St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-06-27
sTONECUTTERs, COMPLAINTS.
Stone for Minneapolis Buildings
should be Cut at Home.

should be Cut at Home.
To the Editor of the Globe:
The recent action of Wolf & Mccormack
toward the Stonecutters' union Of this city
shows to what contemplate jugglery some
monled men will resort in order to defeat the
demands of organized labor and to obtain the
Sc rviceS of men at starvation rates. This
Mccormack is no other than the great ma
chine-maker and man-crusher of Chicago,
who, with Mr.. Wolf, is erecting building at
the corner of Third avenue north and Third
street, the stone for which is being cut in
Mankato, in violation of the consti-
tuition of the Stonecutters' union of
this city, which sent eeveral committees
to wait on Mr.. Wolf, and received his assur-
ance that the stonecutting should be done in
this city, provided that the difference in cost
between outside labor and the union labor of
the city was not too great. After three or
four interviews between committee from
the stonecutters union and and Mr. Wolf, the
latter gentleman in formed the committee that
they could notify city contractors to submit
bids at Architect Haley's office. This was
done, and the Minnesota Stone company,
being the lowest bidders, were given the con-
tract. The company did not, however, sign
the contract for about a month"; and in the
meantime a committee from the stonecutterS'
union waited upon Mr.. Van Voris, the gen.
eral manager of the minnesota Stone COM
pauy, and were informed by him that he
WOULD NOT SIGN
the contract unless he was allowed to have
the stone cut in Mankato. This would have
been in direct violation of what Mr.. Wolf had
told the committee, and also in direct viola
ton of the stonecutters constitution and by
laws. Subsequently, however, some ar
rangement was patched up between Mr.. Van
Voris and Mr.. Wolf, by which the stone could
be cut in MankatO, and it is now being cut
there and sent to this city. 1t will be re-
membered that the Minnesota Stone company
also had the contract for the basement of the
new United States custom house and post
Office in this city. Fortunately, through the
protests of the labor unions of this city, the
work was prevented from going to
the penitentiary, but unfortunately it
fell into the hands of the aforesaid stone COM
pany, which took advantage OF the stonecut-
tiers in the winter to have their granite cut
at starvation rates, the wages of skilled me-
chanics averaging from 81 to S1.25 per day.
1t was on this job also that they had stone
cut in Kasota and shipped to this city, in di-
rect violation of their agreement with the
Stonecutters union, giving as their excuse
that the work done on the stone was so per
cent, better than called for by the specfica-
lions. This is a piece of prodigious gener-
osty on the part OF Mr.. Van. Vors and a
thing
TOTALLY UNHEARD OF
heretofore in the history of government
buildings. The general course of Mr.. Van
Voris toward the interests of this city and
against organized labor is such as to leave no
doubt in the mind of any man who has noted
his actions that he combines all the essential
elements of hyena and hog. He evidently
believes that nothing should be done to raise
wages, but that working people should take
whatever capitalists saw fit to give them and
render thanks to their masters that they are
even permitted to live on bread and water.
But alas! Brother Van, these obstreperous
stonewhackerS have concluded that they will
not submit to it. Another thing, Brother
Van. Not only yourself, but the Mccormack
Reaper company, and dependent on these
same StonecutterS, their country relatives,
and sympathiZerS for your patronage. IT
you bamboOZle men as you have, and try to
force them out of existence in their dealings
with you, is it not just and right that they
should withdraw their support from you, an d
induce their friends and SymyathiZerS to do
likewise. He who attempts to crush out
humanity by humanity, must be crushed out.
There is really no sympathy amongst the
farmers of this state with corporations such
as yours, and if you persist in
LOWERING WAGES.
so that the city people cannot buy the
farmers produce, you are working against
the farmer and the farmer should work
against you. There is common cause unit
ing the people of this country against corpo-
rations and monopolies of all kinds. The
object for which such companies as yours
exist is to'buy city labor as cheaply as pos
high as possible. thereby cutting off the
farmers market on the one hand and fleeing
him directly on the other. Let the Farmers
alliance remember these things, when it is
asked to buy the Mccormack reapers and
brand them as the goods of a company who
make practice of reducing the market for
the farmers goods by employing labor at
starvation rates. The whole fabric of society
should be held together by mutual interests,
and where any combination of men initiates
against the general interests of society, by
trying to reduce the wages of the consumer,
and at the same time increase the expenses
of the producer, that combination, whatever
it may be, is not entitled to the patronage of
producer and consumer, and we hope the
Farmers alliance will understand their true
interests, and unite with the stone cutters in
refusing to buy the Mccormack reapers until
such time as the company recognize
THE RIGHTS OF LABOR
enough to pay wages which will enable city
mechanics In their employ to buy enough of
the farmers product to support them in COM
mon decency. Another thing, dear Brother
Van Voris, although you may poise your car
cass upon the rock of self-esteem and deem
yourself wiser and stronger than all the labor
unions in the country, the bottom can be
knocked from under you in very short order
by these same labor unions, which. no doubt,
you despise. You are trying TO uphold de-
caying system, and before you are aware of
it, the walls will crumble around you,
and the elements will beat upon your naked
head. Great as you are, beloved Van, you are
but feather in the path of. the labor move
ment, and such little big men as you will soon
be brushed aside. As a pencil mark is rubbed
from slate by school boy, so will you and
your ilk be spit upon and rubbed out by the
| incoming tide of progress. Go home and cogi-
| tate upon these things; try to live Il better
and more useful life; and when YOU die may
God have mercy on your soul. 1t is to be
hOped that the New library buildinp will no
built with union labor, at union prices.
STONECUTTERS' UNION.
Minneapolis, June 26.