The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-07-26
Reluctant TO Be Witnesses Before
Grand Jury for Fear Protected
Interests Would Suffer.
At MERCY OF DARING MEN.
Some Employers Adopted System
of Asking Walking Delegate
What He Wanted as Soon
as Work Began.

REPU BLIC SPECIAL.
New York. July 25.-Determined TO push
the men who. posing as labor leaders and
friends of the workingman, are charged
with Systematically eNtorting money from
employers. the victims have decided to ask
District Attorney Jerome 10 procure indct
ments at once in the most fragrant cases.
New evidences of extortion came to light
in the sensational trial of Lawrence Muir
ply, and instances of marvellous audaclty
in the demands made were admitted in the
testimony brought out in the course OF wit
nesses in the case. which is to be resumed
Monday.
Murphy is charged with having misappro
priated $4,000 OF the funds of TIE Stone
Cutters Union He declares that the money
was wrung from the employers under
threats Of ordering strikes. and that the
money could not rightfully belong 10 tie
union, hence he cannot be prosecuted FOR
taking from 1t that TO which it was not
lawfully entitled.
This novel defense of Murphys threat to
expose the Matchmaking methods OF the
Secret Committee of the union. who are
said to be men who allied themselves with
the labor organization. have encouraged the
victims Of the blackmail to place the mat
Ter al tile NdIluS OIL tlie DlstIlCt Attorney
To what extent employers have been ter
roriZed by eXtortion and the great fear they
have Of revealing the history of their cases
was shown yesterday when score of build
ers and contractors were asked to state
their own experiences. Among these were
some of the largest builders and several
who operate ON a smaller scale. and all
known to have paid extortion money.
AFRAID To TALK.
Not one of them would consent to have
his story told. impersonally or otherwise.
Some pleaded that no mention he made of
the matter. A few denied positively that
they had ever paid a penny to prevent
strikes or as the result of threats. The ma
5ority admitted frankly that they had been
victims. but declared that their business
would be impaired if the facts We're made
public.
The head of one large building firm, with
offices in lower Broadway. said:
Certainly we have paid many thousands
of dollars to save trouble. but why. in the
name OF common sense. should we now lose
what We have paid to save our business and
take chances on losing our business as we'll
by talking about the matter? 1t is not
matter of cowardice. nor desire to shield
ourselves or defeat the ends Of justice, but
just plain matter of the preservation of
our business.
IF the public knew what every employer
in this city knows, our position would be
plain. The men whose capital has carried
on the building industry in New York have
been for several years at the mercy of
daring men who have shielded themselves
under the guise of the unions.
I'VE have done the best we could under
these circumstances. Now let us hope that
We are TO be relieved from this condition.
Mr.. Jerome complains that he cannot
get men to come forward and testify. No
doubt that is true. but Mr.. Jerome does not
understand how persistently we are likely
10 be pursued by strikes and other annoy
ances If We open our mouths If We can
be relieved from all this in the future We
are willing to let the past drop"
INGENIOUS PLOTS.
Even in one of the strongest cases against
Samuel j. Parks. the District Attorney has
so far been unable to procure with certain
ty one witness whose evidence forms an
important link in the case. This witness is
at the head Of one of the largest building
concerns in New York. There is another
reason. according to Mr.. Jerome's belief.
why some employees ara reluctant to testify
AAiaS iSosVh' IL 10 OtCidTeu, is tnat few
employers and contractors have acted in
collision with the INSCRIPTIONS men in the
unions for the purpose of getting the bet
ter of competition.
In this way strikes have been ordered.
materials have been boycotted and, in some
instances. employers have formed secret or
CARNATIONS for the purpose of working with
the unions and freezing out competitors.
nr he
terday admitted that such conditions have
existed and that Mr.. Jerome would be able
TO force out the facts If he goes after them.
In some instances. most ingenious plots
have been conceived to Obtain money from
the man whose capital is invested in a
building. The Whitehall building In Bat
terry place. is an illustration. When the
building was nearly completed last April.
a superintendent employed by the Century
Realty Company. who had the contract
employed union journeyman plumber.
who was not in the direct employ Of the
master plumber who was doing the work
The Independent man vaa engaged for p
small job in an a,s~~Ixency Because of
this all the plutEsers went on strike. After
being out week, demand was made for
the discharge of the independent plumber
and for waiting time for all the men out
The plumber was Immediately DISCHARGED.
but the builder refused to pay the waiting
time. Then all the men on the building
were ordered out, several hundred of them
and the building could not be finished in
lime for the tenants.
After several weeks of bargaining with
walking delegates. compromise was OF
fered on the condition that the owners OF
the building enter into contract binding
heirs and assigns never again to employ
in the building any plumber except through
:; master plumber. This the owners refused
to do. and then came another proposition.