The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-01-05
'.IAL..LiE.GEDIC0ERCI0N
IN BUSINESS
CONTINUED from First Pasco

-
@ Ii drarp in the very broad question Of
f cnercion In trade Ii. general. In whatever
form this coercion may appear. IN the
L ri t,oycott OF the trust or the combination
III the strike Of the labor Union, the CLOAK
OF the Competition that Is the NE OF
trade" now and then thrown around ~
Il self BY certain commercial organize q tioi '
H Thu battle Is to be fought on this line.
a85 The plaintiff alleges that he has been
Il r-,aae the Victim, of an unlawful ana ma
,jctou. conspiracy: the defense claims
that Il had legitimate interests 10 Pre-.
tsct and legitimate purposes 70 serve ~, us
Y she ALLEGED coritinatio and that II olu
rnt ar. -,.aliciouslv or wantonly. Counsel
ii .e- Inc complainant goes further and ar
f7pes In rersral against all such coercion
ara malicious combinations, ealing up
Il i,- support of his contention instances OF
n strikes and threatened strikes ny en-
,,sry.s. and eoycot.s and threatened poEi
s.nt.. h, s-s-loyers and others. a nice
e string o. tethnicaiities serves further 70
eoraplica.e the already complex case.
The citation Of authorities was some.
I thing ssup.n6ous in its way Banks OF
Law books surrounded the attorneys a.
s th.r spoke. Decision after decision was
nrnarced and read. The courts nave
dealt very fully with the questions. and
< an unnumbered series of cases that are
vi ali more or less connected have 10 say
concerning them. They were nearly an
III put to good purpose 3!es'etud!
Argued on Demurrer.
"a A number OF prominent plumbers gath
cred in the City Hall about II A. NJ. yes
terday. anticipating ,triai OF ..ne saS 49, u'
its merits. It was finally announced. now
~ ever. that the argument on the demurrer
4 had been gone into. and that TINS "ouio
probably consume the entire day MI.
III William L. Royal represented the pam
iii. and Mr. II. NJ Smith, Jr., ana NE.
Iofor
argument was before Judge John II. IN.
gram, the distinguished judge OF inc Id"
and Equity Court
~ The case was suit Tor damages
brought by Charles NJ. Meghan against
1 Morgan r. Mills, John ". Anderson, oi,n
e. Rose, John II. Rose, Rlch'ho'lu ~, ,inn
4 Ing and Mante Company, corpora'io !.
ss}6553 q, L. Dalton, Charles Burkett, W. \.
& Mahoney. James Chapel Chris. Manning
ma others to the plaintiff unknown, al
ID rnannbers of the Master Plumbers Associ-
n alton. He asked $1,000
II In his declaration the plaintiff sets form
.ig that he Is a plumber Of Manchester ano
y That the defendants are all plumbers OF
I'D Richmond and Manchester. There are IN
the two cities a number OF merchants en-
gagged in the business of selling pump
Z ing supplies and stores, when are ',e
only places where SUCH supples ca. ~
obtained In this community. inc deleha'
@ ants and Others the declaration alleges
-+ entered into a wilful, wanton, malicious
s94 and unla wful conspiracy and agree1nclt
called the Master Plumbers Assocla'i o.,
Il with the object Of coercing and compell-
ing all plumbers and suppl! haeie .li,.no,,
Ff to ioin with them in the said conspiracy
t or union. This object they carried out.
Had to Take Oath of Secrecy.
No Number belonging to the union was
IS n &use any material furnished by the
owner of the house in which JOB was
Ia he performed The material must DC
S furnished by the plumber himself, ana the
plumber must buy from tho merchants,
all associated in the conspiracy Every
D. merchant was to put price on ms goous
a. and advertise the same to the puplc' put
Il i hcy were to make discount on prices
s8 II all plumbers, members of the union,
MIX &c from twenty-five to fifty per cent, ahu
sl 10 send out circulars to the plumners
containing this information me p!ulnpe'
Yas to buy from one of the SAID mer
chants and was to require the owner OF
sE, the house to pay him for the material :
according to the advertised price. ana
a M merchant was to sell to any plumber
not a member OF the union.
6s8 I..,rhe defendants maliciously and unla"-
f,lIy agreed TO this as above stated as
s their plot and conspiracy. and each mem.
His Der of said LnIon. whether a voluntary
member or coefced into joining, was com
pclIed on joining TO take an oath that ne
would never divulge any part OF the con :
II spiracy and compelled to agree that ne
would submit TO any fines that union
wight put on him. II he violated the said
agreement or violated any other rules
or orders OF the conspiracy or union.
n was further alleged that the firm oil
G.. &. A. Bargamin supply merchants. was
II cocrced into joining the union; mat upon
one occasion it accidentally sold TO
rlumber not member o. The union; trh'
X 1t was fined $3.50 and compelled to pay
6 that II has ever sinca been coerced ant
authenticated INTO refusing to sell plumb
Y ers' suppl!esAo anX.plumber not mem
Der Of the.unftn.
Threatened Them.
4 The union persuaded one or two sup.
r,ly houses to join, continues the allega'
.$ t,ons and then forced the others to do SO
MA threatening TO keep the plumbers Of Rich
1nond from buying from them unless they
IN did so. All Of them were then forced intc
Joining. The plaintiff, as plumber, re-
Va fused 10 Join and the defendants resolved
q IL boycott him and cut him off from al
III sources of supply, necessary to him In thu
conduct OF his business. THY did 81
$s# and kept him cut off In this manner TO
.E a year They notified all the supply mer
lsi$ chants (menbers OF the union) and for
"a rade them to sell to the plaintiff. In July
a 1903. plaintiff applied, he says, to 6. &
A.. bdTbaIUln N~O,i WIZ lclhSSh W bSil v
5Ea him, stating as their reason that he va
x rot a member Of the union and that tho
were forbidden to sell to non-mcmbcrs
MI Blmilar applications TO the Southern RAJ
Y way supply Company and TO the. Gordo
Metal Co. were similarly received, tn
Nh plaintiff was eventually compelled to SEN
Il 81 To Baltimore to get his stuff.
I About August, 1909, Mrs Julia Wheel
wright was building a house In Chester
8a field county and advertised for bids, upo
investigation the plaintiff learned that h
5 could not enter bid because tho waite
closets and bath tubs to be used wel
special ones, made by G, G. A. Bargamir
In view Of all of these things, Mcigha
{3 asked $1,000 damages, alleging that for
~ year the Master Plumbers Associatio
4 came between him and his natural supply
as8 The Demurrer.
The defendants demurred. claiming tha
the declaration was insufficient. I'll