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Hellraisers Journal – Friday April 12, 1901
Mother Jones News Round-Up for March 1901, Part III
Found Seeking Settlement of Pennsylvania Silk Mill Workers Strike
From the Scranton Tribune of March 12, 1901:
…..Nothing has been heard from any of the mill owners or superintendents regarding their attitude on the arbitration question. Mother Mary Jones and Committeeman Frederick Dilcher, of the mine workers, both leave the city this morning…
A mass meeting was held in Taylor Saturday night, which was scheduled as a meeting of the silk mill girls,. Very few of the latter were, however, in attendance, the greater part of the audience being made up of miners. An address by Mother Jones featured the meeting.
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[Photograph added.]
The Philadelphia Times of March 23, 1901:
DAWN BREAKING IN SILK STRIKE
———–
Scranton Mill Girls, Aided by “Mother” Jones,
Win Their Fight.
———-FIRST BREAK IN THE RANKS
—–Special Telegram to THE TIMES.
SCRANTON, March 22.
Dawn is surely breaking in the silk strike and within a week’s time fully half of the mills which have been tied up will be working again. Thanks are due entirely to “Mother” Jones, who has labored long to bring about an amicable adjustment of the existing troubles.
This morning ‘Mother” Jones and Alfred Harvey, the owner of the Forest City mill, met and came to an agreement, and the strike at that mill was promptly called off and the girls will commence work to-morrow morning. The basis of the agreement is an increase of 25 cents a week to all employes and after a stated period an increase of 25 cents more, making 50 cents in all.
This will be a considerable gain. Mr. Harvey also owns the second largest mill in Scranton, and he and “Mother” Jones will meet again to-morrow and come to an agreement in regard to the mill here. This is the first break in the ranks of the mill owners’, and the proprietors of all the smaller mills are expected to fall in line with the movement. That will leave Superintendent Davis and the big Sauquoit mill out in the cold, thus forcing them to give in.
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The Philadelphia Times of March 26, 1901:
WILL CONTINUE STRIKE
———-
Silk Workers Decide Not to
Accept Offer of Employers.Special Telegram to THE TIMES.
Scranton, March 25.
Those who are moving to bring about a settlement of the silk strike received and unexpected set-bak to-day from the girls. Through the efforts of “Mother” Jones, Mr. Harvey, of the second largest silk mill in the city, offered his employes an advance of 25 cents per week all around, and an advance of 25 cents to be given in three months. This was considered a fair concession, and the girls were urged to accept it and thus break the backbone of the strike. So confident were the leaders that “Mother” Jones said Sunday night that she expected to see the Harvey mill start up Tuesday. The girls held a meeting to-day and unanimously decided not to accept the offer, but to continue on strike until their original demands were granted. The battle is not to the swift now, but to the strong.
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The Philadelphia Times of March 29, 1901:
SETTLEMENT IN SIGHT
———-
“Mother” Jones Will Advise Girls
to Go back to Work.Special Telegram to THE TIMES.
Scranton, March 28.
A determined effort is being made to settle the silk mill strike.
“Mother” Mary Jones considers the offer made by Superintendent Davis, of the Saquoit, a god one and will advise the girls to accept.
Mr. Davis, it is understood, is willing to recognize the union, provide seats for the girls while they are eating, permit the girls to measure the silk and grant an increase.
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The Philadelphia Times of March 31, 1901:
NO SETTLE MENT IN SIGHT
———-
Scranton Silk Workers Reject
Offer of Operators.Scranton, March 30.-There has been a balk in the negotiations for the settlement of the silk strike and the outlook for an early return to work is not promising.
It was expected that the Sauquoit silk workers would act on the recommendation of “Mother” Jones and accept the offer of Superintendent Davis, but to-day they met and threw aside the recommendations and decided to reject Davis’ offer.
The mill owners met last night and decided to make no compromise.
———-
Note: Emphasis added throughout.
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SOURCES
Quote Mother Jones, Fight n Keep On, Hzltn Pln Spkr p4, Nov 15, 1900
https://www.newspapers.com/image/98099248/
Scranton Tribune
(Scranton, Pennsylvania)
-Mar 12, 1901
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84026355/1901-03-12/ed-1/seq-5/
The Times
(Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
-Mar 23, 1901
https://www.newspapers.com/image/52581406/
-Mar 26, 1901
https://www.newspapers.com/image/52581467/
-Mar 29, 1901
https://www.newspapers.com/image/52581504/
-Mar 31, 1901
https://www.newspapers.com/image/52581528/
IMAGE
Mother Jones, Drawing, SDH p4, Mar 9, 1901
https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/social-democratic-herald-us/010309-socdemherald-v03n38w140.pdf
See also:
Tag: Pennsylvania Silk Mill Workers Strikes of 1901
https://weneverforget.org/tag/pennsylvania-silk-mill-workers-strikes-of-1901/
Mother Jones News Round-Up for March 1901, Part II
Found Arriving in Hazleton, Pa., for Mine Worker’s Convention
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Working Girl Blues by Hazel Dickens and Alice Gerrard