Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1888-04-12
P. J. INQUIRE.
HIS SPEECH TO THE CARPENTERS OF THB
CITY, At LABOR HALL, LAST NIGHT.
4 Large Audience Present TO Listen 10 What He Had
to Say-Sound Advice Given 10 the Wood
workers, and Workingmsn Generally.

Quite large audience, mainly composed
of the organized carpenters Of the city and
vicinity, assembled at Labor Hall, last
evening, to listen 10 the address of P. J.
/ MEG uire, the well-known head of the Car
penter's organization, whose ramifcations
extend throughout the length and breadth
of the land, and reach even to Canada
aud Nova SCOTS. Mr.. Mcclure began his
address about eight o'clock, and for the
succeeding two hours devoted himself TO al
eloquent exposition of the advantages OF
: labor organizations in general, and Of the
beneficial results received by the carpen-
tiers in particular. He was listened to
with the closest attention, and at times
the hall rang with the applause of those
present. The speech was a valuable ore
to the cause of labor in this city, and will
do much good.
Mr.. McGuire began by reviewing the
difficulty the carpenters had in organizing
in Pittsburg, and after showing in very
interesting way how the good seed Gown in
the Smoky City had grown and multiplied
and finally brought forth good fruit, he
announced that he intended TO address
himself especially to carpenters, but sold
bis remarks would he trusted, be of inter.
est to those engaged in other branches Of
industry. Then addressing himself TO his
theme in earnest, he said he believed men
who had served long apprenticeship at q
trade, had a claim upon that trade, and
this being so, he thought steps which would
] result in thinning out, or ut least in keep
| ing in the background, the scab wcIkmen
who gathered in the cities from the farms
and small country towns, and who were,
as rule, willing To do a very Indifferent
class Of work for wages first class work man
could not afford to take, would commend
| themselves. To be a first class Carpen
ter required as much brains as was neces
sary to make good lawyer, and this asser'
ton he proved by fitting illustrations Hav'
ing demonstrated this, he said: Aud this
being so, We see skilled workmen in the
carpenter trade getting but trife better
wages than those accorded scrub workmen
or labOrers. Skilled work in the carpen-
ter trade meets with but inadequate re-
ward" The motto of the bosses seemed
TO the speaker to be, Cheap work and
plenty of it." This was bad thing for
the men.
Mr.. Mcclure referred at length to the
methods in vogue in the trade in former
years, when apprentices we're put through
systematic course OF training in the
shops under the eyes of skilled bosses.
To day, he ventuTed to say, there were not
five regular apprentices in Wheeling The
legitimate result was apparent to all.
Again, in former years, men who had
devoted lifetime to the trade, and who
was skilled in all its various branches,
were deemed the most desirable employees,
and under their wstchful care the best
possible work was done. To-day q man
past middle age was crowded out By the
bosses, who desired young and active men
capable OF doing large amount of in
different work.
Labor, he said again, should have it5
! fail value, and that value was something
more than the market value to-day. As
long as a man had to sell his labor he
would he at the mercy of those who de-
sire to buy, and the men who buy labor
have, IL is strange to say, more power
than the buyers of any other commodity
ia this world. This he illustrated by
comparing the purchasers of labor with
those who deal in other things.
Pursuing this portion of his theme, the
speaker referred 10 the Lumber Trust, "
and the sash and Door Trust" recently
formed in the carpenter business, and
said that in addition there was talk of the
formation of a Trust" for the protec-
ton Of employers from strikes. The
only effective method of meet.
ing this theory, be said, was
by the formation of counter trust, in
the shape Of labor organizations. He was
glad to see this idea was taking firm root,
as as evidenced by the Increased growth
of the various organiz atoms over what be
found when he was last here. He I'M.
pressed upon his hearers in q very forcible
way the importance of keeping up their
organic atoms, and adding to them.
Turning his attention to the matter Of
supply and demand, the speaker paid his
respects TO the men who were always eager
to work overtime, and denounced such
"hoggishness" and animal selishness" il
uumeasured terms. He thought the car
penter trade was unduly sffl icted
with this sort of thing, although
there had lately been an improve
men., and he hoped the growing evidences
Of the formation of code OF morals in tn:
trade would result in still further lessenins
the evil Tie trade union was the agency
oh MI, 81.
teal application of the law, 'Do unto
Others as ye would that men should do IN
to you," and when the labor organic. tioni
had reached in some degree their allotted
and proper effectiveness, the man WHIT
raised his hsnd to do aught against his fel
low-wcrkmen would find himself in baG
place.
But1Ir. Mcclure pointed ont that th,
thorough application Of union principles
would also be good thing for employers
and demonstrated this TO the evident sstis
faction of all within the range of his voice
The non-union man received consider
able amount Of attention at the hands O
the speaker, who did not see how any may
of intelligence, who had bestowed a singl,
moment cf thought upon the suhjsct of th,
benefits Of organization, could remain with
out the pale Of the organization. Tint
Union had been beneficial in raising wages
in shortening the hours of labor, and il
obtaining benti.s Of many other sorts, and
he illustrated this power Of organization by
detailing how, in Baltimore, before the
carpenters organized, they were getting 8
per day, when the negro he'd carriers e