Worcester morning daily spy., 1898-01-21
ARPENTERS' UNION
Meeting Of Thursday Night Was
Not Largely Attended.
George G. Mcneil of Boston Gives Gloomy
Pictures IN His Address-President
Harry Lloyd Speaker.

Aa4AS, put OWltlS 10 circumstances, PROB
ably to the weather as much as any
thing else, the meeting did not pan out
as well as was expected. Less than IS
men attended the meeting, which was
held in st. Jean Baptiste hall, and this
fact was remarked by one of the speak
ers, who declared it was not very COM
plimentary to him, and showed little in
| terest among the carpenters for better
ing themselves. The meeting was held
under the auspices of Union No. %, and
the speakers invited were Harry Lloyd,
president of the Carpenters of America,
and George j. Mcneil. Besides these
| President Eugene Hervieux and Will
liam A. Rossley spoke.
The meeting was called to order by
President Hervieux, and, on motion of
Mr.. Rossley, a committee was appoint
ed to draw up resolutions on the death
/ OF George Johnson, who was killed early
in the week by a fan from a staging on
Plantation street The unions charter
will be draped in mDurning for 30 days.
President Hervieux explained that the
| mans family was in destitute circum-
stances, and asked for a large attend
ance at the next meeting, when an eff
fort wfll be made to relieve the want.
President Hervieux then called upon
! George J. Mcneil of Boston to address
the meeting.
| Mr.. Mcneil, noting the slim attend
ance, remarked that it reminded him of
old times, a fact which he regretted. In
years gone by, when an effort was made
to get labor men together for the pur-
pose Of. devising means to better their
condition, it was always hard to get
the men together. He declared that we
N T1fNFNr Nv
! 50 than we, realize. One hundred years
ago ireland and France We're battling
for their liberty, and it was not impos-
sible that before the close of the cen
tury the workingman would be engaged
in battle for similar cause. We are
nVlng under what are termed "free in
stitutions, but we are confronted with
strikes, reductions in wages, slaughter
of the innocents, and injunctions by the
| high courts to restrain freedom of
speech. About Year ago we were prom
| 1sed, If we would, cast vote for a GER
! tain political party we should expert
| ence prosperity; snd now we have a
| right to demand that that promise be
| kept, or make the Marty confess its fail
ure. sample OF the prosperity has
| been reduction Of from 10 to IL per
| cent in the wages 9t the employees. of
| the cotton industries. In states where
the boot and shoe manufacture is large
there have been similar reductions, and
| the case is similar in other lines of
trade. To secure PROSPERITY, then, the
Worklngman must cast a ballot for him
self. and not for a political party.
The Workingman should join a trades
union and in this way assist himself
and his fellow workmenl
The speaker then cited the Spinners'
| Union of New Bedford asia model to fol-
low At first the employers refused to
recognize the union, butt now there is
never change in the schSdule of prices
without first a consultation with repre-
sentatiyes of the union. II the spinners
have been so successful, the speaker saw
no reason why a carpenters union in
this city could not be as prosperous.
There the spinners had their ups and
downs, but now they are In a position
where the can bargain with the employ
ers, and not be compelled o accept the
mandates of the employer with no 9TH
er alternative than discharge. 1t had
been remarked to him that reduction
in the number of hours of labor meant
ia reduction in pay, but the speaker dis
puted this, pointing to the ease Of the
cotton operatives in the south, who
worked from Y TO 80 hours q week and
received smaller wages than the eastern
! operatives, who worked but 5S hours.
He said if he had his choice of higher
wages or less hours of labor, he would
choose the latter, as the former is bound
to come; while, if the former were chos-
| en- the first signs of depression would
system. He hoped that when he came
to this city again he would find the car
penters strongly organized, with an s.
| hour day, and promised them they would
! experience greater prosperity with an
increase in the dues to the union than
they will get out of the four years of the
| present administration.
| Harry Lloyd was the next speaker
| and in opening his address, he apollo
gized to Mr.. Mcneil for bringing him to
| this city to address such a small gather
| ing He, as general president of Amer
ca, was not fiattered at the reception,
and believed that if the carpenters of
| this city cared anything about the bet
terment of their condition they could as
easily go to the hall as he could come A
miles after hard days work. He de-
clared if a cheap political fal1ir was to
| be shouting al the hall a larger audience
| would greet him than the men who We're
| endeavoring to help raise the carpenters
| from the low level upon which the en-
| ployerS have placed them. Mr.. Lloyd
said it was easier to get the workingmen
| to do anything quicker than to help
/ themselves, and said that IL it wasn't for
THE decent men in the hall he would like
/ to see the pay of these men cut to $1.5O a
day. and that they be made to work
as long hours as the men of Alabama
and Tennessee. AS long as they can get
YOU and me to stand up and make asses
Of ourselves and fight for them they are
satisfied.
The speaker declared that, in many
branches of labor, unskilled workmen
are working less hours and getting bet
! ter wages than skilled worlznlen, owing
wholly to the fact that they are organ
lied. He then cited the case of Bos-
ton plasterers' and tenders union, whose
members work At hours week and
/ get higher wages than carpenters, Whe
are required to have 500 worth Of
tools, and besides are Obliged to serve
three to four years apprenticeship. In
Boston no tender is allowed to set his
foot in a building unless he has
union card in his pocket. He then cited
a case in Hartford, where he was
called to address a meeting Of machin-
lists. During his remarks, the meeting
was disturbed by a, stamping of feet
overhead; and the presiding officer apol-
ogized saying it was meeting Of hod-
carriers, many of whom attended their
meeting in overalls, besmeared with
mortar. The speaker knew of the cause
Of the stamping of feet, and remarked
| to the machiniSts that If they were as
well organized as were the despised hod
/ carriers, they would be better off. At
! the time the hod carriers had passed a
resolution against o, w. Norcross, who
was building a bank building in that
city, and who, through 'tJim' Norcross,
! had cut the pay of the hod carriers %
cents day. The resolution was to the
effect that the tenders would fight un-
til the death, unless the reduction was
removed and their pay remain the same
as it was.
! Mr.. Lloyd told the men to put their