St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-03-09
IT MUST BE A MISTAKE,

the new GLOBE buildlng-their understanding
being that the projectors of this structure
employed architects from abroad to prepare
the plans for the new building. Accordingly
at the meeting mentioned il is reported to
have been decided TO adopt retaliatory
course against the GLoBE. Nearly every
architect in the city became party 10 an
agreement to bar any st. Paul or other con-
tractor who may put in an estimate on the
GLOBE building, from contracting for
or in any way taking any work
for which the plans may be drawn
aud the work controlled by st. Paul archi-
tects. 1t is also agreed that the architects
shall hereafter decline TO advertise in the
GLOBE. The majority of the local architects
were present at the meeting referred to,
which was supposed to be strictly private,
and since the conference nearly all of those
who were absent have been seen and an in-
dorsement of the action taken secured from
them. Hon. LEWIS BAKER was seen to-day
and the reported action of the architects out
lined TO him. In reply he said: "All 1 can
say on the subject is that no architect from
abroad has been contracted with for plans
except for the foundation. The St. Paul
architects may be a little hasty. "-Yester-
days Dispatch.
The GLOBE knows nothing of the mat
ter mentioned above further than it is stated
by our evening contemporary. but we are
inclined TO the opinion that there is a mis-
take about it, and that an injustice has been
done to both the architects and contractors
of this city by the publication of the article.
Our reasons for thinking so are as follows:
As a rule, gentlemen who belong TO rep
utable profession are not in the habit of I'M
justly discriminating against members in
good standing IN their own profession. The
principle of live and let live is one that is
applied to all respectable vOcations. and
fair and honorable competition is tolerated
in every department of business life. In
this free land of ours the place of ones
birth OF residence does not enter as an ele-
ment into a mans capacity for work, or of
his right to pursue his vocation in whatever
part of the land he may select
as the field of his operations. So
strongly imbedded is this principle in
our American ideas that it finds place i'm
the organic law of the nation. which guar
antees to the citizen of each state the full
enjoyment of his civil and political rights
in all the states. And there can be no
citizen than to follow legitimate trade or
profession. Architects are classed among
the most intelligent and honorable of all pro-
feSsional men, and there is no reason to
suppose that those who live in ST. Paul are
an exception to the rule. We are not pre-
pared to believe that they have so little
respect for the honor of their profession
or for the constitution and laws of
their country as to attempt to deny to one
of their own profession the right to pursue
his vocation in our midst, even though he
might come from another city or state. And
if they were disposed to do so, we are con-
fident that they could not bulldoze the con-
tractors into such an unlawful scheme
In the next place we are disposed to dis
credit the statement concerning the action
of the st. Paul architects, for the reason
that we do not believe that they would
undertake to say an architect from another
city should be prohibited from seeking work
in this city when they themselves go to
other cities soliciting work in the
line of their profession, and many
Of them are now actually engaged
on work in other localities 1t
would be nice state of affairs
if the st. Paul architects should go to Min
neapolis, Duluth, Rochester, Bismarck.
Helena and other towns and cities to solicit
and obtain employment and then draw the
lines around st. Paul to keep out other ar
chitects. 1t would be such ridiculous at
tempt to monopolize business and so GER
tain to be followed by a miserable failure
that it is impossible to conceive that intelli-
gent gentlemen could give 'countenance TO
it, as it is absolutely certain that an in
telligent pnblic would not tolerate it.
But again, suppose that the statements
made by our evening contemporary are true.
and that the architects and the contractors
have organized ring to the exclusion of
all competition, it is time that the
public was made aware of it and i'm
mediate steps taken to burst the in
iquitous combination. Nothing could be
more disastrous to the growth of the city
than the existence of such a state of things
If the fact be made public that the archi-
tects of the city have combination strong
enough to kill out all outside competition,
and at the same time to control local
contractors and virtually fix the prices
of all contracts, then not another build
ing would be erected within the city
limits. Men of capital are not going to ex-
pend their money in an effort to build I'D
the city when they know that they are at
the mercy of a constituencies ring to be
robbed and plundered at will. There are
other cities where such combinations do not
exist and thither capital would go TO seek
investment, where the investor can at least
have the right to select his own workmen
and to see that they get an honest return
for their money. So well is this
fact understood by the property hold
ers and business men of ST. Paul
that if it was once known that such an in
iquitous combination existed in our midst
so hurtful in all its aspects to the progress
of the city there would be such a storm of
public indignation raised that the individ-
uals who composed the ring would be glad
to find shelter in some other quarter. 1t is
only fools who kill the goose that lays
golden eggs.
The GLOBE has discussed this matter
from a strictly impersonal and disinterested
standpoint, and without regard to any in
terest that the GLOBE building may be sup
posed to have in the matter. We have dis
cussed it in the light of principle and solely
with reference TO the interests and welfare
of the city.
NEW LABOR pRnRIFNT