Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1900-03-29
LISTENED TO BOTH SIDES.
A Congressional Committee Hear
Evidence as 10 the Effects of Trade
Unions Upon Commerce and Politics


Chicago, March 22.--The sub-com
mittee of the congressional industrial
commission spent several hours on
Wednesday in listening to the testi
mony of James l.. Board, of the firm
of &. A. Crosby d Co., metal working
machinery manufacturers. Mr.. Board
was emphatic in the opinion that the
manufacturing interests of Chicago
were being greatly retarded by labor
unionism. Mr. Board said that he had
asked for police protection for his
plant and workmen, but had been re-
fused Mr.. Board said that the police
courts generally were intimidated by
the strike spirit prevailing among the
unions.
In answer to a question by Col.
Clark as to the probable result if the
labor troubles continue, Mr.. Board said
that manufacturers would surely be
driven from Chicago to smaller towns.
He also said that trades unionism
placed a premium on inefficiency and
that labor leaders. from his experience
with them, were looking solely for
their own aggrandizement.
The average American mechanic"
sdlt' MI iDcdIt, 10 mourning phO
overgrown boy"
j. B. Lucas. editor of the Black Dia-
mond. the official paper of the anthra-
cite and btuminous cos,l trade, said
that an agreement existed between the
mine operators and the Miners union
which was to the benefit of the men.
1t had increased the price of coal %
per cent, which Mr.. Lucas admitted
came from the consumer.
Mr.. Lucas said that in his opinion,
| trades unionism was responsible for
| the local business condition and that
labor leaders used the labor unions to
gain political advantage. He said la
Dor officials should keep out of poll
tics. lie did not think, however. the
same rule applied to attorneys of cor
pora tions in regard to their being
elected to congress.
\. Bsnow, formerly a walking dele
gate of the Cloakmakers' union, told
of the growth of organized labor. and
| submitted a table showing that the
cost of food and living had increased
in two years, while wages had not in
creased in proportion. Mr.. Bsnow
also defended the walking delegate" /"
a labor union is proof against all eff
forts toward corruption. is not look
| ing for personal gain and is a neces-
| sity to the interests of organized
| labor.
From Levy Mayer, of Moran. Mayer
| d Mayer. came a sharp charge that
property owned by corporations was
| not receiving due protection, either
from the legislature or from the
| courts. 1--WE are in the midst of a
| hungry, rapaciOus rebellion against
| those property rights owned by cor
| pOrationS. 1t is appalling to consider
recent judicial and legislative history.
| The most idiotic climax of the riot
| ouslv wild course of the legislatures is
| the Illinois law of 1899. Instead Of
| the poor not having equal protection
| with tp rich before the law, it is now
the o,ner way, as far as the corporate
| property Of the rich is concerned.
| The courts are so constituted that
| they seem unable to give equal pro-
| lection to property. The situation
tends more and more to judicial rec
| ognition of socialistic and communis-
tic principles
said; My husband was a member of
the union. One Sunday several years
ago he repaired skylight during a
storm. 10 prevent damage to $1,000
| worth of machinery. There was a
strike on and he was fined 500 in d
| star chamber session of the union.
Being unable to pay it he was eXpell-
cd He has been prosecuted ever since
and has earned orly *6 since last Oc-
! tobcr. Neither union nor employer
will do anything for him. He has been
assaulted, beaten and manned when
he attempted to work. The police had
their backs turned. | want the state
to annul the charters of all organiza-
tions if they fail to comply with the
| law. We must have some protection.
The city administration will not give
us protection
EUROPE'S COAL FA5
Consular Reports Prove that the Situ-
.EInn Ia ESacntnEno yVnrn Erfsic.I