Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1903-05-07
Employers Meeting at Rutland.

About 250 people attended the lecture
which was given to the members of the
employers association by A. G. Mar
shall, secretary of the employers asso-
cion OF Dayton, o., in Baxter hall at Rut-
land Thursday afternoon. The gather
ing was for the purposes of leading up
to the formation of state employers
association. Although Mr.. Marshall was
the principal speaker of the day, short
remarks were made by Col. j. G. Baker
of Rutland and Elias Lyman of the en-
ployers' association of Burlington. About
200 people were in the hall when the
meeting was called to order at $50
O'Clock by President J. f. Manning of
the Rutland employers association.
More came in atvariouS times during the
afternoon. About $50 members of the
other employers associations of the
state were present.
In introducing the speaker Mr.. Man
ming said that the employers of Vermont
must organize in order to have some
means of protection, and said that the
purpose of this meeting was to hear
what benefit the employers association
has been to the people of Dayton, O. He
said that it has been reported that this
dSSOCldUloI was olSdllZtO lOE Ull6 6X-
press purpose of crushing organized
labor, and he wished to state that this
was absolutely untrue and that this
meeting was for the purpose of hearing
the views of prominent men on the cues
tion of lettering the relations between
employer and employee. Mr. Marshalrs
address was of considerable length and
he told of his interest in the EMPLOYERS
association and the benefits derived from
the association and expressed opinions
concerning the present conditions exist
ing between labor and capital.
Col. j. G. Baker said he did not know
very much about the question inv, lived
in the discussion, but that there is no
doubt in the mind Ct any intelligent cit
izen that there are differences between
capital and abor and the question is,
What is the lemedy?' Colonel Bak er
said that mans labor is his property
and he has right to dispose of it as he
likes so lSng as he does not infringe on
the equal rights of others, and that here
is where organized labor has overstepped
the bounds. Colonel Baker spoke of the
labor troubles in Rutland. He said that
bribery, corruption and intimidation had
been resorted o and that there had been
even threat of personal violence by men
who were p id by the union to do such
work. He said that it is disgrace to
the city that men should refuse to sell
goods to certain persons because they
were requested to do so by strikers or
their representatives.
In referring to the BARRIERS union
Colonel B ker said that the boss BARRIERS
were not exempt from the dirtineSs of
the union. He said that by rule of the
union the boss BARRIERS were fined S. if
they did any work for scab'' and that
one of them was fined last summer for
cutting the hair of John Woodfin.
Colonel Baker said that there was one
thing which had n, t occurred there and
that wa violence making it necessary to
call out the militia. He said: Organ
lied labor has given out a fat that no
member shall belong to the mi tia.
Why? Because the militia supports the
law" He considered that this action of
the unions in ordering the members not
to join the militia was treason.