, 1891-06-09
me UuoNs Anu me fAIs,

why the Directors WIN Not Recognize
Organized Labor on the Work.
For months the labor unions of Chi
cago have been endeavoring to get the
directors of the Columbian exposition to
make an agreement which will insure
the payment Of union wages on the con
struction Of the big show buildings. The
unions have asked that a clause be in
serted in each contract calling for the
paying of a minimum rate of wages, the
minimum to be the union scale. At this
writing the directors are standing out
against the proposal, and organized
workmen in Chicago and elsewhere are
threatening the Worlds fair with a boy
colt if their requests are not granted. In
q recent report upon the subject, which
report was adopted by the directory, a
subcommittee to which the question
was referred said:
In reference 70 Incorporating in agreements
with contractors a minimum scale OF wages,
your unit desires to state that It has
given careful attention to the arguments,
printed and oral, submitted by the representa-
tives OF the labor organizations, and much con-
sideration 10 the reasons presented why a min
imum scale should form a part of said agree
ments, but 50 far the reasons and arguments
presented have not been sufficiently oonciu-
sive TO convince your committee that so i'm
portant a departure from established usage
should be made by the Columbian Exposition
company. Your COMMITTEES Is unable at this
time TO SEQ how far reaching the effects Of such
a policy might be, nor is 1t at this time pre-
pared to say what bearing It would have, II
adopted, upon the enterprise for which you are
responsible.
In commenting upon the subject the
Chicago Tribune said:
officers, elected by the voters and spending tho
money Of the taxpayers. II they were the
unions might make their demands on them as
office seeking politicians. be they reasonable
or unreasonable, with some show OF success.
For office holders living on their salaries and
dependent on votes for their places will con-
cedo almost anything in regard to other peo-
pies money at their control rather than have
a fuss with men who can cast ballots. The
Worlds fair directors, however, are acting as
trustees for the money OF others, and TO a large
extent handling the funds they have contrib
uted personally. They are private, not public,
employers OF labor, and should not be ad-
dressed as II they were vote seeking politicians.
No man has any pull" on them because he is
a voter who may plump" against them. These
directors wish TO get the most they can for
their money-the most labor, raw materials
and transportation. The more they can do
with their funds the greater and the more at
t~ractive will the exposition be. The less a
building costs them the finer that building can
De made. They occupy the same position as
all private employers OF labor.
The Tribune also discusses the threat
ened boycott, and of course declares that
such a threat is absurd, and that its car
rying out would be an outrage. The
reasons which The Tribune advances to
prove that the unions should not make
the claims they have contain the argu-
ments in favor of the claims. The con-
tractors are the men to whom the labor
ers will look for their wages. When the
work begins the deal will be between
employers and employees. As The Trib-
une says, it is not a public matter, but a
private affair. In other words, the con-
struction of the Worlds fair buildings
will be just the same as the construction
of a dwelling, business house or church,
and it is to be hoped that the working
men will not permit any false ideas of
patriotism to interfere with the exercise
of all their powers to compel the pay
ment of fair wages on the work.
The contractors who will put up the
buildings for the big show are members
Of the bosses organizations of their re-
spective trades; it is a declared object of
these organizations to combat the efforts
OF the trades uniocS at regulating wages
and conditions of employment, and the
unions not only nave the right, but it is
in perfect line with their duty and OBJ
jects to use all fair means to compel the
contractors to pay union wages. If the
labor organizations can clinch the mat
ter by having the clause they present in
serted by the directors in the contracts,
it is their perfect right to do so. If they
have to threaten a boycott of the fair to
carry their point they are justified in it;
and If their demand is not acceded to
the boycott should be put on and sup
ported by every friend of labor in the
country.
AS The Tribune has said, it is not n
public business. The Worlds fair is in
tended as a big show in the interest of
the people who have something besides
labor to sell, and the profits accruing
from the show itself are to go into the
pockets of private individuals. There
fore there is no duty to country, state or
city in it, and the funds Contributed"
are expected to yield comfortable divi-
dends.
O~ficeholders, politicians and ballots
have nothing to do with the case, and
The Tribune cannot befuddle any one by
such references.
Jos. r. BUCHANAN.