St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-04-20
THE BLUFF CALLED.
Organized Labor Has No Intention
Of Being Led into Politics by
the Nose.
The Mass Meeting Repudiates
Such Methods and Opposes
Complete Ticket


Complete Ticket
The small handful OF men who have
been trying To control the labor vote OF
the city at the impending election made
their last bluff at Labor hall last night.
The bluff has been called by the labor
ing men themselves in a kind but firm
way. When the buffers saw that they
had made mistake in drawing the
trades and labor assembly into
tight place by inducing that
body TO nominate four candidates
for alderman at large they began to de-
wise means to snirk the responsibility
OF their action. and to escape the re-
buke that they saw coming with over
whelmIng force. Immediately after
the action Of the trades assembly, ten
days ago. large following of the or
ganiZed labOrers denounced tho effort
to bring politics into their organization.
The trades assembly delegates were
charged with bad faith in gong into
politics within two months after that
body refused TO admit delegates who
hold Office. An appeal to the forty
two organizations sending dele
gates to the trades assembly resulted in
a very large majority of the Organiza-
lions approving the action OF the trades
assembly at that time III passing a reS0-
luton keeping OtficehOlderS out OF that
body. TINS action has been made to re-
coil upon the assembly with consider
able force.
The men responsible for the present
tot ~ off al hf "a
into which they had precipitated the as
scmbIy. sought to extricate thems elves
from the dilemma by calling mass
meeting to take the matter Off the
hands OF the assembly. This latter ac-
ton has resulted in worse cOnfus-
ion OF the strikers. Two mass meetings
have been called which have proven
absolute failures. At neither of
them nave there been nearly as
many present as attended the meeting
OF the trades assembly at which the
candidates were put up. The great
mass of delegates who oppose the move
have not attended these meetings.
Among those who did attend there has
been decided lack of harmony. Last
nights meeting at Labor hall clearly
demonstrated that there are only few
who favor dragging politics into organ
l.
expressions Of diSaDproyai at Saturday
nights meeting there was pronounced
opposition at last nights meeting,
The buffers overreached themselves
last night when they proposed putting
a full city ticket in the field. In the in
terest of harmony it was agreed that
the committee OF ten should proceed
with the original design to ask the in
dorsement of the four labor candidates
for the assembly by the Thursday con-
ventious, otherwise to take steps to run
them on an independent ticket.
A motion was made to indorse Nj. j.
DAILY, of the divorce party, as labor
candidate, but meeting with decided
opposition, because OF other selections
having been made it was withdrawn.
Delegates Fitzgerald, Donovan and
one or two others who are. known to
strongly oppose the action of the as
sembly declined to participate in the
discussion laSs night, although urged
and bantered to do SO. The discussion
was quite warm and personal at times.
j. Ii. Burns urged freight handler
present to explain the reason of his
unions condemnation OF the nomination
of the candidates. After some urging
the young man referred TO stated that
his organization repudlated the action OF
the trades assembly on the ground OF
wanting to keep out of politics. He said
it had been represented that forty-two
organizations III the city had declared
in favor of putting up candidates, but
he wanted IL understood that as one of
| those organizations the freight handlers
| oppose the movement and support the
| executive board of the *. OF l.. in repu
dating the move.
Sam Rasmussen made fiery speech,in
which he said that while the X. of l..
| does not oppose the men named OH their
merits, vet the method of naming them is
repudiated. He said that for the past sew
ell years few men had been putting up
| labor men for trading purposes, and the
| some persons are at the old trick. lie
doubted their honesty at this time. lie
| favored putting up labor men in the
right way and not by men who attempt
| to peddle votes. lie was interrupted by
| cries Of Name the men," He insisted
vehemently that the method was wrong
and on opposing the move. He said il
is not so much the men put Up, but the
| men who put them up that caused the
| opposition. j. II. Burns followed with
| caustic speech in which he wanted the
| men referred to named. He said that
| he had charged Evans with being
1 II,
| be present at the meeting and answer
| the charge. Moreover, he had fortified
! himself with affidavits to prove MS
| charge. He concluded his speech with
! motion to put full labor ticket in the
! field.
| z. C. Ives said the motion contem-
plated going into politics, and advised
! against such proceeding.
| Delegate Douglass, of the painters
union, and Otto Johnson, of the tailors'
union, also opposed putting up labor
| ticket, as did several others.
! Matthias VanZ, of the tailors' union,
said that if the labor organizations OPP
| pose nominating four men for council so
strongly, how can it be expected that
they will support full ticket?
| J. d. Coughlin amended the motion
| to the effect that the four assemblymen
alone be nominated. This motion en-
bodied a suggestion by Mr.. Ives that
| original instructions to present the
names to the conventions of the old par
| ties for action. and in case they are not
nominated. to run them independently.
| A yiYe yoce vote, rising vote and an
aye and no vote was taken on the
| amendment before the buffers were
satisfied that they were de-
| cided minority in crowd of
their own selection. 1t was q
announced that only fourteen favored
| putting labor ticket in the field. while
| twenty-five opposed such action. and
several who are known to repudiate the
whole proceeding refused to vote. A
! further effort to induce an unanimous
| expression of opinion in favor of NOM
| mating the four candidates for the as
| sembly failed to secure the cooperation
of all present. The convention ad-
| journed finally, to meet at the call of
| the committee in case the men shall not
i