Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-04-07
BICGERSTAFF ON DECK.
Denies Makepeace's Allegation
 That He Is Against Unions.

AAs4e sa~ sS GA&9AsEsSS ObAAVHSs
 MT Makepeace is evidently bent on making trouble by the tone of his lengthy epistle in last nights issue. The idea thdt is put forward by him that am opposed to trades unions is incorrect, and wish to hold this fiery yteed up in his rapid gait and ask him to point out anything that appeared in tine columns of the Republican that would wegTant such a statement. claimed. that in the past history of ur- Aonjsm mistakes had been made and g<e being made to-day. The expert Smce of the past has taught the ideal unions of to-day many useful lessons. ' have pointed that out before, but Mir Makepeace hangs on 10 the tall afraid Ho let go, by stating that am inaoT- rect. There is one thing that soreay dasp1eases my critic and that IS b@- cause I am not dyed deep enough in the wool If should taBe a mop and m large bucket of red paint and smear everything red in connection with Ia bor 0rgandzations should simply be Nfe real thing. He would not deplore my so-caTied arrogance then. That is not my purpose. have learned many bitter lessons of the past and I was hon. est when I pointed them out to the fa- Dor organizations existing at the pres en&. MT Makepeace drweMs very strongly upon the statement he credits to me, viz, 'sthe arrogance of trades tanionss' wish to fasten this false hood upon the shoulders of my illustri- oue critic and tell him pofntedly that Aayad II defy him to find in the articles referred to any place where used the wold "arrogance." The headline he refers to was put there by the editor of the paper. It was publishsd, no doubt Tor effect, somewhat like the headline in aast nights Democrat 'Biggerstaff S Bfuff" My articles have become some wa1@t twisted in the mind of Mir Make peace They were written as points of historical evidence, for the better ment Of unioTtsm rather than it's tlrl- do4ng. I asked the lenders of trades unions to freely discuss tihe relations between capital and labor, not moving in one groove as if they were antagon- fstic to one another, but to take new grounds and inquire what ties and if any bound them TogefheT. Why did l quote John Morley, the great upholder Of ufifonis1rA if I was trying to make out case against it? He stahed that unions can be and are of great good, providing they curb the spirit Of sel- hShness and are we'll conducted. There are trades in which the tyranny of a bad master. or still bad boss. Is able to turn a workshop into a purgatory. A union puts stop to that and in Nures something Hike fair treatment. He also stated that strikes, like wars, are not only Justified but necessary in the present state of the world. Would have quoted such an authority if I was trying to make out case against organized labor2 I stated upon my own responsibility that the capitalist does combine and has combined, there fore labor organizations are proper and Legitimate. What hurts my critic Is because I plead for the elevation of trades unions and Go try and do away with disruptfons and avoid making mistakes How do you account for the statement of A. ]. Bou1ton, one of the most prominent men in labor cir cles, former vice president Of the New York StereotyperS union, in his article on fEe efficiency of union labor in the Outlook of March 28, 1908, that ''un- ions have made mistakes and the ex- perdence of them has helped to build up Uhfs wonderful organization that does not exist for tF1e sole purpose of Hntagonizing capital, but has another object in view, bo help and sustain the manufactures and make good any loss mat he might suffer on account of the actions of his workmen in regard tc bad work. at the same time dtscourag ing Aeveling down and allowing no one to become one of it's members unless ht IA fhoroughly qBdfif1ed to earn what k demanded from the 1nanhfacturer fo1 his labor,'' and if he is incapable he is let 20: and 1t has another grand pur pose-it looks after the members wher they become old. MT Mjakepeact should read this article and ifkewist every union man inside of this city ant put of it
 Tn regard to shortening Che hours 0. labor, Mir Makepeace hints that I an opposed to IL. Here is another case where my friend has run anuck. have always stood for the shorter day and devised means wfle%Rhv 1t could D, bEougl1t abotits at the samHe time ex planning what an uphill job it was fl this country where the judiciary, stat and fesderad authorities were agains
 the masses.
 we win now take up question No
 again:
 My opponent claims that disruption at the Spon Lane g1ass works wa
 caused by bfre firm moving its worl
 where 1t could get cheaper labor. Ina
 deny. as they had no place to 1nov
 # bo. The various governments move
 tfleh orders to Germany, Belgium an
 elsewhere where they could get thei
 contracts filled on time, which wa
 done cheaper by bhe use of the new ar
 plfed machinery which was stubbornl
 fought against by the operatives at tfl
 Spon Lane works. therefore the owner
 could not state any specified time wlq
 f1l6 contracts would be filed M
 Chance, fhe owner, called attention I
 this fact at Fhe great mass meeting
 glass blowers f1 West BTomwich. Tn
 firm is reduced to plate glass windo'
 work and lamp cflimneys at the pre-
 ent. Please look up A. ! Bou1ton, u1
 ion authority on this matter in tf