The San Francisco call., 1896-04-19
BARRIERS ON THE WARPATH
They Will Endeavor to CruSE
Out All of the Five-Cent
Shops.
A General Strike Will Be Ordered by
the Executive Committee in
Two Weeks.

The three BARRIERS Unions of this City
have dug up the hatchet and gone on the
warpath against three common enemies.
They have resolved to do battle to the Bit
ter end with Wilson'S college" at 1915
Howard street, the scent shops and the
Supreme Justices who punched such big
hole in the Sunday closing law by their re-
cent decision. in which they declared the
law to be unconstitutional. The three or
ganizations are the BARRIERS Association Of
San Francisco, the Boss BARRIERS Associa-
ton and the Journeymen Barbers' Union.
There are in this City about 2500 BARRIERS,
and the majority belong to at least one or
ganization and many to all three.
The situation calling forth such active
warlike preparations covers three distinct
propositions. In the first a man named
Wilson opened school on Howard street,
where he advertises to teach young men
the art of cutting hair and scraping faces
for a small fee. The regular BARRIERS claim
that Wilson gets the money, and in a
week or so turns out upon the community
workmen who infiict all kinds of tortures
upon their unsuspecting and innocent
victims.
The tonsorial art, they declare, is only
strops. steel, cuticle, boards, etc. These
college bred BARRIERS are of necessity
obliged to work at low wages, and this,
with the ever-increasing numbers, will
eventually reduce the wages all along the
line. All the associated BARRIERS have
agreed to boycott, by not giving employ
ment to, the college graduates, and
place all under the ban who do business
with them.
The college barber has not caused the
rank and file of the craft half so much un-
easiness as the recent creation OF the five
cent shop, however. When the first of
these shops made its appearance it caused
no alarm because in the minds OF the other
BARRIERS arose visions of alkali soap, razor5
with teeth on their edges, towels that were.
a perpetual boycott on the laundry and
other visions that seemed to argue but
brief career. The class that went 10 such
shops were not desired by any other shops
in the city.
The first two or three shops fourished,
raZors and towels Notwithstanding, and
their success induced others to make SINH
lar ventures, until to day there are twenty
scent shops in this City, and many are
doing fourishing buiiness. In several
of these shops there are as many as ten
chairs IN constant use. AS may be ex-
pected, they are drawing their patronage
these shops S. Fuchs, who holds offices in
all three organizations. said:
We should have begun our war as soon as
the first ive-cent shop opened and crushed it
out at once, Now we have a big fight upon
our hands. The effect of these shops is to re-
duce the wages in the entire trade. Do you
have any idea what those fellows get? The
best of them do not make over $5 or ST week.
We have arranged our plans fer driving them
to the wall. In the City are 500 boss BARRIERS
and 800 belong to the Boss BARRIERS Associa-
ton.
They are all in on the fight, even the best
shops in the City. Those who do not belong
are subscribing literally to the fund that we
Will have to use.
Our plan is this. In about two weeks we
VIII order general strike and call all of the
journeymen out of the cheap shops. Those
who do not belong to any uniOnwe will order
out, and we will pay them the amount OF the
wages they earn when at work until we can
provide them with employment in respecta-
Bile shops. This is wnat we want the money
for. We have six committees out in as many
districts among storekeepers who have bar
bers' supplies We viii withdraw the patron
age of all our unions from any who sells sup
plies to the Scent men or to the college
graduates. In this way we will cut into their
business. With influence, pressure, boycott
and plenty of money we are sure of winning
the fight. The executive committee will order
the strike very soon.
The third blow will be struck at the
California Supreme Court Justices who
knocked out the Sunday-closing law last
week. At the next meeting of the barber
organizations resolutions condemning the
Justices for their decision will be passed.
More than that, the BARRIERS will lay their
grievance before the San Francisco Trades
Council and the Labor and Trades Alli-
ance. The purpose of this is to bring
political pressure TO bear against the JUS
tices should they ever seek Office at the
hands of the people again. OF all the
BARRIERS in this City only five shops are
opposed to these proceedings. Circulars
are being sent to all the BARRIERS in the
State to boycott the Justices should they
ever run for office again.