The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1892-08-18
LABOR QUESTIONS.
Meeting of the Board of Manufacturers
and Employers.
President Davis Discusses the Best
Means of Preventing Industrial
Disturbances.
Tsan francisco Bulletin, August 1eth.l

ofIrade rooms IN Union block this after
noon.
The occasion was the first annual meet
ing of the Board of Manufacturers aud
Employers Of CALIFORNIAN organization
formed year ago for the avowed pur
pose of protecting the interests of en-
ployers in dealing with various labor
unions. 1--WE have no wish to interfere"
says the adopted declaration of the boards
principles, with the indisputable right
of labor to organize, but believe that the
organization and the federation of labor
compel the organization and federation of
employers of labor, to the end that
neither party shall tempt the other to
overstep the bounds of right, reason and
JUSTICE
The meeting was not open to every one.
Every man there was either member or
tavorably known to some member. Pres
1dent Henry l.. Davis of the California
Wire Works presided, with Al Rollins
of the Filmer- Rollins Printing Company
Secretary, and George c.. Williams, as
sistant.
ADDRESS OF PRESIDENT II. I. DAVIS.
President Davis. in his annual address,
reviewed the years work of the board,
and outlined the future policy of the di-
rectors. He said:
My message to you to-day is one of
congratulatjon and Of incentive. / con-
graduate you upon what this organiza
tlon has done in the past; / desire to point
out what 1t may do IN the future.
I'VE are just one year old. Within the
brief period of our existence the attitude
OF the community toward the trades un-
IONS has been almost, If not entirely re-
Versed. one year ago the boycott was more
dreaded than the most destructive COM
petition from without, and nearly every
industry was virtually doing business by
permission of the Council Of Federated
Trades. To-day it is, perhaps, not too
much TO say that not a business man in
san Francisco has the least fear Of the
boycott, and that capital, at one time in
panic from the power of unions, has now
wholly lost It's fears. Since employers
have learned to combine the unions have
lost the planing-mill strike, the great
iron strike, the shoe strike, the box
makers boycott, the brewers struggle,
the Iongshoremen'S strike, the A6eRd
Post, the Peter Lynch and the Curtin
and Maze boycotts; the Sailors Union
has been excluded from many vessels
and the Coopers' Union is now engaged
IN strike, which it is practically certain
TO lose. This unbroken record OF dis
aster has tanned the arrogance of the
Federated Trades, and business has, at
the present moment, to some extent at
peace.
INDUSTRIAL DISTURBANCES IMMINENT.
1.-The signs of the times, however, point
to the near approach of a period OF great
Industrial disturbances. The widespread
growth among the unions of the until re-
Gently uneXpressed belief that union men
working IN an industry possess vested
interest in the plant,is an element of dam
ger 10 which we cannot afford to shut our
eyes. Directly contrary as this doctrine
is TO the Constitution of the United States
and of every State therein as we'll as to
all the laws, its widespread and suddenly
open PRONUNCIATION is liable to produce a
crisis that may require the utmost firm
ness and the utmost wisdom to meet. Let
Us begin the work now of placing our
selves in readiness for whatever NAV
happen in the future.
lone of the most necessary means to
that end is the arousal of feeling of COM
mon interest among employers. For that
purpose l recommend that in the future
we have more frequent meetings. Moth
ing so promotes a community OF interests
as rubbing of elbows and frequent in
terchanglng OF views. In the past there
has been disinclination on the part OF
some OF our members to let their connec-
ton with this association be known; but
now that the boycott has lost its terrors
we can all afford to give each other the
strength of an open support.
4 recommend that the dues of this as
soclauon be placed at - per quarter. In
reducing the cues from 81 30 to So per
quarter the directors sought to discover
on how small revenue this association
could be run. Experience has shown
that 50 per quarteri is not enough. 1t leaves
too dangerously small margin over the
ordinary running expenses. Fixed at
So per quarter, the dues would still be
light.
MORE MEMBERS DESIRED.
This organization should be extended
TO the widest possible limit. We already
have as members all but very few OF the
firms in the city, outside the building
trades. who are extensive employers Of
labor, and under the new constitutional
amendment to be submitted to you to-
day, we may expect to bring in practi-
cally all Of the building trades but the
organization should be extended further
yet. Every employer, every business
man, and every taxpayer should, If pos
Slble, be brought within its folds. This
cannot be done except by the active CO.
operation of all the members A list of
The membership has been provided If
any OF you have friend in business
whose name is not on the list seek at
once to induce that friend to join. Under
the provisions OF this same constitutional
amendment it is hoped TO extend the or
ganlzatlon TO ali parts Of the State But
II should not stop even at that. There is
40 reason why an organization of en-
ployers should not extend over the whole
of the United States, so that if in the flu
ture, organized labor forgets itself, forgets
reason and Iorsets the law, il may be met
by a power for order as great as its power
tor disruption, and the peace and pros
perity OF the nation be effectualIy pre-
served.
STRIKE OF THE COoPERS.
"The newest difficulty with which this
association has to deal is the coopers'
strike. The Manufacturing Coopers,
Association, which is a sub-organization
of this one. adopted new wage scale and
a new set OF shop rules. The Coopers'
Union thereupon ordered the men out on
strike. The difference between the scale
adopted by the employers and that here
tofore received from the union is very
slight. The contest is not in reality over
this difference. 1t is simply another
phase Of the old question as to whether
the employer or the union shall run the
business. The coopers' fight Is not diff
ficult one TO win. 1T appears that San.
Francisco is about the only place in the
United STATES where cooperage is still
made by hand instead OF by machinery.
When the places of the strikers shall
have been supplied by machines the
unions VIII have had another object-,es-
son as to the folly Of strikes.
. again cali your attention TO the bow
colts upon the 4 bend Post, the bakery of
Westerfeld and the horseshoeiug shop of
Peter Lynch. strongly urge you to
throw all the business it is possible to
throw in the way OF these concerns. We
should still continue to demonstrate, be-
yond all doubt, that a boycott brings
more business than it takes away, and
that as long as the boycott remains this
increase of business will remain This