National Republican., 1885-09-28


Subsequently, by Nuthority-that on
Saturday last Secretary Manning decided to
award the contract for repairing the United
States revenue marine cutter Crawford TO
the Columbian Iron Works and Dry Dock
Company Of Baltimore, who were the low
est bidders. The shipwrights and calkers
of Baltimore petitioned the Secretary, ask
ing him not to give the contract to Mr..
Malster, representing the Columbian COM
pany, because he would employ " tramp
labor" They tell the Secretary that
The awarding of the contract to either bidder
other than Mnlster, will give us some hope
thnt we might escape the hardshlps that
threaten us, They would each pay 50 per day,
and SO divide the work among our craft as to
prevent any destitution In our midst. II would
send joy throughout our entire homes, and we
would never cease to bless the wisdom which
had come TO Our relief. On the other hand
give The work TO Malstcr, and we will not
know in what direction to look for work. By
the employment of itinerlnt workmen from
Nova Scota and unskilled mechanics to whom
he pays one dollar per day, or less, he may
complete the job, but 1t must he unsatisfactory.
By the employment of imported labor and of
tramps, he isable TO put iu q bid lower than
those who employ the best workmen, and you
will find that the difference in the wages is
just about the difference between the bids.
The Secretary, according to the Evening
Star and other papers, had been considering
the case for three or four days, and had been
acting very cautiously IN the matter in re-
membrance Of the Peoria Qll.) case.
Finally he came to the conclusion that the
two cases were very different, and while to
give the contract to the employers of con-
Wet laborers In that case was mistake, in
this case he felt obliged to give the con-
tract to the lowest bidder, as 1t was not
alleged by the petitioners that the interests
Of the governmant would be injurously
affected by giving the Columbian Com
pany the contract.
lnt this connection desire to state few
facts:
!. 1t Is the custom Of all the departments
to have careful estimates made by experts,
Of the cost of labor and material and the
aggregate cost of all public work of any
and every description before advertise.
ments for sealed proposals are issued.
2. In these estimates labor is counted at
the rates paid TO the employees of the lead
ing establishments. In other words the
estimates are based on union rates for the
| best workmen.
B. Every advertisement states that the
| right is reserved to reject any and all bids.
| 4. 1t is the custom and the duty of the
awarding officials to be guided by public
policy in giving out or declining to give out
a contract.
Here We have the Secretary of the Treas
ury, in case where the estimates are based
on the rates established by agreement be.
tween employers and union employees
coolly ignoring the protests of the ship
wrights and calkels and giving contract
to a man whose bid is based on the cheapes,
kind Of cheap labor-labor so cheap thai
| If the wages of our mechanics were reduced
| to such n scale their families would live like
sheep and cattle.
The administration has done this because
the petitioners did not state that "the inter
ests Of the government would be undul,
affected" thereby! What is "the govern
mcnt" but the peoples sagencyS What is th'
administration but the peoples servant2 Art
the wage workers Of the United States any
portion Of the peOple9 Are they to be de
prived Of any chance In government employ
wherever work can be given to convicts o
tramps'
The Democracy Of New York In thei
platform make loud and long professions o
devotion to the interests of labor. That Il
Democratic theory. For Democratic prac
tice look to the course Of the admins
tration in all the cases where it has beer
asked to exercise its lawful and proper dis
Uetion as between the friends and enemies
of wage workers.