St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-05-06
FOR NINE HOURS.
The Carpenters Hold a Mass Meet
ing ON Bridge Square.

The Carpenters Hold a Mass Meet
ing on Bridge Square.
A mass meeting was held on Bridge
square last night. 1t was largely attended,
and, although enthusiastic was orderly and
respectful The speakers were frequently
interrupted by cheers and shouts of Good. :"
Charles II. Suits, of the Carpenters union,
called the meeting to order and in brief
address introduced
MAYOR AAIEs
as the president for the evening. Mayor
AmeS delivered an effective and logical
speech, eliciting applause and commenda-
ton.
ltaffOrded him more than ordinary pleasure,
as the mayor of the City, to respond to the
call Of the workingmen, because he appre-
Grated that II was the workingmen who placed
him in the position he occupied at the head Of
the city government. He felt confident that
he was addressing law-abiding citizens. He
asked his hearers to treat the problem before
them fairly and intelligently and approved of
mass meetings for the purpose of agitating
ihc question of q reduction of the hours of
labor He admOnished them to see to il that
IN all meeting gOod'Order prevails, and he felt
confidence IN the good Judgment and intelli-
gence OF the workingmen and believed that
no violent demonstration would be advocated
by any. minneapolis has a different ee-
ment," he said, from that which is now en-
gagged in the strifes in the East. The work
lngmen of this city are men who reason and
are advocates of argument. They know
that reasoning is the only rem
edy, the only rational remedy, for
the evil. l feel deeply interested IN this
movement because it was the men who are
now engaged in it who elected me to office.
Therefore 1 feel in duty bound to extend to
you my heartieSt sympathy and to accord you
my SIncereSt endeaYOrS to further your in
terestS. l am certainly in favor of every
thing that pertains to organized labor-orgau-
lied labor in every sense. I have no fear of
such turmoil and disorder as exists in Chi
cago and Milwaukee, because there are no
turbulent elements standing behind you, and
you will not heed melting remarks calculated
to excite wronged people to an uprising. And
! viii now promise you that l shall see that
order is prevailed. GOOD; we will help you.
The sympathy Of the masses is with the la
boring man. The hours of toll should be
shortened, and the wages should be commen-
slIriite with the service rendered. believe
yOu viii discuss the qaeStion calmly and de-
ibcrately, and urge that you settle all Sc
riOus differ enceS by arbitration. Select your
best and most thoughtful and considerate
men as arbitratOrs, and no harm, but a vast
amount of good will be the result
The major here introduced Chris. A. Gal
lagher as man who had for years been
tailor at manual labor. and who for wears
LOS DOANLlS OliSlillPlUiIS llIC CduSS vi Tie
WOrklngmen. and it was because Of this that
he was rejected by the city council Mr..
Gallagher said that
The people of the nation are met by reports
Of riots and blOOdshed coming from the
nci9hboring cities of Milwaukee and Chicago
Iou come here as workingmen, but remem-
Der you have not lost your citizenship. The
cause you advocate is the nObest cause of
man, but again / caution you, remember Won
have not been Invested Of your citizenship.
In advocating your cause remember that
others than you have rights that must be pro-
tected, against which you must not trespass
IIStan to no melting speeches. He who seeks
to array capital against labor or labor
against capital is no friend to either Labor
is the life of capital. The two are insepera-
BILE. Labor is the pulse of the rich man, and
as soon as that pulse ceases to beat it DESTROYS
the life of the other You came out tonight
TO arraign your employers before the bar of
public opinion. [ am not here to tell you to
strike. am not here to tel you that you
shall not work over eight hours a day, but I
VIII say that have worked as long hours as
any man. Yet [ will not tell you
what you shall do, but 1 stand
here to express the opinion that [
sincerely believe your demands are Just and
that you should have them. Just as long as
you appeal to intelligence you viii have the
support and sympathy of the public. Only
certain few carpenters are given employment
throughout the year. They have to provide
for the wants Of winter out Of their earnings
in the summer Therefore it is their right to
make the very best of their time In this
progressive age labor should not stand where
it stood twenty years ago. Everything else
progresses, and honest labor must
have its share Of progression The
cry of the opposition is "stagnation of
business interests 1t is the same old cry we
have heard for years whenever the working
man has made a demand that would tend to
Better his worldly condition. During the
Hancock campaign an employer in the East
posted up in his shop placard reading: If
Gen. Hancock is elected L will have to shut
down my shop. l cannot run my business
under Il Democratic administration But
Hancock was not elected, still this mans
shop was shut up. The pro-
The sheriff got there before him.
Contractors will not take jobs to give you en-
ployment, but to make money. The contrac-
tor knows when he makes g. bid what he will
have to pay labor, and if he makes q mistake
it is his own fault. Capital says to labor. we
viii get our labor where we can get it the
cheapest Then why should not labor Just
as consistently say TO capital, We will take
our labor to the market where we can get the
best pay 1t is argued that reduction in
hours, and also an increase in wages, will
damagingly effect the building interest. This
is q fal!acy. More money would be put into
the building, and consequently the building
would be worth more. Taxes would be
greater, and therefore the city would be
weather. and the entire community reap the
benefit"
Mr.. Gallagher continued at length, argu-
tentatively, and his remarks carried con-
viction with them. He closed by calling
upon the wOrkingmen to sustain the
mayor in preserving order. Mr.. Wright, of
the bricklayers union, made a stirring
and effective speech. He was followed by
Col. Glenn, the first to inaugurate the
S-hOur system in his fathers shops, AID.
Dwyer, the laboring mans champion of the
Seventh ward, Aid. Gibson the father of
the eight-hour resolution before the CITY
council, and w. II. Donahue ESQ. The
meeting closed with three rousing cheers.
NINE-HOUR NOTES.
At the carpenters meeting at Harrison
hall yesterday the following resolution was
adopted: Resolved, That the riots in Chi
cago May 4, led by anarchists, are strongly
condemned by the organized workingmen of
Minneapolis, as contrary to the spirit of
organized labor The meeting was attended
by 400. All present agreed that the strike
should be continued The number who have
quit work is about 500, and tits estimated that
at least 1000 carpenters in the city can be
controlled by the union if employers see fit
to persist in refusing concessions
Tonight the boss painters of this city are
invited to meetthe executive committee from
the Journeymen Painters union at Freya
hall, 5O51a Washington avenue south. 1t is
hoped by the journeymen that the conferences
may result in averting q strike. Heretofore
the boss painters have declined to meet the
men, and if they continue to ignore the de-
mands it is more than likely that over 200
painters will walk out on Monday
A proposition to pay the same wages for
nine hours as formerly for ten hours has been
signed by the Minneapolis Sash g. Door Co.,
Church u Graves and Smith & Wyman, upon
the condition that all sash and door manufac-
turers in the Northwest, including Wisconsin
Iowa and Minnesota, shall bind themselves to
this agreement. Johnson & Hurd have also
expressed a willingness to sign, provided all
other firms do.