St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-04-11
Trades and Labor Assembly Doings- The
Heads of the Battle at the
Court House.
4 Representative Minneapolis La
boring Man--Refiections of Many
Correspondents.
Notes From the Shops of Two
Cities and From All About
the state.
TALK ABOUT sToNECUTTERs.
General Pointers on the Trade.
The Situation in ST. Paul.


among them are the StOneyards, where.
during the summer, from 100 to $50 stone
cutters induStriously fashion the lintels, cor
niceS, ETC., that occupy prominent places in
the substantial buildings of the city.
Under shed in the shade and breeZes
that hide with him from the summers sun,
stands dusty artisan hewing forms of
symmetry from hard uncouthnesS, and feel
ing with his point for the underlying beauty
and form which his trained eye Gees through
the hardened sands that cover them. The
worker and his work are standing invita-
ton to sit down on a convenient slab while
they challenge admiration and take thought
and fancy by the hand.
1t is a trade akin to art. The gradations
of skill between that of a 'nObbler' who
can only roughly square stone and that
which produces a statue are nowhere
sharply drawn. One man can bevel a
stone, cut d mitre or a molding, and do
plain ornamental work consisting mainly of
straight lines. If he can do these well. he
is a tirSt-claSS StOnecutter and necessarily
has fair amount of artistic perception. If
his abilities and ambition lead him farther
he can become carver, set high price
upon his time, work the ornamental
tracery of lintelS, cOrnices etc, and even
human face to dignity a keystone or a
prominent place in a pretentious front
Above him stands the sculptors model TO
be copied in marble. and though points in
this long graduation of skill, mark different
trades the graduation is regular. His trade
has other digniJieS. The products of his skill
are not the mere daily food of human wants.
They come from the eternal hills and retain
the attribute of permanence, with the stamp
of beauty added. Time was when builders
wrought so true that workers in stone COM
bined in their skill the joiners art Mortar
was hardly used throughout the wall, but
that fidelity belongs to past which gave
TO the world a Parthenon and PraXiteleS.
THE sTONECUTTEEs OF EUROPE
to-day work with much more care and per-
lection than those of this country. When
one comes to this country he soon learns TO
sacrifice pride and care in his work TO the
demand for rush and quantity, which is
characteristic of America. In watching
the rough slab take shape under the mallet
and point one easily accepts for the time
the fancy of some one that imbedded in the
stone and seen by the wOrkman's eye lies
what is finally the result. and the workman
merely chips away the parts that hide it.
And so thoughts may fall with the fall
ing chips and the idle watcher
with his cigar, may wonder what the silent
toiler IS thinking of as he measures the
force of his mallet'S blows and calculates
anew each second the proper angle for his
steel. An acquaintance with the trade will
bring to notice many whose minds are not
the comparative blank many suppose the
average labOrer'S to be. but who appreciate
the dignity and possibilities of their calling.
whose conversation shows intelligence and
thought and who know and honor the life
of their great fellow-craftsman of Scotland.
Hugh Miller, who self-taught and unaided
rose from the position of quarryman to
immortal heights in the domain Of science
and literature. There is working in one of
the yards OF this city a young Scotchman
who has toiled in the hills that Miller
worked iii both with brain and muscle who
is familiar with his writings and who can
tell the number of pounds the average
stonecutter lifts in day in the constant
swing of his mallett.
One division of the trade besides
the carver is the granite cutter
1t is a speciality and instead of the mallet
he uses heavy iron hammer A man NAV
be tirSt-class stone cutter and not be a
granite cutter. A marble cutter is techni-
cally ''StOnecutter," but the work is con-
sidered trade by itself. The marble
cutter uses lighter tools, and his wages are
not generally as high as those of a stone
cutter. According to some local authori-
ties there is properly difference between
GmeStone-cutterS and sandstone-cutters.
This, the members OF the Limestone-Cutters'
union, at work on Breen'S Job, stoutly af-
firm, while the members of the other union
as stoutly assert that a good stOnecutter
can handle either stone with equal facility,
and that every StOnecutter is continually
changing from one to the other. There are
about $50
STONECUTTERs IN ST. PAUL,
of whom twelve are carvers.
Owing to difficulties with contractors
during the past few months. the stone
cutters have been quite prominently before
the public. a union existed in the city for
a great many years under various vicissi-
tudes and degrees of vitality 1t is said
that Matt Breen was, several years ago.
secretary of the union. About a year ago
the union struck for nine hours and lost the
tight and as a result the organization
dwindled for awhile. 1t took on a new
vigor last fall and now numbers $50 mem
hers. In December of last year the hours
Of work on the court house Job were re-
duced to eight on account of the shorter
days. When the first payday thereafter
came the men were paid % cents an hour
instead of So cents, as during the fall This
created good deal of dissatisfaction. but
; the union decided not to strike. Four weeks
ago the union demanded eight hours work
and 80 cents per hour. and, not getting il.
struck. Mr.. Breen finally consented to al
low 80 cents for good men, but the union
demanded also that none but union men be
employed. This proposition Mr.. Breen de-
clined, and upon that issue the present
warm fight is being conducted. Mr. Breen
has been bOycOtted, and the union has the
unanimous sympathy and aid of the labor
organizations OF the city as well as of Min
neapOlis, Milwaukee and Chicago.
Mr.. Breen has thirty-five StOnecutters at
work and says he can get all he wants.
The men on his job recently organized
THE LIMEsToNECUTTERs' UNION,
which received ten new members Friday
evening. and now numbers thirty-seven.
They accept two rates of wages, which
they consider just and do not work on the
principles usually recognized in trades
unions. They are perfectly satisfied with
their work and expect to stay until the job
is completed. They have the option of
eight or ten hours. choosing the former.
and say that Mr.. Breen is paying market
prices.
They report that similar union has been
organized at Mankato and that the two
unions will exchange cards.