St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-01-29
NO. 90.
oil fhpea
pIFFERENT CLAssEs


DIFFERENT CLASSES
have sought and obtained enactmentS
for their protection. The owner suffers
i'll being obliged to satisfy himself: and
strictly, under the provisions of SUPER
technical law. that all claims have been
discharged, he is made in effect the
paymaster of his own contractor. The
architect suffers as the agent of the
owner. The contractor suffers under
the business annoyauces prepared for
him by the law, and which he cannot
escape, no matter how careful or
prompt in the management of his bust.
ness: no matter how able financially to
meet his every obligation; and above
all, In
CREATING AND FOSTERING
unfair competition, because entered
into by persons with all to gain and
naught to lose. The subcontractor and
the material man suffer because he re-
lies on the fancied security of the lien
law instead OF the character and busi-
ness standing of his customer, the con.
tractor. and from resulting financial
losses. If it had been the intention of our
lawmakers, and the persons then there's
unto moving, to wipe out Contractors
as a class entirely, it Is difficult to i'm
aglne any measure more effective than
the successive enlargement of the scope
of their ill-advsed lien law. But Ger.
tainly this was not their intention. The
material men particularly did not
INTEND TO DESTROY
the financial ability and standing Of
their regular customers. And still this
has been the result, and must be the re.
suit, everywhere, because legitimate
and logical. With clause of the lien
law providing 'that the aggregate of all
liens shall not exceed the sum of the
original contracts" the principal care
of an unscrupulous owner is to accept
the lowest obtainable bid, no matter
how unreasonable or inadequate to the
work to be performed. He need not
care; for the sum of his contract is the
measure of his liability, and, il loss re-
suits. the law will kindly prorate the
same among the deluded subcontract.
ors and material men, who put their
faith in its protection. On the one
hand, by
UNsCRUPULoUs OWNERS,
financially irresponsible persons are
encouraged to estimate OH and take
work because, having nothing to lose,
they can afford to take chances and
with accumulated capital cannot com.
pete; and on the other hand, the same
irresponsible persons are supplied by
material men and subcontractors, who
rely upon the security of their lien.
The time has come to call halt, Let
the world know that we as builders
want ''no lien laws at ALL" Let all
unite In urging their erasure from the
statute books.
laws the building contractor will be-
come business man, and his occupa-
tion legitimate calling;
IRRESPONSIBLE COMPETITION
will cease; ample capital invested and
legitimate profits will result: then rep-
utation and character will count in this
as in other callings; the fancied security
of the subcOntractor and the material
man of to-day will have given way to
the real and substantial security of
dealing with responsible and compe-
tent builders, none others will survive.
But,I think hear some one say: 'sHow
will 1T be possible to do business with
out lien law? Why. had it not been
for the lien law would have lost large
sums OF money several times in the
transaction OF my business" No, my
dear sir. you would not. Knowing that
you had to rely on yourself alone, you
would have
DEMANDED SECURITY
ere you had given large sums of your
money into the possession of others. and
they would have furnished it. That
is all. The builder needs the lien
law no more than the banker does.
MIR. Prusslng concluded by introduce
ing the following:
Resolved, That it is the sense Of the build.
ing contractors and material men, in ma.
ional convention assembled, that the best
interests of the entire body polite demand
the repeal of the various lien laws heretofore
enacted; and.
Resolved, That we, being the class for
whose protection they were first introduced,
recognize their operation as Injurious to our
business, and wrong in principle, ana pledge
our efforts to the total repeal of said laws az
far as they relate to our calling; and,
Resolved. That all filial bodies be recon-
mended and urged to do their utmost to Sc
cure the above-desired action.