The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1870-01-22
aTnrkiugmax's Sdrnratk
CHICAGO PHIL DELPHIA
SATURDAY, Jan. n. 1870.
TCousinued from FirVt Page. !

my power to pay him any money on
the proceedings, but would raise the
amount to pay for the work that had
been already completed. L also in
formed him that he might 90 ahead
with the proceedings and wait for his
bill. He informed NE he would finish
the proceedings, providing l would
give my note to him for the amount of
the bill, which I refused.
L Immediately wrote to President;
Gaul, informing him of the facts, stat
ing that the printer had informed me;
that he would 60 ahead and finish tho
proceedings,prOviding would give hinS
my note in payment for tne same, OF
hold myself responsible for the sames
both of which ] had declined to dos
and for these reasons: In the years o.
1867 and 1868, when / was receiving
the dues of the various unions, / gave
my note to the various printers for the
payment of the same, and on account
Of majority Of the unions failing tt
pay their dues until the convention met
was compelled to pay for the same
and wait until the convention met to
get paid back. Second reason, / had
made several large contracts, and fer
one Of the contracts to my city | would
not get any funds until February, 1870.
| would need all the capital that / hail
and all that | could borrow from my
friends, (which have been compelled @
do,and knowing how l would be situated
during the year l did not think would
be doing an act of justice TO myself,
and l know that the members at large
in the organization would not want NE
to do anything that would be ieopar-
dizing myself for the debt Of tie
national union. On the goth of JUNE,
in conjunction with President Gaul, Il
visited Washington TO examine the
treasurer's books, and on my return! 1
sent the following circular to eaih
union by his order
BALTIMORE, Jons %, 1885,
To the Officers and Members OF the Lohal
Unions.
GENTLENES,-In conjunction with Secret{ry
Kirby, proceeded to Washington to examine
the treasurer's books, for the purpose of seeing
bow much money there was on hand, and also
how many unions had neglected TO pay their
dues for the quarter ending April LIST.
After a careful examination Ct the books I'VE
found the national union in debt to the tr4as
urer, and also that there we're twenty-thfre
unions which had neglected to pay their dueetor
the quarter ending April lst and some Of s.tem
the largest unions that We have in the orgsni-
satiOn.
And NJ there are a number Of compla ints
coming to me, and also to the Secretary, about
the proceedings not being printed, l would! in
form the unions that the printer has tweHty-
four pages, In she English and Gertnar
languages, printed and the Secretary not seel-
Ing himself able 70 authorize the printer t. go
ahead With the balance Of the work, il wiz be
impossible to get the proceedings Of the Con
VentiOn before the unions unless the unions pay
up their back dues, and also the dues for, the
quarter ending July lat
Hoping that you will pay your dues, Z re-
main, fraternally yours,
SAMUEL R. GAUL, Presti
\. Q. Of Bricklay9s
J. EDWARD KIRBY, Sec'y. \. Q. Of BricklSyers.
On July the 18th | had printed a
circular that the president sent to me,
calling upon the unions to pay sheir
dues, so that we could 90 ahead With
the work, but / am sorry to say shat
both the circular of June 23d and ialso
July 10Th had but poor effect in ;hur-
rying the unions up with their duGs.
There has been great complaint ABOUT
the proceedings and other work. not
being printed, but the faults lay with
the unions themselves, in their not ;pay-
ing their dues. And their action in
this matter retarded the publicati9n OF
all documents and seriously injured the
organization by keeping the meNbers
ignorant of the law under which they
were supposed to be working, AID to
which they were TO be held ametable
Within my official experience these has
nothing occurred that has caused SC
much complaint as the proceedings not
being printed, and must say tn it the
unions that pay their dues had i just
right to complain IN this matter. And
1 must here express the desire tNat in
whatever you may do in this rlatter
at the close Of this session, yea will
have in view the earliest possible pub
lication Of all documents Necessary for
the successful carrying on Of Sle or
ganization.
QUARTERLY REFoRTs.
There have been several COM laints
sent to me about the quarterly Seport
being printed 80 late in the qFarter,
and also in not publishing tie last
quarters report the fault in theTeport
being not printed lay with the eorres.
ponding secretary. | have Always
made it rule to send each correlpond.
ing secretary a letter asking for
the report Of his union by the fird of the
quarter, but ! have to wait for tie ma
jority Of the reports that receive until
the last of the quarter, and then do not
receive more, than one half of Che re-
ports. In regard to the report tor DC.
tober, / have up to the 30th of October
only received the report of 1siof the
unions out of 70; and knowing the con-
dition Of the treasury and the amount
that we were in debt, and the amount
that it would require to hold this con-
vention, l thought it would BIZ, best
for the organization not to pratt the
same.
In my last annual report | ad 7ocated
the printing Of report every month,
and | have not yet seen anything to
change my mind. / am surS if the
unions will send report every month
and the same is printed it will bella great
advantage to the National Unibn, and
also TO the local unions. / hope that
this convention will see the benefits
that will arrive from having a report
printed every month. 1t is by the
monthly report that the Iron MDulders'
have made their organization! such a
great success, and let US follow their
example, and make ours a noble, and a
grand organization.