Muncie, IND.; News of Local 23, Second strike this fire at Hemingray by the boys, Ralph Hemingray walked in the parade for only three blocks

MUNCIE, IND.

By Walt Claspell.

Well, brothers, we have been through another strike. Muncie is having her share of strikes. The T. W. Warner plant was first to go out, and almost if not every factory in Muncie had a strike. Where and when it first started I can't say for sure, but the discharging of a foreman at the T. W. Warner plant was the last straw and the men walked out, had a parade and formed an organization known as the Muncie Workers' Association, and it wasn't in vain. The T. W. Warner men received a raise of 25 per cent, time and one-half for overtime and double time for Sunday.

Mr. Nickolson, organizer for the International Machinists, was sent here by the State Federation of Labor and expects to line up about 1,500 of the men and take them into the Machinists' Association.

Some of the men have returned to work, but none of the factories where strikes were on are working anything like a full force except Hemingway's [sic] Hemingray's. It was another boys' strike, which all the brothers know are frequent at this place, this being the second one this fire. Everyone received a raise in wages, even the brothers got an increase of ten per cent, the second this fire. It was wholly voluntary on the part of Mr. Hemingway [sic] Hemingray and was a surprise to us. It was a very commendable act on his part and the brothers are all very thankful for it.

Let other manufacturers take notice and do likewise.

The strike on the Union Traction Co. line wasn't effective here as only three of the 73 men left their cars. One of them was Brother John Harvey, an ex-member of Local Union No. 23.

Vernon H. Hinkle, vice-president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, has charge of the situation here. He has arranged for a parade here Saturday, to be followed by a meeting on the court house lawn. Strikers from Marion, Tipton, Peru, Logansport, Anderson and Indianapolis are expected to be here.

Speaking of parades, Muncie had some patriotic parade. Local Union No. 23 turned out in a body and Mr. Hemingway [sic] Hemingray was in line also. He marched about three squares and was all in. Poor health has the better of him. There were at least 10,000 people in line and 15,000 spectators. That number was given as a conservative estimate by the local newspapers. The next day the brothers, with the rest of the Hemingway [sic] Hemingray Co., participated in a flag raising. Brother Cy Herron was master of ceremonies. There was music by the Muncie Boys' Band and a solo by Mrs. Alfred Kilgore, the soprano who has done more to put Muncie on the map as a musical city than any singer except Orville Harrold.

The Rev. Jones, a Methodist minister, was the speaker and made a very acceptable address. There was a firing squad of five. Brothers Jack Ross and Dan Cummings were in the squad. They all fired three rounds except Brother Cummings, who only shot twice. When asked by a brother why he didn't shoot three times he said: "Oh, I haven't shot a shotgun since I was about 40, and I didn't know how to load them new fangled guns. I always loaded mine from t'other end."

At our last meeting it was decided to have a Labor Day celebration that would surpass any yet held in Muncie, and with the prospect of the employes of all the factories in Muncie being in some kind of an organization, it wouldn't be hard for us to have a parade five miles long, four abreast. We could surely wake the people up to the fact that organized labor wasn't all a thing of the past even if Muncie has lost her iron mills and window houses. If the Merchants' Association and some of the rest of that kind of people think we are dead, then let them sit up and take notice next September.

We created the office of marshal in our Local Union and Brother Chas. Knecht got the job, being well qualified for it through experience in the regular army.

Brothers Cy Herron and Lawrence Carmichael were elected delegates to the regular convention, and we know our intedests [sic] interests will be well taken care of there.

We have been notified by the company through Executive Herron that we will get two weeks' vacation this summer and no more, unless something unforeseen turns up.

We are very sorry to inform you, brothers, that Brother Chas. Knecht has suffered the loss of an infant son. The brothers of Local Union No. 23 do hereby extend to Brother and Mrs. Knecht their deepest sympathy.