VOL. XXI.
INDIANAPOLIS, IND., SATURDAY, DEO. 4,1886
NO. 49
Written for tbe Indiana Farmer.
THE STRIKERS SIDE
Of tbe Recent Strike at Chicago
BT D. L   THOMAS.
While visiting the Fat Stock Show at
Chicago, I visited the stock yards and
spent two afternoons among the strikers
and citizens of the town of Lake—a suburb
of the city. I had read the dispatches
showing np the strikers in a bad light, that
they constituted a dangerous mob and had
struck for 8 hours' work and 10 hours' pay.
I bad a curiosity to see and learn for myself, as there is often more than one side
to suoh matters. I made it a special point
to Interview men of all classes, strikers,
citizens, business men, day laborers, soldiers and police, so that I might obtain
tbeir views. The newspaper reports mainly reflected the views of the packers.
I not only conversed with the butchers,
(the men who led in the strike), and also
various members of the labor organizations, bnt also met Barry and Carlton of
the Oeneral .Executive Board, who had
been sent there by Mr. Powderly to try
and adjuat the affair. In every oase I was
informed that the question of wages did
not enter into the controversy. The men
were satisfied with their pay. All parties
agreed as to the immediate cause of the
strike. Last May the packers and employes, through their representatives,
agreed tbat 8 hours ahould constitute a
day's work and scaled the wages accordingly. Everything ran smoothly nntil a
month ago when the bosses in some of the
houses posted notices thst afterward men
would be paid by the hour and not by the
day. This was a direct violation of the
contract, without their consent. It was
one party to the agreement canceling it
and making a new one without consulting
the other party. It was doing away with
tbe old aaying that it "takes two parties
to makes bargain." Thisarbitary move
precipitated a strike. Pinkerton's men,
armed with repeating rifles, were called
oat and killed an innocent man without
provocation.
After some delay Mr. Powderly yielded
to public opinion, which had been shaped
by erroneous reports, and ordered the
men back to work. Recently the other
packing houses announced that ln the future 10 hours would bs a day's work, thus
also violating the May contract. The men
struck at once and also the men from the
other houses went ont. They claimed the
pickers had broken faith with tbem and
they had no redress except through a
strike. It was out of the question to think
of trying to enforce the agreement ln
court. To quietly submit makes them
mere tools ln the kands of employers and
tends' to their degradation. Hence, to
maintain their standing socially, morally
and otherwise—to maintain respect—striking was their only alternative.
The men were quiet and orderly while
they patiently waited the result of the
negotiations pending between their representatives and tbe packers. The idea that
they wished or intended to destroy the
picking bouses or other property seemed
preposterous. I did not hear a threat, not
an intimation of violence, noreven an unkind word spoken of the packers by any
of the strikers. The latter claimed they
were only standing up for their rights
and aa soon aa the matter was settled they
were ready to resume work. They expressed a willingness in cases of emergency to work 10 or even 12 hours a day
and receive pay accordingly. But for
continuous work the way they had to labor, eight hours was enough for a day's
work. Everything is like clock work and
each one works under pressure the eight
hours. As one said, "we can scarcely look
up or atop to take a chew of tobacco." If
a fellow gets behind the work accumulates on hia hands and makes it the mere
laborious. And with the improvements
they do as much now in eight hours as
they formerly did in ten.
They were aware that an effort is made
to prejudice farmers against them on account of decline in the prioe of hogs. But
they claim they were not to blame
in this matter and that packers always manage to buy hogs at their own
prices. When there is an advance in the
market some of the houses shut down
and let hoga accumulate in the yards till the
market drops. In the meantime all the
hands are idle and losing tbeir time,
And farmers suffer from this kind of a
strike and never aay a word.
Incidentally I learned *of another feature. The small packers are virtually at
the mercy of the large packers. Daring
a atrike none of the houses can supply
their trade. But two large houses have
branches at Kansas city from whioh they
keep np their trad", and help to gobble np
the trade of the smaller houses. The latter were willing to return to their old
contract; also in binding men lo give two
week'a notice before quitting work, they
were willing to bind themselves not to
discharge any man without two week's
notice. Bat tbe larger houses demand
the men to bind themselves to not quit
without two week's notioe and to deposit a
forfeit of several dollars as a penalty.
Yet, they will not bind themselves to net
discharge men without a similar notice,
neither will they put up a forfeit to bind
themselves ln any shape. This would indicate a disposition upon the part of the
powerful party to take undue advantage
of the weaker. And it is an Indicator
which points to the cause of many of the
labor troubles. But the leaders of the labor organizations claim that tbe saga-
dons packers have a primary object dear
back of all these surface movements
which really prompted them to violate
the May contract and precipitate these
strikes. It is this: Their property is
worth about $30,000,000 and la assessed at
only 1800,000 for taxation. Thus the burden ot taxation in the town of Lake bears
heavily upon the small property owners
and business men. The millionaire packers
view with concern the enormous vote for
Henry Oeorge in New York and the
28,000 labor votes in Cook oounty, in
whioh Lake ia situated. They fear that
the workingmen will carry the city election next May and cause the new assessor
to assess the packer's property proportionately with other property and thereby
make it bear its equitable part of the burden of taxation. Hence, to circumvent
suoh an event the packers Sew from their
agreement so aa to precipitate a strike,
and if possible disorganize  the working-
men. If successful the packers oould
the more easily control that election. It
ia alleged that the packers have said privately that if necessary they will feed
and lodge 5,000 n***v men this winter to
oontrol that election in May. Also that
the stock and meats held by packers is almost a blank when the assessor Is around,
I have carefully outlined the striker's
side of the controversy, and in my next
will speak of the general situation, the
military and police.
