Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1875-04-29
The Late ~sirihe'' In She Chronicle
once.

iets Office. The duplicity practisei prior
thereto Is handsomely supplemented by the
any one OF whom would deem il no compli-
/ ment To be called the peer OF men who could
violate plighted faith:
III - by this time generally known through
out The city and the country that the en-
| ployes who were on the Ddity C7vonicls up to
The 2lst OF April have, in technical parlance,
Some explanation of the causes of this ac-
tion is cue them, that they may not stand in
a false light In the community in which they
4 have for years resided and labored.
For some weeks previous To the 2ist OF
April rumors had been current among the
\ fraternity that movement was on foot by
| the employing printers To coerce reduction
/ OF the rates paid employees. These rumors
| took every conceivable form, and, for rea-
1 TO the rroprietors OF the Chronicle the
"head and front OF this offending" It was
/ even said that the price for composition in
that of-ce had already been reduced to As
/ cents; that the bills were not paid regularly;
| indeed, that the employees found 10 difficult
/ To get their money at all, tHgether with a
\ hundred other similar rumorS. all more or
| less detrimental in many respects TO both
| the proPrietOrs Of the Office aad these en-
p'Oyed In IL.
| About eight or ten days previous TO the
| strk he, Judge Vale, the business mans ger
| and one OF the principal stOc khOlders OF me
| CflToftcie Publishing Company. intimated
to the compositors that he wished to say a
! few words TO them. Accord ingly. work was
/ temporarily suspended, and the jadge pro-
4 10 dtisTtSS tIlthD1. As u DOfIlO1 Oh
/ what was said on that occasion has no bear
| ing upon the matter at issue. it Will not be
! necessary to repeat il here. althon2h subse-
! quent developments in this controversy may
! require that IT be stated.
| Judge Vale alluded to the various rumors
/ af1oat about the office I'm adeprecatnry man
! ner. especially those he considered damaging
to the reputat ton of the company he repre-
/ seDted. He appeared especially DESTROYS that
/ the intentions OF himself ard his business
/ associates on the question of wages should
not be misunderstood. He admitted that for
some time past meetings of the employing
4 printers had been held, the object of which
was reduction Of wages; that another meet
J irg would be he'd that night OF the result OF
| which he would inform MS on the following
/ day, (Which, ca pGSSdat, he did not dol He
I was extremely anxious TO impress upon the
| minds of those present that there was no
/ hurry in this matter. These meetings, lie
| said, would continue 10 be held until a aeti-
! mite conclusion should be arrived at By the
employers as to the rates they were willing
/ to pay; which conclusion having been
! reached, a. the proper time reduction of
/ the price Of composition would be asked for.
| The matter could then be taken into due con-
/ sideratiOn by the employees. and, after having
/ been fully canvaSSed by them. they could in
| form the employers what reduction they
| were willing to acceds to. If we. said Judge
| Vale, tmeaning the employers and en-
I plcyed.) find We do not agree, then we can
| have a committee of conference and see il
| we cannot in that way reach a determination
| satisfactory to both sides. He vas particu-
/ LARRY emphatic in declaring (referring more
| 10 hifnSeli ana the tYifD7'i6<
| company that no steps in the matter had
! been taken, and ssOao should DC, but what the
! proper officers OF our organization had been
! AID should be informed of, to the end that
| We might have ample time for a deliberate
consideration of the subject.
| In addition 10 the above promises made by
Judge Vale To the employees of the C1rOaicls
! collectively. one or more OF them had the
1 personal assurances of Mr.. Harlan, Jutge
! vale. and Colonel COTkhill, both indi viduai-
! ~ and collectively, that no attempt would
| ne made To reduce wages without full
| SutfatiOn with them.
! The purpOrt of the above interview soon
! became generally known TO the craft and
! from it, il would seem, but one opinion was,
or could be, formed. Notwithstanding the
assurances given by Judge Vale, no word or
| intimation of any further steps was there
as 10 their decision, or that of the employers
! generally, TO the employees of that estab-
| the minds Of all that the employers
| bad as yet been unable TO agree as to
| the scale OF prices they were willing to
! pay and thought we ought to accept and hai
zion. ''-S WV ''''''' -'- A"' ''''i o''''i'''i"-
Under these circumstances the public will
| readily conceive the surprise Occasioned by
the following telegram, received in the com,
1 posing-roOm of the Chronicle at go o'clock on
| the evening of April q:
| CHICAGO, April 21-Two Union men ar
! rived to-day from Burlington, Iowa, with
| expenses paid by Clay Z. Whltford, with
eight men, unde- contract TO work six months
| sand, with Whitiord as foreman
Can a more deliberate piece Of treachery
and bad faith be conceived of than that OF
| which the above telegram YVES evidence?
| And so, then while the voluntary, unsolicited
| promises heretofore made Were yet warm
from their lips. they had their emissary in
| The west, sent there secretly and with plenty
OF funds. securing the country for such things
in the shape of men as could be bought by
| promise OF temporary sain to undermine
| their fellOw-workingmen. and compel them
10 submit 10 any terms that c4nital might
| choose 10 dictate. And that eIniSsary one
of our own number, a young man, not yet in
| arguments of his uncle Mr.. Harlan) about
political economy and the damaging tenden-
cies OF trades unions upon the general inter
eStS OF the community, and probably also
I influenced by the glittering baubIe of the
I forema IN ship which had been rendered him,
| could only answer, when asked by one of his
/ former companions why he had thus deliber-
! ately violated his voluntarily pledged fai tn
! 10 his fellOw-wOrkingmen, in effect that
/ well, uncle was bound 10 rat the paper
anyhow; and If cid not do il some one else
| would"
As before stated the dispatch above
quoted was received at $40 p. M, April 81.
A consultation was held as To what ought to
/ be done under the circumstances. While the
opinion was unanimous that SO black q
breach OF faith would justify them i'm stop
plrg then and there, lin which case the
| Chronicle would not have appeared the next
| mOrning.) IL was decided not To do so; there
might be some mistake in the matter, and
OF every doubt. A committee was therefore
appointed TO wait upon the business mana
ger next day and ascertain from him the
truth or falsity OF the dispatch in question,
work was resumed, and the Chronicle made
It's appearance as usual on the following
/ morning, april 22.l AT about one O'Clock
| That day the committee appointed for the
| purpose specified waited upon the business
! manager. The promises he had made. here
| tofore detailed, were recalled to him. He adj
| mitted them. The dispatch was then read
and me was respectfully asked to answer, il
he felt so disposed. whether il was true or
| false. He made a general denial. He was
| then asked: Has the Chronicle Publishing
Company, or you "a its representative, NAL
contracts, or authorized any agent TO make
| contracts with any number OF men 10 work
! on The Chronicle at 45 cents, or any other sum
! under CD cents, per thousand ems? To this
Equestion ne also made denial and repeated
| tle assurances previously given that the
/ employees should have due and timely notice
OF any contemplated change in that depart
| menG.
Up TO this point. il will be noticed, there
| was 10 admission of the truth of the dispatch
| IN any particular. Further questioning,
| rendered necessary by the evident deterrni-
4 N tet tot p.aI a