St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-04-11
The Journeymen Stoneeutters
Make a Warm Reply to
Their Employers.
It Is Alleged That Working.
men Have Been Deprived
Of Their Rights.
The Position Of the Cut Stone
Employees Set Forth at
Some Length.
The Troubles Of an Attorney
to Secure Payment Of
His Fees.

The trouble now existing between
the cut stone contractors and the men,
bers of the Journeymen StonecutterS'
Association of North America is very
far from being settled, as indicated by
the following communication addressed
to the Globe:
In yesterday evenings st. Paul pa
pers appeared a communication which
contained code of rules formulated by
a combination of cut stone bosses, here
tofore denominated the Missouri Valley
Cut Stone and Quarrymens' association,
but now. we are informed, a branch of
the National Builders association. The
constitution and bylaws of the Mis-.
souri, Valley bosses society received
careful consideration and inspection at
the recent convention of the National
Builders association held in this city.
and the same received severe criticism
Oh account of the un-American tyranni-
cal articles called laws contained therein
The general public may not be aware Of
the cold fact thai the Missouri Valley
CutStone and Quarrymens' association
was, and is yet, il the corrupt organiZa-
ton exists, eX-officio, the most dangerous
trust ever formed to rob a free people
and deprive American workingmen
from enjoying the right which belongs
to them.
Last summer when $50 stonecutters
laid down their tools and refused to sub
NIT to slavish rdles and accept a reduc-
ton of wages from the amount which
the bosses agreed to pay, there was
more than a few journeymen stone
cutters working for these bosses who,
in any line of the cut stone business were
the peers of their employers. Several
of our boys decided to go contracting
and our union agreed to back them up
with money and get them bonds until
they got fairly started and were able to
pull through for themselves. But here
was the impeachment i'll the way to pre-
vent them from becoming honest en-
ployerS. The st. Paul cut stone bosses
have corner on Red Portage entry
sandstone, and it was out of this quality
of stone that our men had got a few
contracts, that they were forced to re-
sign for the Specinc reason that those
quarrymen, whom the bosses control,
will not sell a foot of stone to any one,
be he the builder Of his own house or
some other mans house, unless said
party is a member in good standing of
the corrupt and ungodly house of trust !.
For the information of any one who is
curious enough to know the truth, the
stonecutterS' union can submit evidence
that will prove that there is not a
unanimity of sentiment or agreement
among all the bosses whose names were
attached to the manifesto, in regard to
the present manner of conducting the
cut stone business of this city. 1t is
only question of time when an aSSO-
citation conducted on the principles (D
which now govern the st. Paul cut
stone contractors shall he eXtinguished
and meet the fate of its predecessors.
A few remarks about the progress of
cut stone work during the year of 1889,
and as carried on under the apreSent
system of non-unioniSm, are as fol-
lows: In an interview with
Mr.. B,cker. president of the GerDania
bank, published in st. Paul paper, he
stated that Lauer Bros. had the con-
tract for the cut stone work and setting
on the Germania bank and that they
could not control Lauer Bros, and on
that account the bank lost $4,000 be-
cause Lauer Bros. delayed work and
were not able to finish their contract on
time. This is only one of the many in
stances that the Stoneeutters' union can
call attention to to show that the state
ments made by the cut stone contract
ors in regard to the satisfactory man
ner in which they claim they per-
formed their contracts is entirely lack
ing in Veracity: and the history OF the
cut stone contract on the Germanla
bank building will probably repeat it.
self On several large buildings under
contract ut present.
1t is not hard for any person who is a
Judge of cut stone work, to discern the
difference in the class of workmanship
between the work done on the Ger
| mania bank and that done by union men
on the New York Life Insurance build
ing, Oh the st. Paul GLOBE and Pioneer
Press buildings, Oh James HIPS fine
residence, and on many other firSt-class
structures in which the stone work was
cut and set by union men. For the
benefit of those who contemplate the
erection of large buildings in the near
future, we union stonecutters invite
you to inspect the workmanship
on those buildings and see
for yourselves whether it is
not more profitable to employ union
men in preference to non-uniOn men,
1t is an undisputed fact that the most
successful contractors and builders
throughout the United States are those
who employ strictly union men. The
game of bluff that is being put forth by
the cut stone bosses of st. Paul will not
have the demoraliZing effect they pre-
sumo it will have; old and experienced
veterans in the cause of labor know too
well that that sort of braggadocia is
nothing but nonsense.
Now with regard to the number of
stonecutters (?) the st. Paul bosses had
| at work to do last seasons work. Mi.
| BickeFS statement e0nclusively proves
hot my Iod nf mfr
| as they were. non-uniOniStS and incom-
| petents, to perform their work; and an
examination of the work that those men
| turned out proves that the bosses were
unable to get firSt-claSS skilled me-
chancS to do their work. About $50
| union men were employed in the stone
| wards previous to the existence OF the
| present trouble, and at no time after the
| strike took effect did the bosses have
| over eighty or ninety cutters at work !,
| and at present they are in sore need OF
| good men. though they try to make it
| appear differently. One of the largest
| contractors in the city, who has consid-
cradle work on hand, has not one cutter
| at work yet. The difficulties with
which the bosses had to contend
last season are Increased during the
| present season, and will be multiplied
considerably more until justice is rec
ognized. The Granite Cutters National
union has come to the assistance of the
Journeymen Freestone Cutters Ma
| tionaI union, and united they will stand.
! Loyalty supporting one another until the
principles of trades unionism are rec
ogniZed by the st. Paul cut stone
| bosses, and every mans authority in
| his union affairs tolerated in their
shops.
By THE COMMITTEE, SToNEcUTTERS'
UNION.