The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-08-09

4 TO characterize the CLOSED Snop' OF the
future the number of its enemies Will
increase and the opposition grow until
the open shop triumphS over Such IN
Justice and unfairness-
IF you insist that the foreman must
he a member of the union give him the
liberty to be a man, free in every way
to perform his full duty to the publish
err free to employ the best man he can
secure for any situation which becomes
vacant Don't trammel him with pri-
GRITTY lists and sublists, and appeals 10
the union and fines by the union. when
ne is struggling to do his best for the
interests of the office, without acting
unfairly towards the workmen-
with reference to the priority law
quote from contributor rom the July
number of the Typographical Journal;
49, The so called priority law,
should be abolished. There is no sub
stantial reason why a foreman should
be bound hand and foot by drastic ex-
action that works benefit to the one TO
stand on an equal footing and in these
piping times of strenuous exertfon there
should be some slight reward for the
better man. The law is not recognized
in job offices-at least not in Chicago
and should have no standing in the
newspaper business. Foremen are given
their authority because OF their ability
to get a maximum amount of work
from the minimum number of men.
He naturally wants to attain
that end and he should be allowed that
privilege. He may have some incapaci-
tated or other men on his force whom
he dislikes to dispense with for various
reasons because they can do some
classes of work as well as another; out
when it comes to give out a situation
that requires an all around man he
should be allowed some latitude. The
argument that if a man is competent
to work as a sub or extra he is Compel
ent to fill a situation is ur-enable and
misleading. 1t must be admitted that
there are decided grades of workmen
both as to quality and quantity OF re-
suits produced. One can be lacking
both these respects, yet he may hold a
semi-situation for years. 1t would be
an injustice to refuse him chance to
work for he is entitled to an opportun-
ity to earn his daily bread as divine
right. Yet he cannot hope to compete
with the more active craftsman. His
abilities are limited. He simply Nils in
because there is partial employment TO
be dispensed. To logically follow out
the priority law he should be refused
the right to work because the time is
surely coming when he can claim the
regular situation as a priority right, or
else there must be a continual changing
the medium or poor grade workmen in
order to avoid the necessity of giving
him the situation when that time ar
riVes. Neither of these alternatives
would be a more fnhuman act than to
slight him when the Office has a situa-
ton to give out. The workman who
shows ability gets the regular situation
because he can be utilized to better adj
vantage. That is the law of expectancy,
and not priority. In fact it is an ex-
emplification of the old saying, May
the best man win or, You can't keep
a good man down No matter now
many laws the International Typo
graphical union makes, merit Will win,
just as good seed will spTout and grow
while the bad and Indifferent will fan
to come up, or dies before maturity
The law is an handicap;it has no stand
between y.
1t should be abolished.
This is testimony and advice from
the union standpoint by one who has
labored inside and who has witnessed
the working of this priority business.
I'm view of the fact that your refer
endum has adopted an amendment 10
YOUR constitution that nothing shall be |
enacted relative to the. internal affairs
of printing offices, fully agree with
your president when he says IN MS re-
port that you have many general laws
in force enacted prior to last year, |
which are inconsistent with the new
1 trust this opportunity
will be taken to real at least all laws
to which 1 have referred.
Il beg to call your attention to the
experiences of the past year with other |
than ours, as set forth In
the presidents report, the type FOUR
ders' strike which taxed your treasury
about 10000; the strike in Boston
which resulted in the continuance of
the open shop in the book, and job Of |
fees of that city, and finally the strike |
in Louisville which after a go day strug- |
gle was declared by your organizer as
'hopelessly lost
lin the month of June the lines of bat
tie were defined on the eight hour issue
between your organization and the Uni
ted Typothetae so that the immediate fu-
ture of your relations with the latter or
ganization looks exceedingly warlike.
Now contrast all the struggling war
fare with the existing peaceful conditions
and relations between your organization
and ours 1t is now in every way desfr- |
able to promote and foster our present
policy by removing every |
cause of friction between the publisher
and the union
THE newspaper composing room en-
ploye is favored with very much higher
wages and also reduced hours than union
printers receive from any other class OF
should not the union treat the newspa-
per publisher with greater consideration |
than has been shown in the past? DO rot
of the composing room DO |
not interfere with the judgment OF the
workmen, by establishing low standards |
of competency in your local union laws
priority lists and sub-lists either in /. T. |
u or local laws Allow the office to hire |
unslxilled workmen to perform unskilled |
labor at a proper wage for such work |
Then will publisher cease to object to a |
closed shop covering only skilled labor |
which to improve our trade relations, |
during which time we will be bound by |
for you delegates, representing a menu |
bership of nearly 5000. to determine |
islate to bring about the results Indicated |
to make our present peaceful relations |
that an unfair policy can not be enduring |
and that reason, not force, must deter |
mine all issues. unless We wish to retro !
grade from our present high state of en-
iightened civilization back to the barbar-
ism of the savage.
In closing I wish to thank President
Lynch for his courtesy in inviting me to