The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-08-07
OUTS ITHUNIONS.
Labor Day Won't Be Celebrated
at VineWOOd.
Topeka Trades Assembly Chang
eS Its Plans.
GO TO QUANT'S GROVE.
Picnic Train to Be Run by the
Rock Island.
Disagreement About Carpenters
Disagreement About Carpenters
Given as Cause.

Because of the hostility, real or fam
cied, of the Topeka City railway to
union labor. the Trades Council and the
Building Trades council have reSclnded
their decision to hold the Labor day
picnic al Vinewood park, and will in
stead charter special train on the
Rock Island and make 20 cent round
trip rate to Quant's grove, near the
old sugar MILL ten miles west of To-
peka.
There is great bitterness against the
management of the city railway. The
labor unions feel that the officers OF the
company, especially L. Z. Myers, have
violated all their pledges made when
Myers was trying to get a franchise
from the city. At that time the labor
unions passed VoluminOuS resolutions,
sent great crowds of Lobbyists to the
council chamber. and exhibited almost
unreasonable insistence that the coun-
cilmen grant the new company fran
chise.
The city railway does not recognize
the unions in any way. 1t employs non
union common labor, nOn-union cleo
tricians, and non-union carpenters. A
contract has just been awarded to Mr..
Council for building a number of struc-
lures at the park. and Mr.. Council does
not employ union men. The unions in
sist that the discharge of four conduct
Ors and mOtorneerS Thursday was solely
for the purpose of breaking up union
which was being organized.
When the unions voted to hold their
picnic at Vinewood park, the conflict
between the unions and the railway had
not become so animated. There was no
particular opposition to going to Vine
wood. but the carpenters wanted to have
it fixed so that members of their union
should do the work on the new build
ings So it was decided to go to Vine
wood, provided the railway company
would make certain concessions to the
unions. The company refused to make
anv concessions 1t was claimed tina t
Council had agreed to employ union
men. but the company refused to en-
force this agreement. When the report
was made to the Trades Council, it
turned down the Vinewood park plan,
and adopted the Quants grove PROPOSE
ton.
r. I. Palmer. chairman of the joint
committee of the Trades Council and
the Building Trades council. which has
had the Labor day arrangements in
charge said this morning:
we decided not to go to Vinewood
because the management would not
meet certain conditions which we pro-
posed Yes, those conditions had to Go
with the employment of union labor.
The boys are pretty sore because of the
way the company has turned them
down since it got its franchise Appar-
emily it was friendly to US just to get
the franchise. 1t has not paid any at
tention to the unions since then. Several
of the unions have special cause for
complaint
The butchers and grocers, who had
intended to hold their picnic at Vine
wood, have also decided to go -elseU here
and will go to Tecumseh.
LABOR DAY ARRANGEMENTS
Labor day this year occurs on Sep
The special train on the Rock Island
will be chartered by the Labor day