The San Francisco call., 1898-05-21
BOYCOTT THE
 BULLETIN Labor ReSentS Insults to
 the Charleston. A HAIIcTIN pCcnI uTJOM
CAUSTIC RESOLUTION.
NO BLAME ATTACHES TO THE
 CRUISERS CONSTRUCTION.
Union Iron Workers Will Ignore the Sheet That Attempts to Blacken Home Indus
 try.

On the early morning cars going out to the Union Iron Works yesterday there was but one subject of conversation that received any attention from the mechan- ics ready for their days work. For the moment the war was submerged. What held the minds of the artisans was a bitter attack on the Charleston in Thurs day evenings Bulletin.
 Whenever two or three men collected a general condemnation of the Bulletin ar ticle was certain of vociferous utterance. The condemnatory spirit was strong that the bacillus of mass meeting was in the air, and no special call for a general aSsemblage was necessary. Hardly had the hammers begun to fall and the wheels to spin round when a notice was posted on the bulletin boards attached to both the entrance gates of the plant that there would be a general mass meeing held to consider the 'scurrilous article published in the Bulletin of the previous evening. The workmen of the Union Iron Works considered the Bulletins article vilify- ing attack upon them as well IS a re- fection upon their workmanship, and they were ready to resent it. They did so by boycott of the paper.
 The mass meeting was called by the workmen themselves and was held in the street which cuts the iron works in two. Aroused to a pitch of excitement that could hardly be restrained, the men as Sembled as soon the whistle sounded the lunch hour. Edward T. Morris was chosen chairman by exclamation. He told them the story of the building Of the Charleston OCT again. He was with the Charleston on the trial trip ana stayed on the ship until it was handed over to the Government at Mare Island. Ut was our first ship he said, and we all took special pride in making her a great sue cess. She was accepted by the Govern ment at an indicated horsepower Of 6666, and her official speed was 1S.2 knots per hour The best material and the highest class of workmanship were put into her.
 After having been accepted by the Government the Charleston made some notable runs, particularly the chase of the itata. which was the longest run under a forced draft ever made by any Warship at that time. At no time was anything fleet discredit on the builders. The con- densing tubes were made of very thin brass and are only guaranteed to last four or five years. and it is now ten years since the Charleston was turned over to the Government"
 Then followed an excoriation of the ar evoking a storm of applause for the speaker and obstreperouS cenSure for. the lfbelants. MT Morris was followed by D. L. Howard and J. H. Todd. both of whom spoke in the same strain.
 Resolutions were then adopted which in themselves are the best evidence of the ing. They read as follows:
 We, workmen of the Union Iron Works, in mass-meeting assembled, protest against the insults given to us in the Evening Bulletin of May 1o, 1898, with reference to the cruis- CT Charleston and hereafter pledge ourselves to boycott the Bulletin until charges have been retracted and suitable apologies made to us.
 
 lieved by what they considered a proper and meritorious action, went their sev- eral ways and soon after the. whirring of wheels and the sputtering of the fires were heard again.