcoming. Another hour's deliberation resulted in the passage of the following resolution:

Resolved, That the box manufacturers of this association hereby unanimously agree to keep their factories closed until further action by the association.

The resolution to "keep the factories closed," instead of to "close the factories"--the men not being on strike--was explained by the statement that the men took a holiday yesterday without first consulting their employers. It was also resolved to appoint an Executive Committee that shall be clothed with authority similar to that given the committee of the Furniture Manufacturers' Association--that is, shall have all power in disputes and negotiations between employers and men. The committee is as follows: Henry Stevens, Morton J. Hair, W. J. Hill, J. G. Goodwillie, and H. Paepcke.

How the Lumbermen Look at It.

Mr. Van Schaick of the Ludington, Wells & Van Schaick Company was visited yesterday by a Tribune reporter, and he expressed his ideas on the present situation in the lumber business substantially as follows:

"The men employed by the different firms in Chicago are all out of the yards today in accordance with their circular printed in this morning's Tribune, and it is my impression that they intend to stand by their ultimatum as expressed by that circular. As a rule, employers are willing and satisfied that the men should remain out for the time being, as there is but a slight demand for lumber now on hand, and it is believed that a suspension of business will not be detrimental to the lumber trade generally.

"The demands of the men cannot possibly be complied with under existing circumstances without serious loss to dealers, and as the lumber business of Chicago has been steadily on the decline for the last five years there is no disposition on the part of employers to accede to demands for either advanced wages or fewer hours. Wages cannot be raised because there is no profit to warrant such a step in the lumber business, the generality of dealers being satisfied if they can realize a decent interest on their investment capital; and the hours of work cannot be reduced because a corresponding increase of force on the docks is impossible by reason of the fact that dock space is fixed and cannot be conveniently increased. We, for instance, have today 1,200 feet of dock and, say, seventy-five men employed thereon. Those men are all we can possibly make room for in the space we have, and we cannot increase our space because the docks adjoining ours are already occupied by other firms, as are also the docks all along within our neighborhood, and the same condition of things prevails, as a matter of course, with other firms. I do not see why the leaders among the men do not instruct them in the actual facts bearing upon this question. During the last five years there has been an average yearly decrease in the receipt of lumber at Chicago of 80,000,000 feet. That means a decrease of four lumber yards each year. As a matter of fact the number of lumber yards has decreased by seventeen within that time, and other yards have contracted the volume of their business. We ourselves, taking a business view of the situation, have since last October reduced our volume of trade one half. At that time we had 2,400 feet of dock; this morning we have 1,200 feet, and it is my intention to go on proportionately with this reduction until we are out of business. The fact that the lumber business of Chicago is dependent upon competitive markets seems to have entirely escaped consideration by the workmen and their leaders. It should be borne in mind that the freights on lumber to all points West and South and East are precisely the same from Milwaukee, Racine, and other lumber markets in the vicinity as they are from Chicago; that dock rents at those markets are one-third less than they are here, and that wages of laborers are several shillings less. We have ourselves employed men who have come from Milwaukee and other points for the purpose of [realizing] the advance in wages. In some instances that advance has been as much as 37 cents. Furthermore, with the advantages of lower dock rents and wages at other markets, it should be remembered that freights north are lower than they are from Chicago, and this competition has had the very natural result of driving this city towards the wall.

"Lumbermen are not going to continue to transact a business in which the output would be $1.10 and the return $1, and such a condition of affairs would be the inevitable result of accession to the demands just now made by the laboring men employed in the lumber-yards.

"Outsiders do not realize the extent to which building has fallen off during the last few years, and just at this juncture, by reason of the general labor agitation going on throughout the country, the building of houses may be said to have practically ceased here. People are unwilling to buy lumber and material for building purposes when they can proceed with their buildings only in constant expectation of repeated difficulties with all classes of laborers employed by them. The consequence is that just at present, the lumber business may be said to have fallen into a state of 'innocuous desuetude,' and I do not see how it is possible for it to be resuscitated here until some new general system shall have been inaugurated whereby competitive markets, now crowding Chicago out, may be so worked and conducted as to give us a better chance.

"It has happened that I am the chairman of a committee of the lumbermen of Chicago, with full power and authority, whose duty it is to settle the present difficulty if possible. I believe that the members of the committee are all unbiased men who are looking at this matter from a business point of view, the only standpoint from which it can rationally be treated. Sentimental considerations cannot come into the settlement, it can be effected only upon a purely business ground.

"It is my impression that the large majority of the men employed in the yards are not, or would not be, unwilling to return to work under the old system, but for the fact that they are morally compelled to remain out by the general sentiment of laboring men throughout the country that they are not being fairly treated by their employers. In the lumber interests here the relations between employers and their men are perfectly friendly, and I am sure that no dealer wishes to quarrel with his employés. It seems to me that the men are doing themselves an injury, and that their movement has been altogether premature. We are so far in their power that they can drive us out of business here; but they cannot compel us to transact at a loss business which many of us are now almost ready to give up because of the lack of profit in it. The prospect is that the men are determined to stand by their resolutions, and that there will be a long lockout in consequence, which, in the natural course of things, will do injury to the men who are kept in idleness, and be rather a benefit than anything else to the lumbermen."

