The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1896-06-17
TWIN CITY PRESS TRUST.

TWIN CITY PRESS TRUST.
The six gold organs of Minneapolis and
st. Paul-the Minneapolis Tribune Times
and Journal and the ST. Paul Pioneer Press,
Globe and D.spatch-have had since 1892
a close organization on the trust plan.
They call themselves the Dual City Pub
fishers association They have presi-
dent, Frederick Driscoll, of the Pioneer
Press, and a secretary, George Thompson,
Of the st. Paul Dispatch. There are also
other officers and an executive board. The
combination is held together by forfeit
sum of $1,000. This sum is forfeited in
case the guilty member of the trust does
rot carry out the orders of the majority, or
in any way violates the pledges of the
combination. The purposes of the trust are
to prevent competition in the matter of
public printing advertising, and in the var
ious lines of work which daily newspapers
do, and particularly to strengthen them
against the organization of the printers.
One of the results of this newspaper trust
is that the members never bid against each
other in the matter of public printing,
and another is that they have directed
their efforts for several years past to I'M
dermining the typographical union and re-
ducing wages.
For ten days past these trust organs have
been without skilled help in the typesett.ng
department, as result of the coercive at
tempts of the publishers to reduce wages
and lengthen the hours of the printers
This result eliminated on the evening Of
June 6, as the sequel of a campaign be-.
gun on the typographical union by the
trust on the first Sunday Of February last
and still on. The publishers declared re-
duction of II to Is per cent in wages and an
increase of about 25 per cent in time, along
with other oppressive conditions. During
the negotiations pending from February to
June the printers offered at several times
to arbitrate differences, but the publishers
combine refused to arbitrate. The printers
at length met the publishers more than
half way in their demands; and still the
publishers refused to settle, and reiterated
the original demand. The printers then
served notice to quit work. The publish
ers finally made pretence at arbitration,
but loaded their proposition with one-s:ded
and unfair conditions, among which was
the proviso that the printers could have on
the arbitration board no union laborer or
stockholder, in other words, no one who
could intelligently represent their cause
To this grossly one-sided proposition, the
printers proposed unconditionl arbitration
in the customary manner This PROPOSE
ten for fair and unconditional! arbitra-
ton the publishers have twice refused
The Twin City press combine therefore
stands guilty of declaring a wage-cut and
an increase of hours. and of refusing to ar
bitrate their demands
These six trust organs are all run in the
interest Of the money power and the single
gold standard. They have almost daily
for two years back told how the country
on the verge Of great business revival.
On the very day, it is claimed, that the
publishers got up their wage-cut docu-
ment, one of the SIX published an editorial
telling how business was steadily improv-
ing and how it's own business had grown so
per cent during the year. According to
the claim of this organ, it demanded
wage-cut equivalent to 35 or 40 per cent.
considering time and pay, at the same time
that it was reaping 50 per cent larger in
come--certanly a remarkable act of in
justice and inhumanity.
But charity moves one to conclude that
the editor was simply lying, knew he was
lying, and did not care who knew it. He
was simply bluf1iing to cover I'D his trail
with cloud Of ink. If the gold press of
the Twin Cities is prospecting under the
present god standard" the trust would
not be forced to small and petty tricks to
save expenses by extorton of their en-
ployes, nor would the trust dared to have
refused arbitration. The trust is without
doubt losing heavily in circulation, as it has
in advertising patronage. The god stand
ard is not worshipped by the people of the
Twin Cities and the Northwest. Every
gold sheet of the Twin Cities run in the in
terests Of the East and Europe, has done
so at enormous sacrifice to circulation and
business during the last six months. The
rapid and widespread growth of the free
coinage sentiment has been full of disaster
for the gold organs. The people dstrust
them as the colon.sts distrusted the Hes
sian mercenaries quartered by the British
on American SOL. No institutions have
suffered more d:sastrously from the "exist-
ing gold standard" than the very organs
which have preached it.
1t is said one of the results OF the re-
cent printers strike or lockout is that with
in three days the three Minneapolis gold
organs have lost, between them, 5000 sub
scribers. This is serious bow, consider
ing the fact that it is doubtful # more than
two Of these gold organs have paid ex-
penses during the past four years. Were
1t not for their corporate and political back