Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-06-14
MR.. GESSNER'S REPLY.
He Attacks James Campbelps Re-
Gently Printed Defense
WITH REGARD TO IMPORTED MEN.
President Campbell, However, Comes Back
at Him Again.
OTHER INDUSTRIAL NEWS OF THE DAY

The National Glass Budget will tomorrow
print ex-Secretary Gessner's reply to James
Campbelps statement in The ConsH1oner and
Glass Worker of June s of the facts leading
up to the arrival of the English glass blow
ers," in which he charged Gessner, while secre-
tary, OF writing to Europe for laborers, etc. In
his reply Mr.. Gessner SAYS:
As to your statement about me writing to Eu-
rope and extending an invitation to foreign glass
workers 10 come 10 this cOnntry, you know you
strain the truth materially. The truth is this:
After William Rigby and Albert Hardin had been
victimized at st. Helens. and had gone 10 work at
wrote to their friends in England that there were
vacancies In this country. In my Correspondence
with the English preeeptors at st. Helens, in an
answer to an inquiry about vacancies / told him
what was the truth, that there were quite NUM-
Der Of places open. ABOUT dozen men came to
written by myself and others by members Of the
assembly. No law of the assembly or of the fed
Grafton as 1t then existed was violated in the
there were kilograms in the Office at the time ask
ing for men to fIl about 80 vacancies.
freely admitted then, as do now, that the
writing of that letter was bunder but il led to
the making OF laws which closed the doors to for
eign emigration and hence did some little good.
ANOTHER DIFFERENCE.
, Relating to my position on the apprentice qnes-
tion, you are again in error. In order to explain
away your own guilt in importing men, you en-
deavor to make your members believe that Cline
and Gessner made the apprentice laws so,tight IN
1884 that President James Campbell, the Council
and all the other great heads have thus Tar been
unable, though five years have elapsed to undo
their influence. lquOte from your sworn state
ment Of June 4:
'The fact is, there has not been enough learn
furnished the committee by cline and Gessner in
l8SS the apprentice law was reduced.''
The information furnished to the precesptor
dplpQafpa NJ Inof
1850 was contained in two printed documents, vet
eXtant. The first was Detailed apprentice re-
port, - issued pursuant to order of Council and
the Assembly, June 16, 1884. 1t showed that while
there were j. Op3 blowers, who were entitled to 200
rnds s sDoes TePs Gn apprentices in
prentices less than the quota. Why the commit
tee did not grant more, they may explain as best
they can was pot member Of that body, and
furnished no information to any convention in
1885, for the simple reason that no convention was
held that year, though Mr.. Campbell swears there
was
Still, all this is by-play. The real and only
question, and the question you are most concerned
Did you. your Council and Federation Board
cause encourage, aid and abet the recent impOrta-
Of the United States?
This can only be determined in court Of justice,
wneTe your secret circular and sworn statement
Will be strong evidence against you. In spite Of
intimidation and persecution of witnesses, inac-
cursctes and misstatements, and deliberate
seOus OF his guilt would resort to- we believe that
legal conviction can be secured to indorse the
moral conviction already existing in the minds Of
all fa1r-m1nded men. +. NJ. GEssNER.
MR.. CAMPBELL COMES BACK.
Mr.. Campbell was seen by DISPATCH re-
porter last night. He did not seem at all
scared by the letter, and coolly drew out records
from a drawer to refute the statements. He
said; II did not say there was convention In
1883, but in August %, 1885 Mr.. Gessner fur
nished detailed statement of the apprentices
granted from 1882 to 1885"
In order to maintain his position Mr.. Camp
bell showed the reporter the following detailed
report, signed by Gessner, made to the assembly
in 1884:
The blowers, under the law, have constantly 100
apprentices learning to blow. As every member
the number Of men engaged in the trades of gath
erng cutting and hattening Is 4 $685. 20 per cent Of
which would entltle these trades to ST appren-
t1ces. whereas the above tables show an excess Of
%. The first two columns to the left show that
only IL Of the preceptors have their quota filed,
vet Tantbe S RPTde s Rfo @ ans
makes ia, making the excess I36.
In other words, the present law foists the 20
present 200 in the trades Of gathering, cutting and
isting law is 20 per cent in three years, not in
Guiding the apprentices discharged before TIL ek-
piration Of their time, nor the number emIgra-
the window glass industry since 1879 has averaged
10 per cent per year, or per cent in three years
In regard to the evidence being placed in the
District Attorneys hands. Mr.. Campbell said
that was what he wanted DONE and that he was
not preparing for his defense, as he needed
none. He said the talk about the evidence
was all bosh. and he was not the least
as they had no case and had nothing
to work on.