Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-06-18
DOES PROTECTION PROTECT 2
How the Republican Administra-
tton Cheapens the Labor OF Skfled
Rtsx.as.


tion Cheapens the Labor OF Skfled
Craftsmen.
EDITORS HERALD-The rich and pow
erful Government of the United States is
to get its typeseting done for twenty
four cents thousand ems in this city OF
Los Angeles for the year beginning on
July 1st next. Every other employing
printer, who pays the standard scale
adopted by the Typographical Union
has to pay more than twice the rate
which Uncle Sam is to pay. The reason
for this extraordinary difference ls that
under the Republican High Protective
Labor G Grinding Party of High Moral
ideas, the system of getting labor per
formed for the Government at Chlnese
wages has been recently adopted. AT
the Headquarters of every army depart
ment the Government presents amongst
its bric-a-brac the outfit Of twelfth-rate
printing office. Up to the pres
ent time two or three good print
ers have been regularly employed at
the printing office at the headquarters OF
the Department ef Arizona at good Union
wages, setting up the job work needed
by the department. Recently an order
came from the War Department that in
stead of paying the regular wages, the
work was to be given out to any person
who would do it for the least money.
Mark YOU, Uncle.Sam in this case, is act
ing in the role of an employing printer.
He owns some type and a few foot-power
presses. Being too poor to pay a fair
days wages for a fair days work, he
goes into the market and asks lot OF
starving printers to compete witfD each
other for the privilege of dong his job
printing. For month past the follow
ing advertisement has appeared IN the
local newspapers:
Proposals for Labor-Hesdquarte Depart
ment of Arizona office of the Chief Quarter
master, Los Angales, Cal, May II, 1850
Sealed proposals will be received at this office,
until IL o'clock a. M, on Monday, June II,
1889, and opened Immediately thereafter In
the presence of bidders, for furnishing labor
for printing all circulars, orders or miscel lane
Gus papers that may be required at the Head
quarters Department of Arizona during the fs.
cal year ending June 30, 1890, the United
states to furnish rms printing ohfe ana sns
to bidders and blank forms of proposal will be
furnished on application to this office The
ali bids. A S KIMBALL, Quarermaster U. S.
A, Chief @ Qlartermaster.
When the time came for opening the
bids, yesterday, there were only five.
The advertisement had been widely cir
culated, but most of the printers were
repelled by the red tape, circumlocution
and exacting conditions Under which
they were required to perform the work.
No member of the Typographical Union
would dare to "rat" the headquarters of
the Department of Arizona by proposing
to set type for Uncle Sam at any less
rate than 45 cents per thousand ems, and
as the terms of the proposed ''labor con-
tract" required the price for the compost
ton and presswork to also include all
folding, pasting and stitching needed in
connection with the proper shaping OF
printed matter, the only opportunity for
Union compositors to vary much in their
prices was in the rates they might charge
for press work.
The bids we're as follows and the con-
tract was awarded to the lowest, but is
subject to the approval of the Depart
ment Commander and the Secretary OF
War: