St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-02-21
THE BOYCOTT.
Something From Both Sides--The
Present Status of the Case.

Referring to a circular distributed by the
boycott committee, l hereby wish to state
to the public the facts in the case, which
are as follows: On Jan. 81 a committee
from the Trades and Labor assembly called
on me and asked whether or not l would
run my factory according to the rules and
regulations OF the Cigarmakers' union.
My answer was that 1 could not run my
factory according to anybOdy's rules and
regulations but my own. Feb. a
mass meeting was held. in which /
was condemned TO a boycott When
| was informed of this ] asked for consul
tatiOn with the committee, which was
granted, and on the l4th inst. committee
of the Trades and Labor assembly mo
cigarmakers) met me at my Office, when /
made them the proposition to pay union
prices to bunchmakers and rollers as estab-
lished by the union in the East and to meet
joint committee of the Trades and Labor
assembly and Cigarmakers' union to see what
they wanted as they had made no demand
of me except TO run my shop according to
their rules and regulations, not stating
what they were. In answer to this i re-
ceiyed a letter stating that the committees
from the CigarmakeTS' union and the
T rades assembly had considered the matter
and concluded that it was useless to confer
with me as long as l was not willing to
give up the system Of rollers and filler
breakers. They said, I'VE will accept
nothing but an unconditional surrender, and
may the longest pole knock the persim-
mons"
This refusal to meet me goes to show that
they did not want fair and friendly settle
ment, and what else do they mean by say
ing 1--WE want you to surrender uncOndi-
tionally." As for me to give up every RICH
TO regulate my business as l think best. and
accept all conditions they might dictate to
me, / think every fair-minded man will
agree that no business man can give up the
entire control of his business and meet with
success. The Trades and Labor assembly
have issued circular called Boycott..NO.
l, in which they say in the beginning the
cigarmakers of the city of st. Paul having
exhausted every honorable means in con-
sulting with the cigar manufactures. Grun-
hagen, TO bring about an amicable adjust
ment of the difference between them. and,
having failed to do so, applied to the Trades
and Labor assembly for assistance. This.
using mild expression. is a falsehoOd.
For the last three years 1 have never heard
one word from the cigarmakers or union as
to any difference between us. Everything
in my factory has been harmonious and sat
isfactOry. as well to my employees as to me.
Ny cigarmakers earn from S14 to SIS per
week and bunchmakers and rollers
mostly girls-frOm 81 to SO
per week. Why do they try
to force such an untruthful statement upon
the public? Because by telling the plain
truth they cannot expect to gain the SYM
pathy of the community and their, fellow
workmen. and | believe they have gained
a CT nf ha Taf
sembly through such and similar state
ments. | asked the committee from the
Trades and Labor assembly whether or not
they wanted me TO discharge all females
now engaged in making cigars in my fac
tory. They stated no, but privately it has
been limited TO me that the cigar
makers wanted me TO discharge all
females, and l believe this TO be their griev-
ance. Now if such is the case then l would
like to ask all honest-thinking people If the
girls have not just as mnch right 10 earn
their living in cigar factory as they have
in any other honorable occupation.
Furthermore, millions of cigars are sent to
this city made in the East on the same plan
as run my factory. There the Cigarmak-
ers' union fixes the prices for bunchmakeTs
and rollers, and here that same organization
tells me they will not allow me To do the
same as the manufacturers i'm the East.
eight or ten years ago very few cigars were
bought by our home manufactures from
Eastern houses. To-day most of our manu-
features buy the largest part of the cheap
goods % cent cigars in the East. and the
largest demand in this part of the country
is for cent goods. Many thousands of
dollars are sent every year East Tor cigars
by our manufactures and jobbers because
the CigamakerS' union here will not allow
US to regulate our factories on the same ba-
sis as they do down East, depriving us of
an honest competition with Eastern goods.
The foregoing being truthful statement in
every regard, 1 leave it to the public and
my customers to Judge for themselves.
Respectfully, HENRY GRUNHAGEN.
st. Paul, Feb. 20. 1886.
THE OTHER SIDE.
In answer to the above representatives of
the CigaTmakers' union say that the system
of ''rollers and bunch breakers is the main
point in the difficulty, and the one which
Mr. Grunhagen refuses to cede. At the
time when the clause forbidding this sys-
TEN in union shops was adopted by the
International union, exceptions were made
of shops where the system was already in
operation, and such union shops only. in the
East. are usingit. Mr.. Grunhagen is the only
manufacturer in the city who works on that
plan and this is what enables him TO under
sell all competing manufacturers. When
he introduced the system three years ago
his cigarmakers struck but lost the strike.
Since then he has kept it up and as stated
before is the only one using it. The system
with its Objectionable features may be briefly
explained as follows: In regular un ion
shop every workman is a regular cigar
maker, able to break, fill, roll and finish
cigar, and getting standard
wages. Under the system objected
to. a manufacturer can employ
little girls at small wages teach them TO
break branches and ill in very short time
and get along with very small amount of
skilled labor. This tends to make employ
ment scarce for cigarmakerS and reduce
wages, enables the manufacturer to under
sell competitors, also reducing prices both
of labor and product and demOralizes the
situation generally. For these reasons
and for mutual protection the system has
been forbidden by the International union.
Mr.. Grunhagen, the cigarmakers say, will
be one the same footing as his COM
petitors. and there can be no injustice
about that. AS it is he offers mis-
goods at So or S4 thousand cheaper than
the same class of goods made by other local
manufacturers. AS to the female labor en-
ployed, they say there is no objection to his
keeping his girls if he will teach them the
trade and let them become members Of the
union. What they ask is, that he run his
shop on the same plan as other manufac-
turers' paying the same wages, standing on
the same footing and enjoying an equal
chance IN the field OF competition. They
declined second conference because he had
fatty refused to abandon the Objectionable
system, though offering some union conces-
| sions, and had repeatedly stated openly that
he would not give an inch He is reported
as SaYingrlhe didn't care for the hnrcnit in