Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-10-28
ONE KIND 0F 4 STRIKE
Union Painters at Burlington
Refuse to Let Boss Paint
ers Paint
PUBLIC SPIRIT IS INVOLVED
Wealthy Moir Brothers Who Located
Button Factory There Employ Non.
Union Carpenters to Build House
Union Painters Refuse to Paint L.
Bosses Do II.
Special to Times-Republican.

buIlluSlOL OCl. zoo HC NuAVAA
painters in the city are now engaged in
a unique strike. They object to their
bosses working on a job which the
painters have refused to handle. En-
ployers. of course, are not members of
the painters union, altho they employ
union painters.
The Burlington Hawkeye reports the
trouble as follows:
When the Moir brothers decided to
remove their pearl button factory from
Oquawka, small town in Illinois, to
Burlington, and enlarge. they also de-
termined to make Burlington their
home. They have bought residence
property on North Hill and one hand
some new residence, corner OF Seventh
and Franklin streets, is now nearing
completion. Another is planned to be
built on the corner of Fifth and Court
streets. When Mr.. Alex. Moir began
the construction Of his Franklin street
residence. he placed the work In charge
of an old employe, an experienced
builder, who brought with him some
carpenters from Oquawka. They were
not members of the Burlington Car
penters' union. and so there was trOu-
BILE. They declined to pay the fee and
take out cards in the Burlington union,
as they were here only temporarily,
their home being at Oquawka. There
has been great scarcity OF carpenters
this season and contractors complain
they can not get enough men. either
union or non-union. The Moir brothers
having transferred a valuable industry
to Burlington. giving employment to
large number of people. and preparing
also to spend money literally for res
licences that will be an attraction to
the. town and add materially to Its
taxable property, felt that they were
entitled to press forward the work OF
Improvement as rapidly as possible be-
fore cold weather interrupts building
operations.
The refusal Of the Oquawka carpen-
tiers to take out union cards led the
painters to strike. They would not
paint a house built by non-union la
Dor. Thereupon the Master Painters
Association held meeting and. de-
claring the refusal Of their employees
to work on the NOR house unjustifi-
able, the bosses decided to do the work
themselves. And they did-donnins
their work clothes and taking turns
with the pot and brush. Each found
his trained hand had not lost its cum
ming, and that house was primed In
first-class form.
Thereupon the Painters Union or
dered general strike yesterday and
painting operations in Burlington have
come to a standstill, excepting as the
master painters and the non-union
painters swing the brush and spread
the coloring.
.'I regard It as a great outrage. said
one Of the leading employers, that
am not to be allowed to work ON one OF
my own jobs. The strike is without
Justification. The removal Of the NOR
Bros to Burlington is great benefit
to the city. They are spending tens
Of thousands of dollars here. They
Lave big pay roll. They give em-
ployment to hundreds. They are put
ting up valuable property. A great deal
Of this money goes for labor. We
ought to encourage people to come tc
Burlington to live and to invest money
in property in business enterprise
Some cities, indeed. many. pay subsi-
dies to attract capital and new busi-
ness enterprises. The A1oir Bros. asked
nothing. They came here and are
spending money freely, and Burlington
is correspondingly benefited-particu-
larly labor. What was more natural
and reasonable than that they should
set some of their old. experienced and
trusted employees at work to help out
in the rush? Here was fine house
hindered in construction by the search
ty Of labor. They were willing to en-
ploy either union or non-union labor
They did employ both in different por-
lions of the work. Union labor in Bur-
Hngton lost nothing by II, as there was
more work than they could do, and sc
the temporary help from Oquawka was
called in. Unmindful of the great ben
eft our city is deriving from the ac-
cession of new citizens, new capital and
new factory, the Painters Union pro-
ceeded to give the enterprising new
Corners most inhospitable slap in the
face by ordering all members to alb
stain from work on that building. That
Is why I call it an outrage, not merely
to the Moir Bros. but to our city as a
community. And that is why the mas
ter painters took of their coats and are
doing the work themselves. We give
our new citizens a more hospitable
welcome than the Painters Union gave
them.
Charged With HORSE Stealing.
Special to Times Republican. !
Waterloo, Oct. 2S.-Sheriff Law has
rlaoad nanial Snxdaa. oH BIG. Creek