The morning times., 1896-07-19

There was good deal of surprise ex-
pressed yesterday at tie nature or tie reply
made by the Silver Knight TO the allega-
ton thar the management OF that paLer
allowed its compositor employees only about
half the pay received by union printers.
the card rates being about So day. Tie
Silver knight rate is 81 20 u day, The day
being nine hours long.
Printers of Alexandria called tie attcn-
tioDof The TIMES to ltcdsciepancy tetween
the wages paid to union men there and In
other cities, and they commented on the
condition as Il hardship and an imposition
because it was always understood That tie
Silver Knight represented not only Senator
Stewart but the vast amounts of coined
and uncoin ed silver OF the West.
They frankly said that on other papers
in Alexandria it was perhaps not possible
to pay higher wages to compositors than 50
a week, tut THAI they thought that where
there was SO much money Lehind a concern
as the Silver Knight an effort should have
been made there TO give the men better
wages.
QUESTION OF PRINCIPLE.
1t was not a question as to how much
money oompositors would get after the
election, but as to now much fair wages
many millionaireS i'll interest in the Silver
Knight could afford to pay. There is.
perhaps, not compoSitor on the Silver
Kn,hgt who does not know the ability OF
all concerned in the proprietorship to run
the publication on union taSis OF Fay
The printers, generally, AS stated, are
not satisfied with the reply to the Complaint
from Alexandria, which was made by the
associate editor OF the Silver Knight, pub
lshed yesterday in The Evening Times.
h..n Ian.. - t,af .-Vr rs...N
in The Morning Times of the day before
were all admitted: in fact they had already
been reported to the Typographical Union.
. THIS member of the union, who works
in the Government Printing Office. said
that it was probable that the matter would
come up at the meeting or the Columbia
Typographical Union 10 be held today. He
was asked what was the status OF IL
before tho union.
UNION TAKES 1T UP.
1t was. lie said, discussed some time
ago, but for reasons which he could not
give the question had been dropped when
it had reached the point OF sending the
organizer TO Alexandria TO form a union.
not merely OF the printers on the Silver
Knight, but on all the other newspapers.
II is not unlikely that this intention
VIII lie carried out If the union takes hold
URGES IL IOTwaEu. III WIS even HOW
within the power OF the union, he said.
10 call off the printers in the office of
the Silver Knight, because they were
members of the union and In good standing.
Another compostor said that the answer
OF the associate editor OF the Silver knight
revealed the fact that there WAS money
enough III it TO spend $4,000 in excess
Of the receipts, and it occurred to him
as strange that none OF this had been used
sgive the compositors pay better than
less than nne-half of the compensation for
similar work in Washington.
Another printer said that while the
Silver Knight was getting the benefit Of
the current wages in Alexandria 1t was
not fair To print the paper with a WASH
ington. ID. c.. date line. The question now
appears to have passed from one OF mere
between the compostors on
the Silver knight and its management to
a question OF what the Columbia Typo
graphical Union can do in the premises.