The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-06-25
If STATE STONE ISN'T USED.
MASS MEETING AT ASSEMBLY HALL
TO VOICE A STRONG SENTI-
MENT
IN FAVOR OF MINNESOTA PRODUCT.
New Capitol, 1t LIS Claimed, Should
BE Built of Home Material for
Various Reasons.

iii DIS CHAIRMAN or the executive DOarQ
OF the Trades and Labor assembly, pre-
sided. He stated that the meeting had
| been called at the request Of the stone
cutters union to secure the use Of Min
| neSota stone in the construction Of the
new capitol. P. J. Geraghty was of the
opinion that argument was almost I'M
necessary where it came down to a
! question Of whether Minnesota stone
should be used. From the attendance
he was inclined to the opinion that the
| business men of ST. Paul did not desire
| Minnesota stone, or in fact, anything
else. 1t seemed as If the people of ST.
Paul were either dead or sleeping A
question so important, to the city and
the state was to be discussed, and yet
only few came out to respond to the
| invitation.
There was no reason why the commits
sion should go outside the state for
stone. Nature placed stone in Indiana
and Ohio for building in those states,
and likewise in Minnesota. Why any
capitol commission: should go outside
was queer. IT was folly to even con-
ceiVe the idea - Minnesota taxpayers
must build and pay for the building and
not the commissioners. The one mistake
nE de by tie Legislature was in not MAX
ing II mandatory that Minnesota stone
should be used in the construction of
the building. The commission was con-
! sldering the question Of going outside
the state for stone. 1t was the duty
or the citizens to protest against this
| transaction. of public business to 90
| no .ta n
! figure. There. were ], 900 Of unemploved
VINO have been looking forward to the
time when this would come up. 1t was
| neither just nor right for the commits
! sion to even consider a proposition.
Minnesota material and labor should be
| used exclusively in the construction of
the building
1t was most outrag eous proposition,
an lie hored he was mis- AIKEN. but
| Why should the commission deiav
The argGnerts used before the iee,s-
! lature were that labor and material
were cheap and it was to he interests
| OF the STATE &c I ush the work at once.
ON this argument the bill allowing the
Wo'l> 70 @ re- Gone was pas sod The
! taxpayers paid the bill and if Mime
! sofa stone costs"a few thousand dol
1 lars more no one would even onuestiAn-
the action of the comtnl ssinn in letting
I II TO a state firm. He argued in favor
or the contract being let at once to
/ give employment to those who were
| out of work
John Swift from thee Trades and
Labor assembly at Minneapolis, and a
member of the city hall and court
mouse commission, followed He said
! II the business, men understood it the
hall would be crowded. Some ten
years ago case Of this kind came I'D
In Minneapolis. From personal ex-
per1ence as a stone man, he knew that
| there was as good material in Mime
| sofa as there was in the United States.
| How the commission could consider
any otheF stone was mystery to him.
Inc city hail and court house in Min
| neapolis was built of Minnesota stone
and why should not the state capitol
be built of the same material The
| working men supported the business
men of the state. Should the stone be
taken from Indiana the work would be
done by machinery, and instead of
| men doing the work it would take the
work away from the laborer.
The board Of trade of MINNEAPOLIS
| would take UP the matter and fight
for Minnesota stone. What the bust
ness men Of ST. Paul wanted to do was
to wake up from their Rip Van Win
| kle sleep and see to it that the COM
| stone but other Minnesota materials in
the construction of the building The
| work should be done in the city for all
Of the capitol building. 1t was not
only to the interests of business men.
but to the interest of every laboring
man in the state to have Minnesota
stone and material used. He suggest
ed that meetings be called in every
city and especially in ST. Paul, and
that public opinion be aroused so that
the commission should be satisfied as
to the course they should take.
| Representative E. E. Mcdonald said
! the small attendance was probably due
to the fact that it was thought the COM
mission would not for moment con-
! slider the question of going outside the
state for stone He hoped this was so.
| If no stone choufd be found in the state
which was suitable it would be differ
ent, but Minnesota had the best stone
at reasonable prices. There was M
power for the commission to proceed
| with the building until the bill was
passed at the last legislature. This was
/ passed with the understanding that
| the building, if proceeded with, would
| give employment to a large number of
| men. The commission was given power
to borrow money and proceed and the
. only argument made was that it would
give work to Minnesota laborers When
the bill was passed the residents of tie
state understood the building was to
be constructed of Minnesota material
| Had even the possibility been con-
sidered by the legislature that outside
stone would be used the bill would
never have passed, If stone outside
of the state was selected by the COM
mission it would be the duty of the
| governor to call special session of
| the legislatures andcrepeal the law al
| lowing the commission to proceed with
the construction Of the building. If
mild treatment did mot succeed in this
matter then heroic treatment should
be proceeded with. !, The building inter
ests in the state would be injured if
the capitol commission should state
that Minnesota ha6not the proper ma
teral to build frorif and went outside
the state for it's capitol building
Assemblyman Reardon thought there
was not seven men in the state who
would consider the question of going
outside he state for, material. If the
commission did hes could assure the
people that the matter would not be
settled until the Supreme court had
passed on the question He was of the
opinion that the people were unnecces-
sarily alarmed. ~
President Brown, of the Bricklayers
union, favored Minnesota stone and ma
terial because it would benefit the
laboring men now out of employment
President Christopherson scored the
workingmen and business men for not
turning out to the meeting. He was afraid
that If some action was not taken the
commission would let the contract for
outside stone. He called for the ap-
pointment of a committee of three to
1Irrtf to-, 81 4 ,&1I a.