New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-05-16
NEW YORK MONDAY, MAY 49, 1s92-TWEIVE PAGES.
BEGINNING A BITTER FIGHT.
TIE STRUGGLE OF THE GRANITE MEN
OPENED.

The great conflict between capital and LABOR In
tic granite industry which has been thfea'e"e'
for several weeks has begun in earnest. Inc granite
quarrics Of New-England are closed IN accofu'hce
with the recent decision OF the Granite Mahuiacour
eIs Association Of New-England to stop Work III
all branches Of the industry until the granite
cutters. paving cutters and other workmen acce"e
to the demands of the association.
When the hour came on Saturday TO stop work
in the auarries every man was told that the quar'e'
would he closed for an indefinite period. the fng'h
of which would depend entirely upon the staylh9
mowers Of the uniors and the association. The
number of men who began an enforced term oi
idlcness WAS almost 10000. OF these. l2.OOo be-
long 10 thc Granite Cutters National Union, ana
the others are paving cutters. quarrymen. BANKER
men, bhcksmths, tool-sbarpencrs etc. Iockou's
occurred at the following places: Red stone.
Concord. Fitzwillam, Nashua and swansea New
JJompshirc: Barre East Barre. Bratneboro. Mont
pelier. Mortified and Wiamstown, vermont :
Boston, Quincy. East Quincy. West Quincy ""i-
ccster Taunton, Chester Springfield, cape Ann.
Lawrence. Monson, Salem, Lynn. and New-be''oi l.
Mass: North Crumsford. Westerly. Providence ana
po,ytucket. r. l.: New-London. Milestone
Pond Stony Creek, Milford, Oneco.
Waterbury. New-IIaven, Bridgeport. Merden ana
Mine Hill, Conn; Portland, South lhomson'
Round Pond, vinal Haven, Hurricane islahu'
Friendship. Mount Waldo, Rockport, Long ooVe'
Spruce Head. West Sullivan, Bangor and Augusta
Maine.
In this city yesterday, there was greater actlvly
ouopo the labor ORGANIZATIONS than has been seen
bcforr in II long time. The members OF all the
building trade organizations seemed to realize that
they were about TO take part in one OF the most
bitterly fought battles into which they have ever
been forced At the headquarters OF the National
Paving Cutters Union. No. 22G East T'hirty-ninth-
St. James Grant. the National secretary. was in
charge Of affairs. Mr. Grant said
The Granite Manufacturers Association OF
New England held special meeting Yesterday
morninq in the Quincy IIousr in Boston - take
final action on the question ordering the loek-
out. The fact that they locked out %, 600 men
shows what their decision was. From trust
worthy source, In fact indirectly from the aSso-
citation it.clf, have learned that the
meeting was the stormic>t the asSo-
citation ever held. The members OF the
association were far from unanimous on the 1ueS-
ton OF ordering the lockout. Several m,mhers
were anxious TO leave the association, but they
were forced to Obey the orders of the more power
in members who have announced tha' II d Their
Intention TO kill the unions or cripple them 50
badly that they will have no influence Inc
effects Of this lockout will be felt to-day IN
hundreds Of cit.cs and thousands Of Villages and
small towns throughout the United States ana
Canada. IL shonld lie distinctly understood tht
We are not opposed 10 an association of grant"
manufacturers as such. In fact, think was 'lc
first person 10 propose the organization oi sucu
AN association. An association OF that kind ran he
OF great usc, for through Il, conferences can dc
lad between the employers aud employees, thus
opI lurk which
caus, much suffering. Tie Granite Manufacturers
Association, however. has never attempted TO avoid
trouble. For the greater part OF the year II does
rot exist except paper. Its members meet
carly In the year and fN the scale oil wages ana
hours. and then ticy fcht among themselvcS cut
ting prices until competition drives the price oi
Granite down, very often to n rldlcniouay low
ngurc Then when tie time comes 10 H. ume work
the members meet IN perfect harmony again Tor
lew DAYS for tie purpose Of inducing the workinen
tc acccp, lower wages and work more hours, giving
as an excuse the low prices obtained for granit'
The associntion il Simply campaign Organization
TO lower WAGES and increase the hours of WORK.
The locked ont granite cutters, paving cutters,
etc, are member, of the American Federation OF
Labor the Knichts of Labor. and Of the
men belong to open unions, one Of which with
new from the American Federation of Labor two
such manner among organizatiors that are rivals
has lrd the quarry owners to believe that there
would lc 4 lack of harmony among the men, and
hat tic lockout would accomplish the very pur-
pose which is intendcd-thc absolute control Of
ihc various unions by the Granite Manu-
fIctur,r, Association OF New gland. The
action Of the executive councils OF the American
Federation of Labor, the Knights Of Labor, the
open unions" the Central Labor Union and the
Board Of Walking Delegates Of this city, as we'll
as tic Building Trades Councils Of Is ston, Balti-
more, Philadelphia, Chicago, Pitsbnrg and other
large cities, has almost completely demolished this
belief The Board of Walking Delegates Of the
building trades Of this city has unanimously or
dcrcd the eccentric eng .nccrs and the dcrrickmcn
TO refuse 10 work on any builing where stone
from the quarrics of the association is used.
William j. O'irien, the delegate from the New
York Brnnch Of tie Granite cutters National
Union. was at the weekly meeting Of the latter
organization yest .rday afternoon in Clarendon
Hail. No. lOi East ihriccnthst. Mr. O'Brcn
has reputation as an organizer and
iishtcr IL o,,.od was he VINO exposed , ,iI thr
of the broadway pavement. Speaking OF the lock-
out, Mr. O,ricn said:
The granite cutters have been Obliged 70 lay
down their tools They will nat iaisc them up
again until they have won the fight. IL the
Granie Manufacturers Association OF New Eng
land should open It's qnarrics tomorrow and ask
back. TER Granite Cutters Union is not on the
defensive il is on tho offensive. The lockout
may last for months, but the men will not return
to work when asked 20 unless their demands
for yearly agreement to be signed MAY |
granted without conditions"
The principal granite manufacturing firms in this
city John Icircc Booth Brothers and Hurricane
Isle Granite Company, lNorcross Brothers AMI
Brown a Mc\llister. All the men employed IN
the yards Of the three firms mentioned first have
struck, and every man employed in the yards of
lrown 4. McAllIs'cr, in Iouriccnth-st., between
Ninth and Tenth avc>, will strike th, mornn-.
An important strike, affecting seriously the work
OF the Dock Department., viii bc or'lcrc! today
the work being done by John Peircc and the
CJp' Ann Granite Company. The only contractor
in the city wh0sc work will not he affected is
Matthew Eaird, who buys his granite from \. H.
Taylor, of Swans Island Nc
Many granite cutters believe that the lockout
in Ncw-England will I've Of short duration. The
reason for their lelief, they say, il the fact that
several capitalists of this city and Boston
about TO open new quarres in New-Eny
land while others have already gone to