El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1897-10-29
THE PLUMBERS ASSOCIATION
Give Their Side Of the Controversy in
a Letter.

Give Their Side of the Controversy in
Letter.
Ell PASO, Texas, October %, 1897.
Judge Wyndham Kemp, City Attorney
of Ell Paso.
DEAR s1R:-Late newspaper columns
give inform alton to the effe ct that you
as city attorney have called the atten-
tion of our city council to the law pass
d by the late legislature copy OF
which is herewith attached) in regard
10 the creation of the plumbing board
in every city having underground sew
ers or cesspools.
Inasmuch as one of our council
men has stated In open cour ell meeting
that "the law was created by the
trust and he for one was in favor of
using it agairst them" we beg
leave to present some facts in connect
ion with the subject of our organiza-
ton ard also demonstrate that the So
called trust, instead of being undesira-
BILE, is really very DESTROYS Organiza-
ton, aud when fully uud erstood by the
peop. e, the latter will hail its coming
with delight and assist in its motto
which is ''prevention of dis ease'' and
that in order to do this properly, the
ordinance cannot be drawn too strong
to suit the aims and wishes of the assO-
citation, which association will expect
the provisions of the law to be carried
out strictly to 1.-The letter and that q
due observance Of it shall at all times
prevail, not ony among members of
The association but likewise those who
are not members. Among the aims.
objects and intentions of the league will
be fOul d the following:
This association is ks own as the as
ISOLATION of Master Plumbers of the
United States, for the prevention of
The league is organized for the pur=
pose of advancing the cause of scienti-
tic sanitation throughout the United
States. Its special objects therefore
are sanitary law, which provides for
t KAN in alton and inspection: the educa-
ton of it's members and The people: to
improve the commercial credit OF Is
members through open and honOra bic
cooperative business methods: to re-
duce the risk of selling material in
the territory it embraces: to improve
the character of plumbing work and
thus reduce the de4rh rate of cities
and the expense of sickness, ETC., etc.
Deploring the existing prejudice of
the public which questions the honesty
and integrity of our calling, we are re-
solved to employ every honorable
means in our Individual and CO.
operative capacity TO correct such uLs
just and injurious estimate.
1t is our aim to educate the people
in u knowledge of the importance of
The sanitary plumbing as health
factor and thereby to elevate the busl-
ness of plumbing to its legitimate
plane.
1t is our aim to disseminate a know
ledge of scientifi, sanitation through the
United States and encourage its APP
plication, by the uses of the most i'm
proved methods and appliances.
To this end it is our aim to secure
state and municipal legislation defin-
ing aud protecting the business OF the
master plum Der, and securing to the
public better health, greater economy
and to the trade protection. 1t IS our
a IN and interest to insure honest
work and the use of reliable materials.
We commend and urge the adop-
ton of sanitary code governing
plum bing in cities not already pro-
tected by legislation. To this END, we
urge local plumbers to sign such cOde
until local legislation is secured, and
bind themselves to work for such l. gis-
latiOn.
We declare that law which pro-
tects the plumber, protects the people;
that it guarantees better health and
greater economy, in support of which
we offer the following:
Sanitary plumb is little under
stood by the masses.
Plumbing stands in closer relation
ship to health than medicine or drugs.
The plum bers business is to prevent
disease, the physicians to cure.
If a certificate of competency were
required of the plumber, there would
be lever calls for the physician. The
charac .er and skill of the one should
not be more closely scrutinized than
that of the other.
Sanitary plumbing assures better
health and a lower death rate.
Five hundred thousand people die
from preventable diseases.
Sanitary plumbing cannot be &C
com plished without legislation, state
and municipal, as without restraint,
the plumber will ordinarily be cOmpell-
ed by unfair competition to slight his
work, Honest inspection by COM
petent officer is welcomed by the as
ISOLATION plumber. Let the office OF
inspector BE- nOn-partisan at
tanned to and operated under the merit
system alone.
Without law and inspection sanitary
science is imperative, the diploma ana
license are useless.
The dishonest aad competent crafts
man makes rulnous competitions; bad
work and worse material are the re-
suits. The skill of the honest work.
man is discounted and useless.
Under law and inspection these con-
ditions are reversed: material must
grade up to fixs standard, cheap and
defective goods are prohlblted q; on y
competent workmen are employer; the
good plumber will improve and the
pretender will depart; for on skill and
rapidity alone will profits depend,
Bes ides the gain in health, thousands