The morning call., 1892-06-11
CAPITAL And LABOR.
Official Investigation COMMENCED
Yesterday.
Representatives, Of the Employers Associs-
ton and the Federated Trades Give
Their Testimony


the investigation Into the constitution and
organization of the Board of Manufacturers
and Employers Of California and the Fed
Grated Trades. AS the employment OF
professional lawyers had been vetoed on
either side. NJ. McGlynn appeared as the
advocate for the Federated Trades and
George c. Williams, assistant secretary OF
the Employers Association. for that insti-
tn ution.
very sweeping circular, issued by the
Employers Association denouncing boy
colts. walking delegates and methods
adopted by labor unions in general. seems
to have brought matters to crisis, and
has resulted in the institution Of the
investigation which commenced yester-
day. The first witness placed on the
stand was S. NckeSburg of the firm of
Calm. Nickelsburg & Co.. who was called
TO prove how and for what purpose the En-
plOyeTS Association was constituted. lie
testified that 1t had been organized for the
protection of the employers against the
attacks Of uniOniZed labor. He conceded
the rights OF the labOrlng men 10 organize,
but deprecated their methods of attack on
the employers, esp eclally the system of boy
cOtting adopted. His crOss-examinatiOn by
McGlynn did not seem to elicit anything
very startling and nothing whatever as TO
the organization of the Employers AsS0cia-
tion which was not contained in It's c0nsti-
tuition and bylaws.
When Director Oscar Lewis was sworn 1t
became evident that he intended to express
his opinions on the questions at Issue in his
well-known concise, comprehensive and sarI
castle style In direct examination by Mr..
Williams he explained the objects OF the
association.
no OFFICIAL BLACKLIST
cfo ~ - l. I l.
Neither to his knowledge was any one en-
plOyer solicited to discharge his employees
By reason of their being guilty Of any con-
duet Of which the association did not ap-
prove. Then McG!ynn took Director Lewis
in hand. He admitted that tile press were
not allowed to be present at the meetings
of the board as a general rule. If
a firm, a nOn-member of the ass0-
citation, had trouble with its employees
IL was not solicited to join in order that the
association might be enabled TO help the
firm to fight the malc0ntents. Williams in
terrupted the cTOss-examnaticn several
times on the prompting OF Attorney Heller,
whose presence was objected TO by Me
Gynn, but Heller declared lie was a men,
Der, and after lot of clubbing as TO
prompting on either side the matter dropped
for the time
Lewis denied that he knew that the asso-
citation had written a letter to j. j. O'Bren
asking him TO discharge five of his clerks,
because they had assisted in the boy
cott against Curtin & Company. He
said TO have been sent and tnall
Williams admitted he had written and
sent tie originals by the authority of the
board. Lewis denied that he was present
at the meeting when the resolutions were
carried, nor did he know II similar letter
had been sent to Philip Kennedy Il Co
More pickering now arose between Nc
Giynn and Heller, and the latter asked that
the attorney be ordered to state on oath
whether he was member of the Employers
Association. he swOTe that he had joined
a few days ago. that he was an attorney
employing one clerk and the president of a
corporation which had a number Of en-
ployes, and therefore entitled 10 belong to
the association.
HELLEB'S EXPLANATION.
His explanation caused considerable
amusement TO the trades union delegates
who were present, but it was accepted and
the eLOss-eXaminatiOn Of Director Lewis
resumed.
Asked if the association agitated these
principles Lewis said: mo, but if badly
hurt they will do SO. / approve of any |
means of stopping these b0ycOtts, and OBJ |
ject to The men who are paid labor agitators, |
who do not work, but foment strikes ana |
agitate opinions not held by the laborers /
themselves"
Can you name such man, Mr.. Lewis?" |
asked McGynn.
Yes. l can, SIR" was the reply, right In |
this room. / am looking one in the face
now; Mr.. Thurman | mean" McGlynn |
pressed him for another name. Valentine
of the molders was named Lewis further
thought that the labor agitatOns were in
cited by the foreign ard not the American
element He wondered why the labor
papers were generally printed in German, |
ard with regard TO Valentines remunera-
tion he believed the amount he received was |
correct as stated in the paper. although the !
same was published by the labor unions.
George c. Williams was then examined, |
and stated that lie got his knowledge OF |
who the labor agitatOTs were, and how they |
were paid by having been a reporter on a |
daily newspaper where he was often as /
signed the labor detail. McGlynn, although |
the hour was getting iate, placed Alfred |
Fuhrman on the stand to explain the cOnst- !
tuition of the Federated Trades. He said |
that the press we're admitted to these meet |
ings; they had nothing TO conceal If the /
employers had. He enumerated several |
laws beneficial to tie labor world that the |
unions had pushed through the Legislature, !
and denied that uDiouism was a disadvantage |
to the laboring classes. At the close of |
Fuhrman's testimony the investigation ad- |
iOurned until 80 o'clock to-day.