Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-03-24

INdS-THE RESOLUTIONS.
| There seems to be war brewing between the
journeymen bakers and their bosses. and
though there is no strong probability OF the
strife leading to bread famine in this city,
yet the surface indications are that there will
be some lively skirmishing between employers
| and employees. The fight is on the ground OF
| the number of hours constituting day of
labor. The journeymen claim that ten hours
| should be enough for any of them to work. ex-
| cept on such days Friday and Saturday,
when the shops are getting ready for the Sun
day trade. Saturday night mass meeting was
| held at Edel's hall, under the auspices of
bakers assembly 23S9 X. of L.. and attended by
| the members of several other trade organiza-
| tlons, such as the plate printers, the wagon
| drivers and others. The meeting was within
| the sanction and the protection of the general
assembly of the District. so that the movement
has assumed the proportions of general blow
at the tweive-hour system as far as it is in
vogue in this city. The first object of the
meeting was to start public sentiment in favor
OF the Journeymen bakers and their complaint
and to sound a note of warning to the line of
the trade organizations. 1t was but one of the
demonstrations of the strength and unity of the
general movement of labor.
MANIFESTO OF THE BOSS BAKERS.
The meeting was called by means of adver-
tisements and lot of small dodgers which
served as call to arms and also to bring out a
manifesto Of the "boss bakers" as to what they
demanded and expected of their men. An
enterprising journeyman had made copy Of
this document, which he brought to the meet
ing as basis OF action. 1t is a virtual declara-
ton of independence against the assembly of
Journeymen, STIMULATING. first. that no change
will be made in the hours of labor or the pres
ent wage scale; second, the reservation on the
part OF the boss to discharge and hire whoever
he pleased; third the intolerance of any '.out-
side interference" which is not to be recog-
nlzed; fourth, the treatment of every work.
man as an individual and the settlement of all
grievances between the employer and his men,
this being direct stroke at the union which
assumes that 1T has the right to act as arbi-
traitor In all such cases; the fifth and sixth art-
cies OF the rules are unimportant, and are fol-
lowed by the obligation" that the journeymen
must sign an agreement to the regulations thus
set forth in order to retain his place. The
document was issued ''by order of the bakers
association. countersigned by r. w. Blair"
The appearance of this document acted much
after the style OF a red rag before bull; it i'll
hamed the journeymen to a still higher pitch
OF enthusiasm for their cause. and they are now
determined to force issue with the BOSSES
although no such action was taken last night
Further meetings will be held. at which the
ACCESSIBILITY of taking stand against the bosses
Will be seriously and calmly considered.
TEN HOURS DAY AND JUSTICE TO ALL"
The rain Saturday night did not prevent the
enthusiasts from making a street display
marching from their assembly hall, at the cor
ner of the avenue and AZ street. to the hall on
L street, headed by band of music. There
were fully three hundred men in line and they
with the few stragglers who had already come
filled the hall to overlooking. Shortly after s
O'Clock Master Workman NJ F. Hobbs of Dis
assembly ba hy ata md
ing on the platform and calling for order. 1t
did not need his opening words to show the
uninitiated spectator if any such existed that
the meeting was to obtain better conditions for
workingrlen, this fact being broadly emblaz-
oned on transparency that announced. on
one side, that The laborer is worthy of his
hire, and don't you forget It'll" Another told
the assembly that the sentiment of the bearer
was ''Ien hours a day and justice to all"
COMMITTEE ON RESOLUTIONS.
After the chairman had obtained order he
appointed the following committee on resolu-
tons: Messrs. Thos Denham. VIM. Sickles,
| Thos. Potter. John Foley, John T. Doyle, Geo.
Clssell, Il. W. Oyster, Henry Ireland, Paul
Bowen and John Gates. They retired and be-
| gan to wresIle with the problem Of devising a
series OF resolutions adequate to the occasion
| and Chairman Hobbs announced that the meet
ing was held in the interests of the Bakers as
| sembly, and was also large grievance commit
would require the journeymen bakers to work
more than ten hours day, if il really under
stood their terrible condition, but if it was nee
essary for the pubic good, and there were no
unemployed bakers, the Journeymen would be
willing to work extra hours III order to supply
the community with bread.
THE FIRST SPEAKER.
He then introduced as the first speaker Mr..
August Delabar OF New York. secretary of the
Bakers national union who M an o1ito+or -,
the ranks OF journeyman bakers and one of
them himself. showed a familiarity with the
subject of the grievances of that class that led
to some surprising facts i'll connection with the
matter. He was evidently native German
| who had acquired only bird's-eye view of the
English language SO that he had somewhat
sketchy vocabulary with fairly good pronun-
citation, which led him into some statements
that he did not intend to make, owing to his
| lack of familiarity with idoms of the tongue
| He surveyed the audience with some emo
| ton and exclaimed that he felt sure that the
| meeting signified that the public in general is
willing to take some interest in the grievances
| of the journeymen. Few who get their nice
| fresh rolls and bread IN the early morning
| think at all of the poor journeyman who has
| been working all night beneath the ground in
| an atmosr here that most folks would consider
! deadly IN order that the hungry ones might
| not lack for fresh food. Little has been known
| OF the condition OF the bread baker by the
public. 1t has always been a mysterious sub
Iect, few thought OF him at all, but if they had
| investigated they would have found state of
things that they would have thought almost In
| credible Men laboring from
| SIXTEEN TO EIGHTEEN HOURS EVERY NIGHT
in small cellars, where the dampness was only
| equaled by the other Inconvenience. such as
the gas and the steam heat from the ovens
| surroundings that were exhausting in the ex
treme. And not only this, but the bosses
| would not hlre any workmen who had families
and forced them to sleep and eat on the prem
| ises The apartments given to them were
| scarcely mt for human beings, and the food
i that was given to them was OF a horrible de-
| scrlption- The average wages were SC a week
| part OF which went back into the pocket of
the employer for board and lodging This was
| the state OF things about five years ago, when
| there was no organization among the Journey
| men, but since then they have formed a union
| and now their condition is somewhat better
| The average wages are ell week. and there
| are now over 60 per cent Of them married.
| whereas before hardly Is per cent were in that
| condition. The moral standing of the class has
| been wonderfully improved, and now the Jour
| NEWMAN baker Is respected and has learned to
| respect others. But there is still
| GREAT DEAL TO ACCOMPLISH
| The condition of the journeyman is by no
means what it should be, and he had come to
Washington to do what he could to aid the
bakers Of this city in obtaining fair play. He
| took the copy Of the boss bakers rules and
| considered each of them in a rather caustlc
1 .N,lA 49, ha AAls - Al