The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1900-11-01
NO ENDORSEMENT
Building Trades Council De-
cides That It Will Not
Go Into Politics.
HOT TINE At THE MEETING
Personalities INDUCED and
Old Scores Raked
Up.


The United Building Trades Council Of
Hudson county at last nights meeting at
Council Hall, No. II Hoboken avenue. de-
cided not to take any part as an organize
tion in the coming campaign. Although
the sentiment of a majority Of the dele
gates seemed favorable to the endorse
ment of the Democratic county ticket 1t
was deemed advisable not to take any ac-
tion.
The meeting was one of the stormiest
everh eld by the Council. In view of
the importance of the subject to be con-
sidered the attendance was unusually
large almost every local union of the
county being fully represented The de-
bate was spirited and personalities were
at times indulged in.
The matter came up when Business
Agent Thomas F. Conroy offered a reso-
luton that the Council endorse the can
didates on the Democratic county ticket.
providing the nominees for Assembly de-
clared themselves favorable to the stand
ard rate of wages bill, the employers
liability bill and an act making the YER
dict of juries in damage suits 6nal. All
three of these measures had been pre-
viously endorsed by the Council.
Delegate Logan of Carpenters Union
No. 4S6, vigorously opposed the resolution
and insisted that the constitution of the
Council would not permit its adoption. He
argued that serious mistake would be
made if the Council tok sides with either
party
Mr.. Conroy replied that on two previous
occasions candidates running for office
who were known to be favorable to union
labor had been endorsed without hesita-
tion.
A Plasterers' delegate, in a red hot
speech, referred to the Business Agent as
the Nemissary of a false doctrine" and
Carpenters delegate denounced Mr.
Conroy as caring more for his political
party than for the organization.
The Business Agent retorted In kind.
He said that Patrick Nugent, the Demo-
cratic candidate for F'reehoider from
ltBayonne, had been subjected to insult by
union carpenters employed at the Stand
ard Oil Works in that city because his
Republican opponent was a high employe
of that trust Mr. Conroy insisted that
| as the Democratic party had always
proved to be the fxiead.ef organizea labor
1t was but right that its candidates should
be endorsed.
Several of the delegates spoke on the
question and things were getting decid-
ediy hot when on viva voee vote the
| Chair declared the resolution lost. An
appeal from this decision was lost by a
narrow margin.
The question of what wages should be
paid by outside plumbing contractors do
ing business in this county was consid-
cred. but no definite action resulted.
The discussion was started by Delegate
T. ]. Mulvaney of Local No. IA of Jersey
City. who called attention to the varying
wages paid by outside contractors.
Business Agent Conroy said that Wells,
Newton & Co., of New York, who are
| doing the plumbing work on the new
Jersey City Library building, hired none
but Hudson County mechanics, paying
| them $S.75 day. the New York rate
while the contractor for the new Com
mercial Trust Company's building paid
only the local rate of s..
A motion by Mulvaney that New York
contractors be compelled to pay the union
i rate of the city from which they came
was declared out of order by President
David Morrison, who declared that the
mater was one for settlement by the trade
itself.
The question will now be brought before
the District Council Of Plumbers of New
York and New Jersey.
The long fight over the election of .
business agent for the Building Trades
Council seems no nearer settlement than
when 1t began in September last. At last
nights meeting of the Council the Exseu-
4 tive Board reported its inability 10 agree
on choice and the fight will be con-
tinued at the meeting of the board on
| Tuesday evening next.
/ The candidates mentioned in connection
| with the position are the incumbent,
Thomas F. Conroy; ]. w. Duffy, OF the
| Tin and Sheet Iron Workers; James Con-
nelly. of the Plasterers'; F. A. Brands.
of the Painters; John E. vreeiand, of the
Carpenters. and jeremiah O'DonRell, of
the Plumbers. Hundreds of ballots have
4 been taken without result.
A communication from Mr.. E. f. C.
Young enclosing check for s25 for BEN
evolent fund was read and the secretary
instructed to thank the donor and re-
quest information as to what should be
done with the money in view of the fact
!, that the Council had no such fund.