St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-09-22
INQUIRIES ADVICE
The Carpenters Should Orgaize to
Secure Recognition.
Forced to the Level Of Uskilled
Labor.

The audience that greeted P. Mcclure,
the general secretary of the Brotherhood Of
Carpenters and Joiners, last evenig, was not
large one, owing to the short iotice that
had been given of his visit. Tbse present
were chiefly carpenters, and fothis reason
the speaker confined his remFks almost
entirely to questions affecting tn craft. He
spoke with great earnestness ad clearnesS
principally upon the need of rganization,
and his address was exceedingl interesting
and impressive. Members of thdocai uniCl,
realizing the value of Mr.. McGuP's presence
and advice, have prevailed upol him to re-
main another day, and this evnin@ he will
again speak at Harmonic hall. Ar last even
1ng's meeting, held at Ill Niclet avenue,
Mr.. Mcclure was introduced bJPresident G,
H. Stolz, of Union No. 81, and spike for about
an hour. Years ago, he said, tire were car
penters' unions, but they faileafter pre-
carious and brief existence. ] Is Il he said
that the mechanics were being forced Down
to the level OF unskied labor. he said that
organization was needed, and attic result of
his efforts the brotherhOodw was Tormed
in 1881 with IL unions, representing
IL states and a total mmbership of
1000. In spite Of discourEements the
brotherhood has grown to membership OF
PIT unions. representing 0,000hen. Various
UCucHCcuL lcdtuECS udfO DCCIiASOi POL otOOs
and when member loses a VIE he receives
sufficient to enable him to gVe her an ap-
propriate burial. A member Tho is disabled
by An accident receives S300and if ne dies
his family receives an equa amount. The
brotherhood has been Instrunental in nearly
abolishiDg the piece-work ystem and of
establishing the nine-hours sstem in Eight
cen cities.
STRIKES, LIKE VARS,
ShOu1d ha qV0idad and he hlioV6d In q thor
ough organization to command respect, and
the plan employed by theDrotherhood has
been to get the bosses to rganize and then
for the two unions to confe and agree upon
wages and rules for the season. Why do
bricklayers stonemaSOns. itc., receive $3.50
when carpenters get oily $3.50 or So.
Simply because the forrer are organized.
When contractor figurespn job he knows
what he must pay hod-cariers and masons,
but there is no fixed priceor carpenters and
he gets them at just as 10y rates as possible.
The trouble with carpentrs is that they do
not want money, they oily look for job.
Wood-choppers and say and Ratchet men
come in from the woods nd hire out as car
penters, and draw pay a carpenters, because
some good workman for the sake of getting
25 cents more a day and the privilege Of en-
joying the title of foreman" will take
charge of q gang of tlese jayhawkers and
teach them how to worI 1.-THE bosses wont
respect u.s. said the seaker, ''if we do not
organize, and seem to iave some regard for
our own welfare. ] is as much for
the interest of Employers and the
public generally that We should organize 10
improve and cultivat, our craft. Competi-
ton forces contractors to work so cheaply
that they pay little attntion to specifications
and cheat the owner in the lumber. The
public should be taught that it pays to en-
ploy good workmen 1t fair wages. There
should be building aw that would compel
the putting Of good Substantial buildings in
place of the flimsy structures that are built
only to fall down within a few years. In
proved machinery, which takes away employ
ment from scores ofmen, and convict labor
have changed the c,ndition of the carpenters
until here in this city you find carpenters
working at $3.50 pc day, and then lying Idle
Ave months in the year. That is Sl.16 day.
THINK OF IT!
Carpenters supposed to live, love and grow
happy upon S1.16 day. To change ali this we
must have organization that We may enjoy
some Of the fruit and benefits of machinery.
We don't wish d work go long and so hard
that our childrenare sent to the factory be-
fore they have fdrly learned to read. The
more wages are lowered the more will society
become degraded. Upon the purity of our
homes and the ,anctlty of our fresides and
the intelligence o. our children depends the
SslNdtiOu Ol Inc 'Ouutry. ITuS uDcrGJ dHC
can onlyOe obtained by union of
eadl for all and all for each.
We are largely to blame for our own condi-
ton. We have been selfish and regardless of
the prosperity of others. Our good lies in
the good OF others. We must stick to each
other, and at the polls we must vote for men
who will stand by labor measures.
Continuing, the speaker made some peril
nent suggestions TO the workmen present,
telling them that they must improve their
habits to command respect; that they must
abolish class or race prejudices, and have
regard for common interests. There should
be unions in Minneapolis of German and
carpenters, and all should
join in helping to elevate not only the car
penters, but mankind in general.
j. P. McGsughey, the district master work.
man of the Knights of Labor, next made a
brief but forcible address, in which he dwelt
particularly upon the necessity of agitation
Of questions pertaining to labor. The work
lngmeE must seek to call attention to their
as well as their needs. He did not
believe in Guessing over the sights and in
iuries that labor has received in Mime
sofa. He believed in pointing out to stran-
gers the buildings and handsome blocks that
have been erected by convict labor and scab
workmen. He thought people should know
that the ST. Crox Lumber company pays its
men by the ''pluck me- system. That the
stone in the Syndicate block was cut by con-
victs and that the bricklaying on the EXPOSE
ton building was done by scab workmen.
neglect to protest against these
wrongs, and as a matter of right TO them
selves should make the people remember
HEM