The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-09-19
LABOR MEMS WRATH
They Will Vent 1t on
Opponents of the
8-Hour-Law.
FIVE ALDERMEN ARE MARKED.
Core Makers Act Soon At
ter Hearing of
tie Vote.
FIVE ALDERMEN ARE MARKED

The action of the board of aldermen
in refusing to instruct the city clerk to
have the eight working day ques-
ton placed on the official ballot,
aroused the ire of 100 members of labor
organizations who heard of the vote in
the Southbridge street headquarters
last night.
| j. d. Pierce, president of the Central
I Labor Onion, and state branch of the
American Federation of Labor. broke
the news in labor headquarters, and
there was an uprising of wrathful vo-
| tiers. The Coremakers' Union was in
session when Mr.. Pierce reached the
building, and the result was made
known to the union
by unanimous vote of nearly 100 of
the Coremakers Union, the committee
on resolutions was authorized to pre-
pare a statement of indignation. The
following was adopted amid cheers:
We, the coremakers of Worcester
assembled, express in condemnation of
the action of the board of aldermen in
refusing to grant to the citizens Of
| Worcester the right to vote on the ref
erendum attached to the act recently
| passed by the Massachusetts legisla-
ture pertaining to the eight-hour law
John Gleason,
| jeremiah w. Mara,
John f. Harrington.
Committee"
| The Coremakers' Union voted to par
ticipate in the mass meeting and pa
rade to be held under the auspices of
the Central Labor Union and Building
Trades Council. The union also favored
! having the demonstration held as a
method of showing the disapproval Of
| local labor unions to the vote of the
board of aldermen.
The labor organizations will begin a
battle against the aldermen who voted
to down the order introduced by Alder
imam OConnell. d. F. Coogan, presi-
dent of the Workingmen's Political
Club will issue call for a meeting
within a few days, and ward commit
tees will conduct the fight against the
candidacy of the aldermen for re-elec-
ton. "It will be a battle to the end,
bitter or otherwise" said j. D. Pierce.
last night.
After the meeting of the Coremakers'
Union had adjourned there was a dis
cussion in the lower hall, and members
of labor unions who entered the build
ing were drawn into the heat of the
wordy battle J. D. Pierce quieted the
makers of boasts, and instructed the
more indignant unionists to maintain
silence until the opposition to the alder
men begins under organized forces.
Candidates for all city offices will be
| thoroughly oVerhauled before the city
election, and the next municipal con-
test will be a fight of the organized
workingmen against the officials and
candidates who have given the efforts
of organized labor a black eye. Par
ties will be ignored and the staunchest
| democratic voter, if he is a member OF
a labor organization, will be urged to
vote for the republican candidate, if
he be the man who favors the efforts OF
local labor unions, and vice versa.
]. D. Pierce gave the following state
ment to The Spy man last night
1.-THE last Legislature of this state, af-
ter a thorough discussion and investiga-
ton, deemed it wise to pass an eight
| hour law, with a referendum clause at
| tached, or, in other words, said that
eight hours should constitute a days
| work for all city and town employees,
| when a majority of the voters Should
so vote at an annual election. AS it
became necessary for the aldermen to
instruct the city clerk to prepare the
official ballot so the voters could exer-
| else their right to pass Judgment as to
whether they wished eight hours to
constitute days work in this city or
not such an order was introduced by
| Alderman O'Conneu tonight, and,
strange to say. that although the legis-
lature intended that the voters should
be the ones to decide this question, a
majority of our aldermen have rele'-
gated to themselves the right to deprive
the citizens of Worcester Of the chance
of passing on the question, and al
though the majority of the aldermen,
| composed of Back, Huot, Brannon,
| Vaughan and Kendall, We're invited to
give reasons why the citizens of this
city should be deprived of their rights.
| they remained silent, showing conclu-
| sively that they either had no argu-
ments to offer or they had not the moral
courage to get UP and give them.
They can rest assured that the citi-
| zens of this city will demand of them
| some explanation, and will endeavor tC.
find out if they are greater than those
who created them. This matter will be
brought before the Central Labor union
at its next meeting, Wednesday night,
and if the proposed mass meeting is
held, and in all probability it will be,
those five members will be invited to
explain from Mechanics hall platform
their vote. 1t does seem that we are
| on dangerous ground when five men
dare to take away the right of the citi-
zens of any city to pass Judgment by
ballot on any question of such vital inn
portance as the one voted on tonight.
TRs.