Rushville, Nov. 28,1886.
Written for tne Indiana Farmer.
The Hygiene of Heating Rooms.
BT JOHN M. 8TAHI-.
Throughout the country, but more largely in the North, stoveshave rapidly taken
the place of open fire-places. So far as
the consumption of fuel is concerned, thia
la an economical change; but if other
things are rightfully considered, the
economy of the change is made doubtful.
When epen fire places are used, it is easy
to preserve the parity of the air in rooms.
The deleterious products of combustion
are carried up the chimney; and aa the air
of the room constantly esoapes by the
same way, the air in the room can be kept
wholesome by admitting pore air. The
beet way to do thia is to leave open the
transom above a door leading into a hall.
The outside air will come in to fill the
vacuum formed by the escape of air np
the chimney. Being colder, and therefore heavier, than the air in the room, it
will gradually sink, and being warmed on
its way, will reach the occupants of the
room as a current not perceptible by reason of either its temperature or velocity.
Pure air should not be admitted near the
floor. Being colder than the inside air, it
will not rise, and will travel along the
floor towards the fire-place as a oold current, striking the feet (the very worst part
of the body to be cold) of the occupants of
the room, and yet not purifying the air ot
the room. If pnre air oannot be admitted
through the transom above a door leading
from the hall or an unused room, draw
down the npper frame of the window nearest opposite to the fire-place. A crevice a
quarter of an inch wide will be sufficiently large to admit all the air required, as
the air will rush ln very rapidly.
When fire-places are used, the only effort required ia to allow of the entrance ot
pure air. But when the room is heated by
a stove, the greater effort is to get rid of
the foul air. Many stoves throw out the
unhealthy products of combustion, adding
yet greater impurity to the air and making the proper ventilation yet more urgent. Where no proviaiona for ventilation have been made in the construction
of the house (and this is the case ln nine
ont of ten of our farm houses), the simplest plan, and aa effective as any, is to
pull dewn the upper frames of two windows, opposite or as nearly opposite as
possible. The crevice need not be more
than a quarter of an Inch wide. The foul,
heated air will pass out at the window
nearest the Ore and the pure air will enter
at the other. It is often recommended to
pnt a small blook in the center of the
crevice, because then tbe pure air will enter at one side and  the foul  air will pass
out at the other.   But  thia ia  not a good
provision.   The current takes the form of
a ahort ellipse, passing in at one side and
ont at the other, penetrating such a short <
distance that the air of the room is scarce- ).
ly   afieoted.   Having  two  crevices,  un-  \
divided, above opposite windows, Is better.
It  ia commonly  said  that  fire in   the
sleeping room  is   unhealthful.   Thia   ia
true only when proper methods of ventilation have  been neglected.   A fire-place
adda to the wholesomeness of a bed room,
ninety-nine cases out of a hnndred; for it
adda to the  purity rather than to the impurity of the air in the room, and undressing by a fire and  lying down  ln a warm
bed ia certainly   more healthful than disrobing in a oold room and  shivering in a
cold bed.   A stove ln a  bed-room ia probably unwholesome in a majority of case*,
simply because ventilation is not provided
for.   Ventilate the room  and you will be
benefitted, and not injured, by a fire ln it.
I know that some  reader haa exclaimed
that to leave the  windows open as I have
directed would  make the rcom freezing
cold.   Bat  it will not do so if the room is
otherwise as tight as should be.   Are you
sure tbe  foot-board haa not been so worn
away tbat there is an opening  under ths
door?   Are you  sure tbat  there are no
cracks in   the floorT   No crevices in   tbe
wainscoting?   Or at the sides and bottom
of the window frame?   It ia at suoh places
as these that the air rushes in and makes
the  room  appear cold,   because  this air
reaches our   bodies as  a  cold current;
whereas air admitted above a door or window does not reaoh our  bodies  aa a oold
current.   Air admitted   below  doors and
windows,  or  through   wainscoting  and
floor, is  positively  unwholesome, for it
does little to purify tbe air we breathe and
chills our lower limbs.   Oar feet are oold
and our  heads hot—the very opposite of
what health demands.   Let these openings
be closed and a crevice above the windows
will not make the room too cold.
We keep our rooms too hot. An American should read on this point Charles
Dickens' "American Notes." We make
our rooms so warm that we become like
hot-house plants. Then when we go out
into the open air we catch colds and contract afiections of the nasal cavities, the
ears, throat, and lungs. Part of the
hygiene of heating rooms consists in not
heating them so much aa we generally do.
The Ore in a room deprives the air of ita
normal amount of moisture. Our skins
become dry and the dry air Irritates the
nasal, bronchial and other passages. Thia
can be easily remedied by keeping the
urn filled  with water, or on  a stove not
firovided with an urn, by keeping spon
t a shallow pan of \ ater. The heat of the
stove will cause the water to evaporate
and the vapor will be thrown off into the
room. I know of not a few people who
consider an urn to have but one usa—to
beautify the stove. However much it
may add to the attractiveness of the stove,
ita primary use is to hold water to sujply
by evaporation moisture to the air of a
room. Keep a pan of water sitting near
the fireplace, if the room is ao heated.
Wood is more healthful for fuel than
coal. It is a pity that all cannot burn
wood, and we of the farm should be glad
that generally we can use the latter.
When coal is burned, care should be taken
that the stove is tight, except where the
dampers provide for a draught. There
should be no openings into the room in
tbe stove above the fire. Isinglass is
now largely used in coal stoves and frequently becomes broken. As soon as a
piece is broken It should be replaced to
prevent  the escape of foul gases into the