The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1870-04-16

TO BE CONTINUED
-.
CORRESPONDENCE.
I'VE do hold surssavss responsible for any Opn-
sa szprssssA By ssr cosssspondsnss.l
FROM MARYLAND.
BALTIMORE, April 10, 1870.
70 the Eaissr Of me WonEmenAss ADVOCATE.
PASSAGE OF THE TIN LAW BILL.
After hard fight, in the late legis-
lature, what 10 known as the " Tin
Law Bill" passed the Senate by a
handsome vote. The bill totally
abolishes the manufacture of tin cans
in the Maryland Penitentiary," and
80 far as that branch Of industry is con-
cerned does away with the competition
of convict labor, with honest outside
laborers. Whatever merit may be at
tached to the passage Of the bill, and
there certainly il good bit, is due
beyond doubt to Mr.. L. A. Jumart,
President Of the Can Makers Associa-
ton. Alone and single handed he has
fought the Directors Of the Peniten-
tiary, session after session until he has
succeeded in getting his measure
through. Triumphant in the State
Senate; opponents Of the bill relied in
the Governors veto. But here they
were again defeated, for the can maker
Jumart had the inside track, and the
Governor not only signed the bill but
PRESENTED THE PEN
With which he signed the bill to Mr..
Jamart. Mr.. Jamart had the pleasure
Of also receiving the pens with which
the bill was signed by the President
and Speaker of the House of Delegates.
Here was one splendid opportunity
lost by other trades interested. Had
they come up to the scratch and have
sent a committee down to Annapolis,
to have operated with Jumart, the
whole system Of convict labor in this
State would have been abolished; how.
ever, az it il, it is well, and 80 far as
your correspondent il concerned he
will try and have the shoe making de
partment abolished at the next meeting
Of the Legislature. The
BRICKLAYERs
have opened broadside on the bosses,
in demanding the advance paw of the
season-$4.5O. They did not expect
to pay it, but when they found their
darling project of getting a second
union started in this city failed. they
thought the best they could do under
the circumstances was TO gracefully
submit, SO the matter ended In a one
days strike. But here an important
question may be asked by those associ.
atoms, and other bodies of men who
have struck against a reduction and
stood out some six months and seven
weeks. and then have to submit. Such
men may ask, why it is that they could
gain IN one day what others have
failed to do in several weeks and they
may attempt to answer the question
by saying that the labor Of those men
were more in demand, but. this IL not
the case. The truth is simply that the
bricklayers have one Of the strongest
national organizations in the country,
and that employers hsosO IL, and as the
nigger says, "dat's whar de- mystery
il" 1t would be well for bodies of
men not having a national or interna-
tional organization to note the fact.
THE VARIOUS TRADES oRGANIzArIo,;s
of this city, have held their regular
monthly meetings during the first week,
and with the exception of the printers,
there 10 nothing of special interest to
note. Among
THE PRINTERS
there is . little trouble, ia regard to
one establishment being
disposed to employ more apprentices
than the laws Of the fraternity will per-
init. The union has the matter under
consideration, and will dispose of it
next meeting night
A TERRIBLE EXPLOSION AND LOSS OF
LIFE.
At a few minutes after IL o'clock
this q. m, the boiler in the Chesapeake
sugar refinery, exploded with q ter
rible crash, tearing away the entire
rear of the building, and damaging to
q considerable extent the steam crack
er bakery of James T. Beatty & Co.
The cause Of the explosion is not
known, though madame rumor assigns
several, all which however, are only
conjectural. The number Of killed
and wounded is also variOusly esI-
mated at from ten to fifty, which also
must be taken with large grain Of al
owance. Considering the hour at
which it occurred-the hour of dinner
it is likely that most of the hands
we're at dinner, and not in the i'm
mediate vicinity of the disaster. 1t
would be safe to estimate the killed
md wounded at ten to fifteen, perhaps,
not so many. The building faces east
md west, fronting on O'Donnelrs
wharf, and extending through to
Duggan's wharf. The buildings on
he opposite, or east side of Duggan's
wharf, some of which are occupied by
Door families, were literally peppered
With bricks and mortar, distance Of
'ver $50 feet, and with such force
IS to knock pieces Of granite
off. Shutters were
demolished and window
glasses riddled. The greatest excite
nent and CONSERVATION was created in
he immediate vicinity Of the disaster.
The fire department and police were
DON on the spot, and ropes were
pread across the ends of the wharf to
'revent too great crowd, a d allow
hose engaged in removing the debris
more facility to work. But before the |