The morning call., 1894-08-03
HOW 1T OPERATES.
Bissell's Great Scheme
Does 1t.
TAILORS' WAGES MENACED.
Sending Work Away Paralyzes
the Trade.
ANOTHER PROTEST TO BE MADE.
The Bond of Interest Between the
Postmaster General and the
Fechheimers Mystery.


Postmaster r-General Bissell and Fech
heimer Bros & Co. of Cincinnati? That
what is interesting the cothiers of Sar
francisco and the members of the Jour
neymen Tailors' Protective Association
Is it political, or is it commercial? Or il
there only prospect of fat to fryln com
ing campaigns?"
AT present it is cOnundrum. Ii the
| Journeymen tailors Of this city, however
take the action they now have under con-
sideralion il is more than likely that the
conundrum will be solved. 1t is also highly
probably that Postmaster -Gederal Bssell
may be the center of hornets nest Of in-
| quiry.
At the next meeting of the Journeymen
Tailors' Protective Association the pecu-
liar methods of the P0stmaster-Gen in
drumming orders for the firm of Fech-
heimer Bros. & Co. of Cincinnati will be
the subject of special investigation. When
The tallors of San Francisco first heard of
the matter they made vigorous protest.
petition calling the attention of the
Postmaster-General to the injustice of his
action was numerously signed and brought
to the attention of the Trades Council. 1t
pointed out that the custom of policy of
the POstOffice Department had always been
to foster local industry, and IN pursuance
thereof, the uniforms of carriers in every
city in the country had been made in the
locality where the carrier resided. The
Postmast ster-General was politely, but
p0inredly, told that his action in the case
of Fechheimer Bros. & Co. was a menace
to home industry.
That's as far as it got. The Postmaster
General paid not the slightest attention to
the protest. He went on in the even tenor
of his way, barking" in every city in the
country for business for Fechheimer
idea of making them bowling monopoly,
and he proposed and continued to use his
greatest effort in that direction.
What is the result? In San Francisco
it is patent to all. The clothing trade is
languishing With a few more Cabinet
officers Logging for business for a few
more Eastern houses there would not be
enough of the tailoring business In this
city even to languish. The result is that
the manufacturers are not getting the
work they did a year ago, and the natural
consequence is that they propose to reduce
the wages of their employees.
The first effort in this direction was
made known to the Journeymen Tailors'
Protective Association on Saturday last.
when the employees of Henry Mayer, 109
Sutter street, were Informed that they
would have TO submit to a reduction in the
scale of 10 per cent. A special meeting of
the union was held and 1t was decided
that the reduction could not be accepted.
Mr. Mayer was Informed of the decision
on Monday morning, and being unwilling
to pay the scale, tile men quit work.
They are still out
That is one direct result OF the peculiar
bond of interest which unites a Postmas-
ter General OF the United States and a
firm of clothiers in far away Cincinn att.
But it is not the only one. There are
others threatened even worse.
The members of the local Tailors' Union
have information that Mr.. Mayer is not the
only one who has thought it necessary to
ask for reduction of 10 per cent in the
scale. In fact, they know that last week
a petition was drawn up and circulated for
signatures among the fifteen firms in the
city employing union men, 1t ran that it
was the sense of the signers that. consid-
ering trade conditions, 1t was absolutely
necessary that the reduction of at least 10
per cent be granted. Several firms re-
fused to sign it. how many did sign it is
not known, but so far Mr.. Mayer Is the
only one who has made the demand.
Should it happen that the journeymeD
tailors of San Francisco be compelled to
accept reduction of 10 per cent in their
wages no one could blame them if they
openly denounced Postmaster General
Bissell as being one of the prime causes.
His efforts ON behalf of Fechheimer Bros.
& Co. of Cincinnati are certainly in line
with desire to kill local industry and to
foster Eastern monopoly. He has entered
the marts of trade and, with the prestige
of his Office. prostituted his privileges to
increase the income of one manufacturing
firm at the expense OF all others in the
country. The journeymen tailors of San
Fran cisco see it plainly and the local man.
ufacturing clothiers see it. And there are
none who can be found to blame them.
The Postmaster Of this city says he
thought at the time he received the Post
master-GeneraPs order In the matter that
it was remarkable thing. He thought
correctly. 1t was, but 1t was not half so
remarkable as the nature OF the bond
that exists between the firm of Fech-
heimer Bros. & Co. of Cincinnati and
the Postmaster-General. The ligament
connecting the famed Siamese twins was
nothing to it. Barnum's What-is-it is
not to be mentioned in the same breath.
1t would take several DR.. Parkhursts and
three or four Lexow committees rolled into
one to arrive at its correct status in the
world of political and commercial life.
and even it might fail.
The journeymen tailors Of this city will
probably start this investigation rolling at