The Executive Committee of the Lumbermen's Association met at the exchange, corner of Franklin and South Water streets, yesterday afternoon and decided to send a circular notice later in the day to the various lumber-yards advising their employés that the committee would be in session Monday afternoon for the purpose of meeting the committee of the employés at that time (3 p. m.). Mr. Van Schaick, Chairman of the committee, said that very probably the committee (composed of three members) of the Planing-Mill Owners' Association would be incorporated Monday with the lumbermen's committee, as their interests were so closely identified. No further business was transacted.

A small demonstration was indulged in by the woodworkers yesterday, 1,000 of whom congregated about the corner of Lake and Desplaines streets at noon. The men all wore a pine shaving on their hats as an emblem of their trade, and carried numerous banners bearing words of praise for such of their employers as had given them shorter hours with the regular pay. Among the firms whose employés were present were: The Northwestern Parlor Suit Manufacturing Company, 150 men; Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company, seventy strikers; Charles Bruschke & Co., forty men; August Hausske & Co., fifty men; Zangerle Manufacturing Company, sixty men; Klewer Brothers, fifty men; and several others. After waiting about the corner for an hour or more, much to the satisfaction of the several beer-saloon keepers in the vicinity, the men fell into line, and headed by a very wheezy band started on a march through the laboring districts on the West and North Sides. The line of march was north on Desplaines street to Milwaukee avenue, northeast to Chicago avenue, east to Larrabee street, north to North avenue, and west to Clybourn avenue, where they dispersed, some of the divisions marching back to the South Side via State street. The men were quiet and orderly, very little cheering and yelling being indulged in, about the only thing of the kind occurring when a detachment passed by the Socialists' headquarters at No. 54 West Lake street, where the red flag was displayed from one of the upper windows.

Strikes and Concessions.

The employés of C. J. L. Meyer & Sons' sash, door, and blind factory turned out to the number of 300 yesterday and paraded the streets, with a band at their head. They carried various banners complimentary to the firm, one of which contained this beautiful little couplet:

Quiet, Peace, and Sweet Renown

Ever Remain In Our Town.

Their employers had voluntarily arranged a new scale of wages and hours that was satisfactory.

A dozen carpenters employed by R. F. Meissner, who has the contract for fitting up the rooms in the City-Hall for the Public Library, struck yesterday morning. Their demand was eight hours' work and ten hours' pay. All are members of the Carpenters' Union. A few did not belong to it last week, but were forced by the others to join . One of the new recruits said Meissner was a first-class man to work for, and he felt ashamed of himself to cause him any trouble, but he had to go out with his associates. He would just as soon work ten hours as eight, and was satisfied. Mr. Meissner was not present when the men quit, but he came about an hour afterwards. He at once called them together, and, after a little talk, they agreed to accept nine hours' pay for eight hours' labor and resumed work. The concession of 10 per cent increase will about take all of Meissner's profit, as he figured closely to get the job. The rooms will be ready for occupancy in about two weeks.

The 300 employés of R. Rothschild & Sons, manufacturers of barroom furniture at No. 232 Kinzie street, are still out. At their meeting yesterday afternoon they passed resolutions demanding eight hours' work with nine hours' pay and an increase of 10 per cent on their present wages. The firm had already offered them the increase of 10 per cent, but refused to accept the other condition, so matters stand just where they did a week ago. The firm now has over a thousand men idle, as its 500 men at the Cincinnati shops, 100 at Kansas City, 100 at Denver, and fifty at St. Louis have all stopped work. The members of the firm say they can stand it just as long as the men can, and will not make any concessions whatever.

Nearly all the picture-frame manufacturers have decided to refuse an advance in pay to their men. They will adopt the eight-hour system provided the men are content to receive eight hours' pay.

The employés of Goss & Phillips, sash, door, and blind manufacturers, held a mass-meeting Wednesday evening to consider three propositions made by the firm on the eight-hour question--viz.: Eight hours' work and nine hours' pay; nine hours' work and ten hours' pay; or ten hours' work and 10 per cent increase on present wages. The men voted to accept eight hours and nine hours' pay. A vote of thanks was given the firm and Superintendent Behel for the prompt answer given and kind treatment accorded the committee.

Police Arrangements.

Chief of Police Ebersold, Inspector Bonfield, and the precinct Captains were in consultation at headquarters last night to prepare for any trouble that may arise from the unsettled state of the labor question. It was deemed inadvisable to make public their plans, but it may be said that the police will be disposed about the city at points where trouble is thought most likely to occur, and others will be held [to act] at a moment's notice. The entire force will be on active duty until a more settled [condition] of things exists.