Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-08-31
T He SILVER KNIGHT
Senator Stewart Resents Statements About
His Printers Wages.
He Declares That Alexandria Cannot
De Brought Into ting Washington
typographical Union.

Senator Stewart, the owner of the Silver
Knight, came to Washington today. and, in
talking with a Star reporter on the subject
OF the action Of Columbia Typographical
Union toward the printers employed by
him in Alexandria. Va, said:
THE facts are these: The Silver knight
purchased the National Waterman, which
had been doing its printing in Alexandria
for number of years, and / continued
publication of the combined paper in Alex
andria. as 1t had been done before. The
wages in Alexandria paid printers by the
two dailies in that city for days work
Is nine dollars per week, with pay for over
time. The scale has been uniform for a
number of years. The Silver knight, as
the Waterman had done before. has en-
ployed only union printers, and has paid
the union scale at that place, and there
never has been one word of complaint or
dissatisfaction from my printers at any
time since took control Of the Watch
man, but, on the contrary these printers
are very anxious that they should be let
alone and be permitted to earn their own
living, as they are now doing.
The Washington papers all use machines
for the setting of their type, and employ
very few compositors. / could save some
thing like SD per week II l did they do.
but in consideration of the fact that work
is SO scarce l refrained from buying ma
chimes to set the type for the sole ana only
reason tina; L wished to give employment
TO these men and allow them to earn their
living. for If l discharge them by buying
machines they VIII have nothing to do and
starvation might be their apportionment."
The Typographical Union Of Washing
ton city is very peculiarly surrounded.
Inc government printing Office here EN-
ploylng hundreds of people, is fat lob,
and by raising union rates in Washington
city the government Is MADE to pay very
large wages FOR the labor which IT receives
ana, II L am rightly informed. the wages
paid In Washington are about one half
larger than almost any other state in the
Union. Or course, these papers who use
machines. as they all do here. are not af-
fected by this because the machines SET
the type. The goldbug party, republican
and democratic goldbugs. have been very
anxious to harass the Silver knight in
every way possible in order to create pre-
JUDGE against 1t or against the cause ii
advocates.
This is all there is In this contention
against the Silver Knight. If the SilveI
Knight should be forced into the Washing.
ton Typographical Union, ii, in self-de
Tense, would have to buy a type-settinr
machine. which would not only not helI
the laboring men, but would be an absolut.
injury to some ten or twelve very worthy
printers. So far. the Typographical Unior
Of Washington as a body has been yer,
friendly toward the Silver knight. and ha.
done nothing to aid or abet the conspirac,
OF the goldbugS against it,
dispatch. the authenticity of which |.
doubtful, pretending to emanate from tn.
president of the International Union, say.
that Alexandria is going to be placed un
der the Washington union. This canno
be done without the consent and petition
of the printers who live in Alexandria, and
l doubt II there Is one printer In the Who'll,
city who would sign such petition. Tn.
printers at Alexandria have received com
pensation according to a scale of wage.
which was satisfactory to them, and fol
that reason they have refrained from es
tablishing union In that city, although tn.
editor OF the Silver Knight has advised
such course from the beginning.
Il gave this advice on account of the mis-
representation of the condition in Alex
andria. For all practical purposes the mer
have union. The Silver knight employ.
none but union men. but i am of the opin
ion that they ought to have a charter ant
proceed in the regular way, and that Alex
andria should not be placed under tn,
Jurisdiction of a foreign city any more thar
baltimore or New York: that the printers
OF Alexandra are perfectly competent 1,
govern their own affairs, and the Silver
Knight is, has been, and always will b,
perfectly willing to submit to any arrange
ment that the printers of Alexandria ma,
make"
1t is understood that the compositors @,
the Silver Knight will at once take tn,
necessary steps to secure charter for ;
union to be composed of union printer
working in Alexandria,