The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-05-09
UNITED THEY STAND.
The Value of Organization
Was the Theme at the
Building Trades
Mass Meeting.
THE MAYOR WINS APPLAUSE.

THE MAYOR WINS APPLAUSE.
He Has Something to Say Of Cut
throat Competition Among Con-
tractors.
The mass meeting at Coopers' Hall last
night was success.
| 1t was held under the auspices of the
Building Trades Council to celebrate the
achievement of "strikeless victory"
brought about by the wise and conserya-
| tive action of the Council in its dealings
with employers this spring.
| All the active workers in labor's ranks
were there. Among the many, noticed
Charles Shugru, P Downs, james Moran,
G. Foote, John Callahan, Richard Allen.
E. Spencer, Thomas Flanagan, James
Stuart, w. McCree and James Nelson.
| A few minutes after eight O'Clock
Rhodey Keeshen stepped to the front and
presented P. I. O'Hara, of the Carpenters,
as chairman of the meeting Mr.. O'Hara
| thanked the meeting for the honor and
| introduced as the first speaker j. w.
Jackaway He told of the benefits to be
| derived from the organization OF
labor. He showed that organization
gave to the people of England their
| Magma Charta; that organization won
independence for the United States; that
If also abolished manhood slavery. Up
to this point Mr. Jackaway did very well,
but here he evidently lost his head, and
made a virulent attack upon the Demo
cratic party, showing his animus SO pal,
| pably that His Honor, the Mayor, who had
entered, amid great applause, few mo
ments before felt compelled to ask the
chairman if it was q political or working
mems meeting.
The chairman informed the Mayor that
it was a wOrkingman's meeting, and
| called Mr.. Jackaway to order.
His Honor was then called upon from
all parts of the hall, and as he came for
ward the audience testified their appre-
citation of his objection to the Introduc-
tion of politics into the meeting by cheer
ing long and loud.
THE MAYORS ADDRESS.
Mayor Cleveland said;--"Mr. Chairman
and gentlemen:-If this is a political
meeting, to discuss politics or questions
before the Legislature, then | have no
part in it. / came here to promote the
| interests OF U0G Dullu4HS 1Iduco OOdhSiA
and to try to show to those who are out
side of its ranks the benefits to be derived
from connection with labor organizations.
| believe that is the object OF this meeting.
Am right?"
burst of applause, which could not but con-
vince the Mayor that he was right.
The Mayor then took occasion to get in
some hard raps at the millionaire boss
plumber, showing that the journeyman
did not receive just proportion OF the
profits. He showed the evil effects of cut
throat competition between employers and
forcibly portrayed the advantages to be
derived from an organization which
would prevent cut-throatlng.
s,It might cost little more to build a
house then" said the Mayor, but the
; property owner would be better off, for
the work would be done honestly; the
men employed on such work would re-
ceive good wages and do their work in a
manner that would be beneficial to the
community; they would not erect these
unsubstantial and unslghtly af1alrs
erected by workingmen who, knowing
that they are being imposed upon-thelr
necessities taken advantage of by unscru-
puious contractors, will not do the same
work as union workingmen who receive
fair wages and produce substantial, hon
est work"
The Mayor then described the process
whereby some contractors got work, bid
ding lower than fair employers, because
thew intended to squeeze the working
men He said that if all these contractors
and builders were in an association with
a uniform scale for doing tnelr WORK, tney
could all pay fair wages, but that while
the present system continued there would
be bad work.
s'For it's a skin game, practiced by these
mean contractors upon their men, and
YOU can't blame man for dong bad
| l. I.aJJ darn n. tfS
only human nature; he won't do good
work for poor wages; he'd be an angel1f he
did"
Mayor Cleveland then went ON to say
that organized labor would give all men
an equal chance, and that equality was
the underlying principle of our Constitu
ton. He said that in some instances
honest labor was not appreciated; but
those instances were rare. He illustrated
this by telling how the work of Job. Cleve
land, his father, was appreciated, and toll
how people in Schoharle county stli
: pointed out the good, substantial WORK
done by that father more than fifty year:
ago. The Mayor continued for some time
: showing the advantage of employers hav
ing honest, well-paid laborers working
for them, and closed by wishing the
Council as an individual, God speed, ant
as Mayor of Jersey City, the fulles
measure of success.
OTHER SPEAKERS.
A. H. Saunders then made an address
I and was followed by John L. Burke, o
1 Hudson County Typographical Union, No
81, who deprecated the unfortunate intro
duction Of subject matter foreign to th'
I purposes of the meeting, and endorsed thu
E sound advice given by the Mayor.
. Richard Allen then made an earnes
appeal for the overworked coach driver
! of Jersey City.
Letters of regret from Messrs. Mcclure
Archibald and Hall We're read, and thel
p. w. Birck made the closing address.
. The following resolutions were thel
unanimously adopted
e Resolved, That this mass meeting of tn
o'clock closing movement and promises to SUI
= | port all merchants who concede early closing;
, Resolved Also that we pledge our support I
5 the Coach Drivers Association In their struggl
y for living wages and recognition Of their organ
d ization.
S Resolved Finally, that the thanks of thi
D mass meeting be rendered to the Mayor of Jerse
2 City and the other speakers present at thi
i meeting.
For Mrs. NIcTamany's Beuent