The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-05-01
PETITION FOR
SHORTER DAY
MACHINE SHOPS MEN PUBLICLY
STATE THEIR CASE.


STATE THEIR CASE.
Only a Few of the Employers Rep
resentatives Accepted the invita-.
tion to Attend and Receive the Pc
tition but the Ceremony Was,
Nevertheless, Gone Through With.
| Want an Answer in Ten Days.
Novel Proceeding Was Accom-
panied by Music and Burlesque.
AT the Lyceum theater. last night,
In the presence of a large gathering,
to which the public in general was ins
Vited to be a part, the machinists,
boiler makers, car builders. black
smiths and pattern makers of the va
rious machine shops of Scranton. and
those of the Delaware. Lackawanna
and Western company In other cities
presented In formal manner and with
some interesting attendant cere-
monies, a petition for nine hour day
at the same wages they now obtain
for ten hour day.
Officials of all the companies to
which the petition was addressed were
invited to be present to receive the
petition. but only a few of them were
to be found in the boxes and loges spe-
cially reserved for them. 1t was eN-
planned by the promoters of the meet
ing that the failure Of the officials to
accept the invitation was due, as they
learned only yesterday, to misun-
derstanding on the part of the officials
that there was a probability OF their
being expected to publicly discuss the
matter contained in the petition,
thing. which for obvious reasons, was
hardly to be desired.
The petition nevertheless was pub
licly presented and notice was given
that, in the Judgment of the petition-
ers, ten days was sufficient time to
allow the companies to make answer.
What would be done in case the EN-
ployers' answers were unfavOrable
was not intimated, except in an eX-
tremely indirect way-a presentation
in brief of the proceedings of the
twentieth annual convention Of the
American Federation of Labor in
which that influential body pledged it
self to devote it's energies this year
in securing a shorter workday for the
machinists.
NOT A THREAT.
However, everything that was said
and done, last evening. was shaped
with a view of giving the employers
to understand that the employees eX-
pected their petition would be re-
ceived in friendly spirit as coming
from friendly source. and that it
was just what it was labelled and
not a demand accompanied by threats.
The philosophy of the thing was en-
planned at length by Humphrey D.
Campbell. chairman of the committee
and originator of the novel presenta-
ton scheme. A programme of music
and a burlesoue purporting to be a
Reproduction of the Memorable Meet
ing of Knockers, Kickers and Leather
Jaws" in which was eXtravagantly
caricatured the origin. growth and
presentation of a. grievance by the old
plan, was given by members of the
unions just preceding the formal pres
entation of the petition. This, Mr..
Campbell explained, was to help illus
trate why their new plan of present
ing a petition was hit upon. and to in
dicate to the employers, who, 1t was
expected, would be on hand to see it,
that the employees realize that if they
appear before the public in the light of
something other than a crowd of con-
Stant kickers, with an unending list Of
grievances. it must, assuredly, innure
to their good. The orchestra and all
the participants in the programme, he
pointed out. We're men from the shops,
and in exploiting their talent, it was
the committees desire to impress the
company officials with the fact that
they are being petitioned by men of no
mean intelligence.
He regretted, he said, that the pur-
pose of the invitations to the officials
had been misunderstood There was
never any intention of drawing them
into public discussion of grievances,
and the greatest care had been taken
in preparing the programme Of eXer-
cises that nothing should be said or
done that would jar on the sensibilities
of the employers who were to be con-
Sidered as guests.
HISTORY OF MOVEMENT.
The story Of how the nine-h hour
movement had its origin in this city,
how 1t grew apace and how 1t reached
its climax at last nights event, was
told interestingly by Mr.. Campbell.
May is, 1900, the National Metal
Trades association employers entered
into an agreement with the Interna-
tional Association Of Machinists (em-
ployes) that the firms represented in
the employers association would, six
months from that date, or on Novem-
ber Is. 1900, reduce the werkday of
their employees one-half hour, and six
months later. or on May 20, 1901, a re-
duction of another half-hour would be
granted, thus giving to ten-hour men
a nine-hour day. with the wages to re-
main as before.
The Dickson Manufacturing company
was reported to be member of the
Metal Trades association. A commit
tee of its employees waited on the Off
cials, December Is, 1900, to ascertain il
the company intended to comply with
the agreement. The answer was that
the Dickson company had not Joined
the association until after the date of
the agreement and had withdrawn from
it before the date on which the first
reduction was to occur.
To ask one company to grant the re-
duction without making similar request
on the others was deemed inexpedient,