The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-07-04
THE CHICAGO PAPERS.
The Remarkable Case of Great City
Without Newspapers

Chicago, July Mot a single English
Chicago paper was issued Sunday.
Just how long the English press will
be bottled up remains a problem. The
stereotypers of Union No. 4, Interna-
tional Typographical union, say they
are out to win. Only seventy or eigh-
ty of them are interested directly in this
strike, but they efectually prevented a
million of readers learning the news
Sunday.
The Publishers association. like the
StereOtyperS' union, stands equally
firm. The publishers declare that not
only will they not meet the demands Of
the strikers, but that they will never
take any of them back, and will bring
non-union men from other cities. The
refusal of these seventy or eighty men
has thrown many thousands of others
into idleness, including printers, press
men, linotype operators, news agents
and an army of newsboys. 1t is a COM
plete tie-up, and will continue probably
until Tuesday.
The German papers were published as
usual. This was a disappointment to
the publishers. especially the appear
ance of the Staatz-Z eitung. The Freie
Presse is equipped with a non-uniOn
force, but the stereotypers assert the
Staatz-Zeitung will accede to their de-
mands.
In the meantime the strikers will en-
ter the field of Chicago journalism by
starting a paper of their own, to be
called the morning Gall II may become
a daily visitor to the homes of Chicago.
as plenty of talent and capital is said
to be on tap. The first issue will con-
tain a Succinct account of their de-
mands and tell how they were met by
the publishers.
President John Doyle of the Stereo-
typers' union, says they are only ask
ing for a lust scale in view of the char
acter of their work, which is enerVating,
uncomfortable and dangerous. He
claims that men are Frustrated at it
daily. They ask for 81 a day for seven
hours work, 70 cents per hour for over
time, and the limitation of apprentices
to one in each shop. This was the scale
adopted after a meeting held early in
May, at which they decided to give the
Publishers association thirty days no
tice of their intention to open the scale.
The scale prior to that time was 1915
a day for eight hours, and so cents per
hour for overtime. The stereOtyperS
were willing to cOncede the eight hours,
and to reduce the price of overtime, but
the publishers declined to grant this.
The Allied Printing Trades council is
expected to say soon just how much
support they will give the stereotypers
in their struggle. This council is COM
posed of seventeen different unions,
each having three delegates Three in
ternatiOnal organizations, to which the
seventeen unions belong, have a tripar-
tite agreement concerning the conduct
of strikes and the part each shall take
in them.
The stereotypers are in a union sub
ordinate to Typographical Union No. 16
of Chicago, and the rules say they
should have sought sanction for the
strike from that organization, the Allied
Council and the International Union,
of which w. B. Prescott is president,
with headquarters in Indianapolis. He
was expected here to take part in the
fray, but later information comes that
the executive body of the international
| body will hear the case presented in
the Indiana city. National Organizer
Harris will go there to present the
case, and he has hopes of gaining sup
port.
The stereotypers think they can head
off any nOn-uniOn men who may be
imported. George Thompson, the local
organizer for the International, says
they will be supported by all interested
in the tripartite alliance. Topographic
cal Union, No. 16, is deeply interested
in ending the strike, and it has an in
f1uential committee trying to bring
about an understanding between the
union and the association.
The publishers, although they had all
the Associated Press facilities, had
agreed not to display bulletins, and the
only news to be had was in the various
one-Sheet hand-billS that began to be
peddled about at enormous prices early
on Saturday. The principal one Of these
was the Chicago War News, containing
news two and three days old, but it
easily brought a nickel
Milwaukee got papers down early
Cincinnati papers arrived at noon, and
Z c
/ were eagerly bought up at prices rang
ing from sc to 25c. Many business es-
adjustments displayed private bulle-
tins of the war, securing their informa-
ton from New York, ST. Louis, Cincin-
natl, Minneapolis and other. cities. But
the main information was haWked
about by word of mouth. From the res
idence districts messengers were sent
/ downtown to learn what was going on.
All over the city groups of curious peo-
pie surrounded men who had managed
| to get a peep at the Stock Yards Sun or
| Joliet News, which were among the
most popular of the publications hawk
| ed about. The latter had the only scoop
] of the day. 1t announced a strike of
/ stereOtypers in New York, and said the
movement was spreading all over the
country.
It is reported that stereotypers are
| already on their way here to fill the
vacancies. Should the Allied Trades
! refuse to work with them, the strike
/ may possibly take on immense proper
/ tons The printers must either do this
I or throw over the stereotypers now on
strike.
! OFFICIAL ACTION.
/ Indianapolis, Ind, July 4--The exec
utive council of the International Typo
| graphical Union is meeting here to take
! action on the strike of StereOtypers'
I Union No. 4, in Chicago.
President Prescott, Third Vice Presi-
/ dent Miller and Secretary Brentwood
/ are all here, while the other two mem
/ bers, Perry of Nashville, and Sullivan
/ of New York, viii act by Geographic
1 communication. The officials here say
| they know nothing of the merits Of the
/ strike. Their sanction was not asked
The tripartite agreement provides in
section 9 that members of unions in the
/ alliance must seek the sanction of SUI
| periOr bodies to order a strike.
The International Typographical I'm
| ion is closely involved in the present
difficulty as is also the International
/ Printing Pressmen's Union.
A committee from the pressmen's
/ union waited on the publishers Sun
/ day, asking for an opportunity to act
1 as a committee on cOnciliatiSn but the