Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-09-14
CENTRAL LABOR UNION
Proceedings Of the Weekly Meeting Held
Last Evening.
Communications Received From Frn-
RefutntiOn of Recent Charges.

The regular weekly meeting Of the Gen.
trail Labor Union was held last evening
| There was full attendance President
Milford Spohn presiding, and Messrs Crow
| ley and Moulden serving as secretaries.
A communication was read from 8. J.
O'Brien, chairman of the committee on
postal savings banks of the Chicago FEEDER
alton of Labor, stating that his committee,
after four months work, is pleased to
note the strong tide Of public sentiment
In favor of the plan, and that the COM
m1ttee believes that petition which, 1t
is expected, will contain more signatures
than any one ever circulated in the United
States, will be presented to Congress, show
ing that the people demand the passage of
such law"
a number of blank petitions placards and
pamphlets. explaining the different features
OF the proposed law. The petitions were
distributed among the delegates for the
friends
"A communication was also read from
Coopers Union, No. 8, of Troy, N. Y. COM
planning of the Oppressive methods of the
break up their union" This company is
engaged In the business of making kegs in
winch to ship the products of the COMPANY
sucn as rivets and horse shoes. and the
work was given to a nOn-union firm. The
union calls upon horseshoers and other
organized workers throughout the country
10 assist 1t in opposing the alleged unfair
product.
The communication was accepted and the
the request granted.
Aid to the Miners.
A communication was received from w.
C. Pearce, OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES of the United
Mine Workers. acknowledging the receipt
Of moneys from the Central Labor Union
for the benefit of the striking miners In
concluding his letter Mr. Pearce used these
words:
I'm behalf of our craft I thank you for
lhis further donation, and wish to say to
you thiit our men are firm as ever"
Delegate Silver Of the ways and means
committee made a partial report of the
receipts and disbursements of the Labor
day excursion. He stated that all ex-
penses had been paid and the final returns
would show handsome sum realized for
the central body
!, AT the request of Delegate Robinson of
me Amalgamated Wood Workers Assoc
cation the committee on organization was
directed to call on wood mill EMPLOYEES Of
the city In the interest of the recently or
gantzed wood workers.
The delegates from the plumbers 1vera
ADMITTED and obligated.
An Indignant Protest.
Al the last meeting of Bricklayers'
-AAOii' W. L, several paraRraDhS of
article published in a local morning news
paper under the caption of Labor Day
Statistics were read. The statements
were considered so manifestIy false and
reflected 50 grossly upon the integrity of
the organization that a committee was an
pointed, composed of John P. Healey NJ
F. Canty and Milford Spohn. to make IL
positive public denial of the Objectionable
statements.
The committee prepared the following in
reply:
ITO whom it may concern:
The statement that of 800 or 1000
brfcklayers in the city, between 300 and
400 are employed. or between a fourth and
seventh of the whole number Is SO
ridiculously false as to scarcely require
serious notice. 1t can be truthfully stated,
however. that there are not now and never
were more than 100 resident brickiayers
in this city, and at no time during the
building was the per cent of en-
ployed SO small as the number stated
1T was further stated that the brick
layers recently have taken jobs at much
less than the union allows-$4.O per thou
sand This is untrue, as the union does
not allow any sum per thousand. 1t
maintains a wage scale of 81 day, and
has nothing to do with the contract price.
The constitution of the organization pro-
vides that eight hours shall constitute a
days work. for which 81 shall be paid. A
heavy penalty is imposed for the violation,
and any who will assert that members
are working longer hours or receiving less
than the standard wages is challenged to
verify the statement.
I'VE also state that the union will not
permit a combination of members to take
contracts together without any regular
boss and members have been fined and
expelled for doing so.
Below Scale Prices.
ut was also stated that of the very
small per cent of the membership employed
they are largely engaged in transactions
at below scale prices. This Is positively
untrue, and the person who SO stated was
either densely ignorant or a malicious fall
sitter.
1.-The final statement that the result of
these lowe- prices and longer hours Is that
less men are required to do the same
amount Of work contains all the venom
of the paragraph. From this statement
the uniformed would infer that many
of our members were idle because the union
permitted others to violate the rules, TO
the injury of all. This statement was evil
IDENTIFY made in sheer vindictiveness by
Gre of that element of so-called organized
labor which will resort to any means to
inJure trades union organization.
1.-The bricklayers have always maintained
a rigid card system, and in all the union
istory no member in good standingwas ever
known to work with non-union member
of his craft, nor for less than the standard
wages and hours. After several years OF
has resulted in the disintegration of half a
score Of organizations in this District, the 4
bricklayers are in a position to care for
the local trade interests of the craft.
Efficiency of the Craft.
NJ.