Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-12-15
JOBBERY CHARGED.
New OeVelopnentin in the Worlds
Fair Labor Trouble.
ALLEGED WHEELS WITHIN WHEELS.

Political and Business Combines Asserted
by the Trades Union Committee, and
Denied by the Party Accused-Conkey
mas something to Say-An Investiga-
ticn ordered-Proceedings of the FEEDER
ation-A Telegram Threatening Boy-
eott on the Fair-The Telegraph Strike
dynamite Proposed and RobustIy Re
jected.
. CHICAGO, Dec. 4-The labor representa-
tives in their protest to The Worlds fair
board of control yesterday against letting
the catalogue contracJ TO the Conkey COM
pany, made the following specific charges
OF fraud: ave can pruxe That Charles H.
Taney, proprietor of thsyWhealing wv. Va1
Register, paper of great political influence
In that state has block Of stock in this
catalogue publishing company;
that another politician from the same state
Is IN the deal, and that certain local wealthy
Worlds fair officials are also deeply ia the
job. This being the case, we can saIeIv
assert that an attempt has been made to
suppress competition for this contract in
order that certain officers of the fair might
reap pecuniary benefit, or satisfy t.l....1o
htical ambition"
'AlludinC at MIR. ST. Clair
The politician alluded to Is .f,..i's
Fair Commissioner w. D. st. l... Of
West Virginia, according to ss... hat
has been whispered around W..f..- lir
circles for some days. St Clair ,pYs oc-
cdsion last evening to vigorou>,y ..any
that any suspicion of improper motives
could attach 10 him in connection With .le
contract. In explanation Of his
with the proprietor Of the Reg
lister he said that paper had lora, .Iyhr
him politically and when he vas ap,ts. med
a Worlds fair commissioner cOntiu. its
to him to the extent t.at he
could not get the solid srlnppr- ~ ,he
West Virginia congressional detection
for the Worlds fair hill To oz.a.r1rle
this opposition 1T. Clair secured ta:. .,I.ey
the concession of printing the u, Ids
fair directory, an entirely different ,aing
from the catalogue. Shortly after the
granting of this concession Tauos came
here and effected All arrangement: " it.l he
Conkey company for both firms to h,udle
both works
taBS toNdfutN anu Bl ut.st.
St. Clair said he did not know hoy Con
KEY and TaHeN met or were introduced or
how the arrangement was effected. hrt lac
was positive that Couley bad iotEf.,.. 10
do with Taney's concession. nor I..urv
with Cunkey's. 1t was ai~l eai! rr-- -.
Clair had aspirations Tor the Unitcct states
senate am uppea tina; IN the event If the
ieath Of senator N-una. vino is Sga- erous-
- D. 90.
&c this end So the story went. :. Clair
desired the support OF The Register. and
it was necessary that Taney should be pla-
Gated. To this ir~iauaciou 81. Clair re-
piled as follows: Il would be brute to
be in the position of standing hv the he'd
SIDE waiting Tor the death of Il man WHO'S
aud always has been my friend. Thar part
Of the story Is = cuwa"ily, brutal ins uua-
lion against my honor
other Trades Union Objections.
The trades union protest further sets
forth that the petitioners represent many
thousands of taxpayers of Chicago. which
has invested 5000. .JOU in the
Worlds Columbian exposition. II claims
that no competition was allowed in this
particular case. and asserts that the
Columbian exposition is being used As a
"
tional Typothcte to pull their chestnuts
out Of the fire. The exposition was not
treated for any such purpose and we insist
hat It is not within the province of q cor
poratioB using the pegple'e money to lend
itself TO an association Of employers whoss
sole object 10 10 disrupt an organization of
smployes'
The Pith of the Protest
~. 80 81
Of the protest, the St Clair and other
matters being merely makeweights. Here
Is the chief complaint: 1t is urred that the
Conkey contract should not be made unless
the stipulations agreed to between the of
ficials and the labor men are oonformed.
The men, n is alleged, who got the fair for
Chicago gave pledges to the labor unions,
and it is urged that the promises be re-
deemed. The Conkey company employs
men, and the letting of the con
tract to him rs blow at the unions After
the protest was read there was good deal
Of talk, and it was suggested that the labor
committee go to the national commission
\ proposition that the committee seemed to
like.
viii Investigate the Matter
As the result of the talk it was finally de-
cided to appoint Q committee of three
citizens to publicly hear all complaints
growing out of the awarding of concessions
1t the fair and also resolved to demand the
Of any director on employe who
had hidden Or corrupt interest in such
contracts. The committee also declared
that it would annul any contract procured
BY fraud, bribery or corruption The COM
mittse appointed TO take testimony is COM
posed Of Edwin Walker, of the board of
directors; Judge Thomas A. Moran, and
Mark l. Crawford, Of the Trade and
Labor assembly.
cONkEY HAS SOMETHING TO SAY,
Pays Union Prices and Has Union Men in
His Employ Who Protest
There WAS another ceutlamap rvho 1. -,