Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-06-11
Attorney Jerome Gives
an Instance of Walking
Delegates Corruption
ONE UNION SOLD FOR $4,000
Five Walking Delegates Fix Matters
for Consideration, the Result Be-
ing the Wrecking of the Union They
Represented-Bribery of the Dele.
gates Very Common Thing. "a

New York. June 11.-Describing the
settlement of the Union Club building
strike for cash, District Attorney Jer-
one said that police graft about
which he has long been reckoned an ex-
pert. is not in it with Tabor graft" KS
disclosed by the inquiries he has been
carrying on into strikes in the bailding
trades. He wants this published as
widely as possible, so that the individ-
ual workman, who has been striking at
the walking delegates whistle. and
going back to work at his nod, can see
how the game is worked.
That the Union Club, of which Mr..
Jerome is a member, and the contract
ors engaged in building its new home,
in Fifth avenue, were compelled to givt.
up a good deal Of money TO labor agi
tators last year when the club house
was being finished, has been a matter
of runor for many months. One of the
first things that Mr. Jerome did when
the methods of the walking delegates
We're brought to his attention, was TO
try to get to the bottom of the story.
I'm the fall of 1902 he said yester-
day, "the Amalgamated Painters ami
Decorators Union, which was repre-
sented in the board of walking dele
gates. made demand for increased
wages and shorter hours. for the men
employed by the contractors doing
work on the Union Club building, The
employers refused the demands and
strike followed.
The employers, most Of them cabinet
makers and decorators, then got to-
gether, and tried to devise some way
by which the work could be finished.
They decided that it was absolutely
necessary to get the brotherhood rep
resented in the board of building trades.
The president of the brotherhood, j. G.
Bahlhorn, of Layfayette. Ind. came on
here to talk the matter over with the
employers, and agreed on behalf of the
brotherhood to subscribe $4,000 to a
fund to be used to pay the proper peo-
pie TO get the brotherhood represented
in the board.
AT this same time the Union Club
itself contributed sum which | shall
not name, to this same fund. The en-
tire money was handled by one OF the
head cabinet makers and by a,construc-
ton company in this city. Most of the
money was paid to these handlers in
checks.
About this time the officers of the
brotherhood notified the employers that
they would have to withdraw their Of
to pay $4,000 toward the fund because
the reason for the expenditure would
have to be entered upon their books,
and as the brotherhood election was
approaching the fact that they had
spent the money in this way might be
used against the officers, all Of whom
were candidates for reelection. This
made 1t necessary for them to raise the
money In some other way. so each of
the fifteen employers consented to give
up $500 more, asking $3.50 from each
man.
This $3.50, besides the amount sub
scribed by the Union Club, was turned
over 20 five walking delegates, all vot-
ing members of the board of building
of the brotherhood to the board and, of
COuISS, Tie vi tliS
union, many of those members rushed
heels over head to get into the brother
hood, when they saw how the tide had
turned.
This was deliberate selling out Of
a labor union by the walking delegates.
The amalgamated strike came to an
end at once, and complete victory |
was won by the employers.
THE names of the five walking dele
gates I will not give out at this time
The names of the firms which gave /
up $50 each are known to me. If it T
went into the hands of the walking DEL I
egates and stayed there, 1t is larceny
Two interesting stories which Mr.. I
Jerome is now investigating are that a
large number of walking delegates are
regularly carried on the pay rolls Of
certain construction companies in this
city, and that certain walking delegates
have repeatedly offered, for money
to allow employers TO
reduce the wages of their men or to hire
non union or union labor as they