The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-09-28
PRESCOTT SPEAKS OUT
Ex-PRESIDENT OF THE 4. r. L.. DE-
FENDS MIR. BOoKwALTER.
Resents One of sentinel's Attacks on
League for BoOkwaIter.

on Mr.. Bookwalter in Yesterdays issue, and
in an interview with the Journal expressed
himself as against the use of such method
TO defeat any candidate. Concerning the
charges that Mr.. does not en-
ploy union garment workers in the Gem
garment works. of which he is one of the
owners. Mr.. Prescott said the matter was
pending in the Central Labor Union" as
alleged by the Sentinel, and probably will
continue to pend for some time owing TO the
inability of the Garment Workers Union
to supply union workers. At the time the
local union waited on Mr.. Bookwalter and
asked him to employ union people he threw
open the doors of the factory and told the
committee to walk in and talk to his force
at any time, with a view to unionizing Ii,
and then made the statement that he want
ed to hire union people and would do so
as fast as the union would furnish them
The union is unable TO furnish them, and
meanwhile the latchstring hangs out while
the matter is pending in the Central
Labor Union.
Another allegation of the Sentinel is
that Mr.. Bookwalter has not, since coming
to this city, thought enough of his member
ship in the Typographical Union. which
ceased actively many years before he left
Fort Wayne. to transfer his membership to
the Typographical Union of this city. He
has even signally failed to comply with the
spirit and laws of unionism when oppor-
tunity afforded"
Concerning this Mr.. Prescott is able to
speak with authority. He says Mr.. Book
walters typographical unionism has never
been questioned and that the charge that he
is not a loyal member Of the Typographical
Union is amusing. coming, as it does. from
the publication of Samuel E. Morss. Mr..
Prescott is acquainted with an incident In
the early lives Of both men. when Mr.. Morss
owned the Fort Wayne Sentinel and Mr..
Bookwalter was a cub in the office. The
methods of Mr.. Morss, in his management
Of the property, became so offensive to his
printers that they all struck. In his ex-
tremity Mr.. Morss offered Mr.. Bookwslts>
a place much better. than he was holding
If he would desert the union. but Mr.. Book
walter refused to consider 1t and thereby
won the i'll will of the present chief of the
Democratic organ of indianapolis. Although
for years he has not worked at the trade,
Mr.. has maintained his mem
bership in his old union, and the fact that
he has not transferred it to the indianapolis
branch is no indication, according to Mr.
Prescott, that he is not still a union man
in spirit and in truth. Lee Nixon. sale
Mr.. Prescott, another retired member or
the Typographical Union, Is now III the
civil service In Porto Rico, where he Is
likely TO stay for several years, at least,
and because he has not applied for a trans
fer of membership no one has seen nj 10
question his unionism."
reference to Mr.. Bookwalter says: 'One OF
the few opportunities he has had 10 snow
his true colors occurred when ne erected
his fine new residence at 800 North limos
street in 1891. On that occasion, as is SHOWN
by the building permit issued him. he signed
a contract with Huboert q Rose, a mn na %
penters. He can hardly plead ignorance OF
the rules of unionism. and he therefore
sanctioned the erection of his own house by
nonunion men who worked more than eight
hours a day in violation of the state law
and the rules Of the Carpenters. Union as
rules says: Eight hours shall constitute a
days work. to be made between the hours
Concerning this Mr.. Prescott, who is
credited with knowing something of the
rules OF unionism,' says: i KNOW mat MT
Bookwalter, s,i MOUSE % 81 was me not w orll' w 1y done
with the fun sanction of the Carpenters.
Union. / have talked with Mr..
for his house provided for the employment
of union labor, and one of the conditions or
the award of the contract was that none
While it was none of his business. Mr..
Bookwalter took the trouble to go out TO MS
house during its erection to see that the
NOIh was DCtIl NOlC 1871 al ~
tions. He found that the men quit at 4
o'clock each afternoon. and when he asked
the reason for it he was told that n IL was sn IN
went away satisfied; If %nonunion men were
employed every well-posted union man will
walters place to hunt them out. He had
provided for union werkmen, and the work
of seeing that the specifications were com,
piled with belonged TO the union, and had
Mr.. Bookwalter's attention been directed to
the fault it would have been remedied. Why,
in Mr.. Morss's own office the foreman does
hires belongs to the union. The union en-
ploys a man for that purpose and he sees
that the unions interests are protected in
that direction. If the union should fail to
take advantage of the fact that MI. Morss
intends TO employ only union men Mr..
Morss cannot in Justice be held responsibie
are kept out. Mr.. Morss has other things
to think about. If i'm 1891 Mr.. Bookwalter
employed nonunion labor on his house while
still q member Of the Typographical Union
II is strange that no charges were preferred
against him by the Carpenters Union, when,
members in this city were placed on trial at
that time by the union for doing the same
thing when they built smaller homes than
Mr.. Bookwalter's."
UNION DID NOT PROTEST.
Concerning the claim the he employed
nonunion painters, it seems strange to me
that Mr.. Blackburn. one of the leading fig
ures in the painters union. did not go to
Mr.. at the time and make a pro-
test. Bookwalter was an employer of labor
and no good union holds an employer re-
sponsible for unfair conditions in his estab-
lishment until they are brought to his at
tention and he refuses to change them.
Moreover, 1 think ii rather strange that the
painters should bring up this matter at
this time against Mr.. Bookwalter while
Taggart retains Fred Mack. the head and
front of the Master Painters Association on
his Board of Public Safety. Mr.. Morss Is,
even at this time, doing his best TO connect
Bookwalter with non-unionism. but is I'M
able TO do SO. I'm spite of the aid of some
cheap labor agitators. At this minute there
are two or three Indianapolis men in Fort
Wayne hunting UP Mr.. Bookwalter's record
and the worst they have learned Is that he
has always been d strong union man.
II doubt II as much can be said OF Tag
CART. He is guilty Of greater wrongs
against the unions of this city. than Cen
eral Otis, whose appointment rs secretary
of War was revoked because of the oppo-
sition Of the typographical union. The
thin attempt to connect Mr.. Bookwalter
with non-unionism is. 1 believe. instigated
by Mr.. Morss, who, after saying a few years
ago that he would never employ anothfr
union man in his office In Fort Wayne,
still smarts under the decisive defeat that
Bookwalter helped to administer. TO
one who knows Mr.. as a union
man, would believe that he would employ
nonunion men while opinion is very well
confirmed hat Taggart would betray the
workingmen whenever 1t was convenient TO
do So"