The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1878-01-17
A Card from the Employees Of the
lSellaire Goblet Works.
Edi.nuI ntsllIsrnccr:

ltelInlfe Dbl
BELIAIRE, o., January 10.
EdIlnu l~ntellIssncer:
We notice an article in the local col
umns Of your issue this morning which
certainly does us great injustice, and
would beg space In your valuable journal
for n plain matter OF fact statement OF
our connection with the Bellaire Goblet
Company which we shall endeayor to
make as brief as possible.
In order that the public may fully
understand the facts II will be necessary
for US to give a history OF the company
from It's conception las far as We were
advised) and birth up 10 the present.
When the ground was broken for the
building OF the Goblet Company, the
present President, Secretary and Mana
ger Of the company held the same re-
spective positions in the Belmont Glass
Works. While we were employed by the
Flint Works Of Wheeling aud Bellaire,
and during the course OF construction oil
the new works overtures were made us
in regard to employment by the new COM
pany when il was ready for operation.
We we're finally induced by the yslyety
arguments OF our late employers TO work
for them, and consequently on the 18th Of
January, 1877, a majority Of Us "turned
out" the first glass for the new enterprise
and from that time until the Sd day oil
December last worked harmoniously
with the exception OF an occasional black
look from the share holders when some
moves would fall short Of 800 goblets)
with them.
It would perhaps be proper to state
Just here that the making OF more than
800 goblets to the movei in any factory in
this country Tor any other that was
known of was unprecedented until this
"pew departure" commenced operations
all managers having been fully satisfied
with that many.
Inasmuch as a majority Of the share.
holders Of the company were and had
been fellow workmen We strained 4 point
at their earnest solicitation and would
make 800 land sometimes even more)
goblels 10 q moye-we knew they had EN-.
barked with all their carefully h~usbanded
earnings OF many years labor-we were
told that It was necessary for them 10
order to proceed with the business, to
cucumber themselves with a considerable
indebtedness-thus II was that w toiled
much harder than had ever been our Gus
tom to give them a start. Some may askthe
question: how much you we're paid 10 CON.
parison with the pay at other factories !
(For fear some may not understand what
we mean by the word move, we will just
state II consists OF FIVE hours work, thus
enabling a workman tomake two moves
per diem.) The Belmont Glass Works
pay their goblet pressers $500 per move,
while the Goblet Co. for the same work
pay Sl,75 except in the cases Of share.
holders to whom they pay more.
Thus 1t can be seen that while the Bel
mont Glass Works are paying for their
days work-two moves-of loo goblets,
81, the Goblet Company have been pay
ing for 1000 goblets 50 so, SO far as we
were concerned.
For nearly eleven months we worked
this way, and thinking that we had surely
given a kindly lit to u old time friends
we gave them notice on the Sd OF Decem-
Der last that after the 10Th OF the same
month we would not make more than GOO
to the move, 10 which they refused TO com
ply, and consequently we were excused
about s o'clock A. NJ. Of the last named
date.
On the 23d OF December we were sent
for TO COM up to the factory, when they
compromised with us upon conditions
that all parties be forgiven, and that we
90 10 work at the same price and make
600 goblets per move. On the morning OIL
the 9th we again went TO work, and for
a day or two we thought we were getting
along smoothly, when some Of US SuS-
pected that our score (the score is a sim.
pie tally kept by a boy Of each piece Of
ware before ii goes into the annealing
oyen) had been tempered with. This
was SO inconsistent with any Pres
byterian doctrine known 10 US and SC
serious and grave that we did not talk il
among ourselves until suspicion vas al
most u certainty. About this time th.
Secretary asked some Of our number IL
we could not make say twenty-five oil
thirty gobleB over in order that they
might still have some advantage ovel
other factories. Thus matters went or
until Saturday, the Goth, when the Mana
ger changed Charles Rosser from one jot
10 another for the second time during tho
same week, the custom Of the factory
always having been for each man to have
the same job from month TO month, Mr.
Rosser's only ejaculation being, III dom
think you are serving me a very nict
trick" and us to saying more than this OF
using any p%rofane language Mr.. Roasei
Is ready at any time to make oath. Soms
Eve hours after this occurred the Mana
ger discharged Rosser and gave Is 8
reason that he had used abusive language
10 him. So far as any bad work is con
cerned, we have all examined the slates
"a record OF each mans work. and they
show as good an average for Mr.. Rosser
as for any Of US.
On the evening OF the S0th, we again
gave the company notice that unless they
wosld quit tampering with the score and
again employ Charles Rosser, we would
not resume on Monday morning, to which
they Immediately acceded. and every
thing went on az "merry as u marriage
bell" until noon Of yesterday, when, with.
out q moments notice, we were ordered
to the Office for our pay in full.
In summing up the whole matter, We
would state that from personal observa-
tons, and from the occasional remarks
Of parties directly interested, we are sat
isied that the whole basis OF the goblet
specially from its conception was the
over-work Of the skilled laborer for the
same or less money than other iactorie'
were giving, and that the discharge oil
Mr.. RosSer was only a blind so that for
eigu employees might be decoyed into the
800 goblet trap.
Yours Respectfully,
FRANK IRADER, THos. LACY,
JOHN BEcE, JOHN Rock,
WM. WILSON, JSo. GILMARTIS,
JAS. RossRR, JOHN FLEMING,
c. CHASER, ]. EBBrIs,
A. BgowS, DALLAS HAMMOND,
WM. DONOVAN, THos, O'HARA,