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Newspaper Page Text
?? " J 3nt5--r":w PfQ&&$ie) t,. -fc SLtJGGING.OFBUTTON h WORKERS STOPPED A climax, in' the, strike of the button workers in- Muscatine, la. waS reached Monday, following the killing df a policeman 'there Sunday by a striker, and the -slugging of women and girls by hired thtfgs and members of the pol ice department aroused the Chi cago Federation otXabor to vig orous protest yesterday. ' f It is understood that through Thomas Haskins, who' is alleged t$ have murdered' Policeman Gerischer, was a member of the Button Workers' union, difficulty over the strike was not the cause of the shooting. Haskins had tieen involved in whisky smug gling, and shot the-policeman, ac cording to reports, to avoid ar rest. ir Following ( telegrams from President Gompers of the A. F. 'o,f L.,-and from organizers at Muscatine, a telegram was sent to Gov. Carroll -of Iowa demand ing that the outrages be stopped, and the executive immediately sent a 'represenfative-to tjie scene of the trouble. This morning it was reported -that the slugging had been suppressed, and the strike would continue peaceably. The messages sent to the local labor leaders said thechief of po lice had ordered that picketing "by the strikers cease. Sluggers had been imported by the factory officials, and women , and girls were severely beaten. In many cases they were followed into thdr homes and attacked, murder of flre-policeman.as a pre- text," arrested- many innocent girls and held them in jail. .City and county officials threatened to deport, the leaders of the strikers, and a telegram was .sent to Gbmpers. He advis ed them to stand their ground and carry ,on the strike by all law ful means. Emmett T. Flood sent word to the Chicago Federation, asking fonhelp, and Miss Catherine Fin negan, a member of the Women's Trades Union League went to Muscatine. Fifty organizers vol unteered for the duty. The protest to Gov. Carroll was prompted by a telegram re ceived yesterday afternoon from FloQd, which.' follows : "Business men, manufacturers and Chicago sluggers held mass meeting and passed resolution to ride Miss Finnegan and myself out of town. Mass meeting of workers have agreed to remain in continuous session and see that these anarchists be prevented from using mob violence to de port their representatives and the organizers of the A. F. of L. Emmet T. Flood." The meeting of the strikers remained inse&sion all night. About 2,500 button workers are involved. in the walk-out. It is thought the action of Gov. Carroll will put-a permanent stop to the lawless action of the im ported strikers. These naughty trusts are hang ing mistletoe over their heads - The cityf gollce, seizing J&eJeaeddy -cpmes-arourjd.., -.