The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1904-04-16
PAINTERS GET BACK At
CAPITOL commission
BUSINESS AGENT BAINBRIDGE
HINTS AT IRREGULARITIES.
Says Capitol Commission Not Only
Slapped at Minnesota Mechanics
but at Minnesota Contractors. Com
mission Is Employing an Artist to
Do Work of Artisans at Fabulous
Salary. Good Round Roast.

1h'illled pOllS, April 14.-Ine painters
or Minnesota are not exactly satisfied
with the action of the Capitol Com
mission. or the judge of the district
court in st. Paul relative to the inter-
LOT decorating of the state capitol. The
painters were defeated in their at
tempt to land the job for Minnesota
workmen, but this does not settle the
matter In union labor circles it is
a very live subject, and at union head
quarters the other evening, Business
Agent A. F.. Bainbridge of the Mime
apolis Painters union gave vent to the
following:
1t looks to me as if the newspapers
OF the twin cities have conspired to
mlsrepresent us in the action brought
IN the courts regarding the decorating
or the new state capitol. They insist
that the unions have brought this ac-
ton. 1t Is true that most of the men,
Interested in the matter are union men
for the reason that nearly 95 per cent
Of the painters and decorators of the
twin cities are members of the union,
but there were at least three of the
parties who made affidaVits in this
case who We're not members Of any
union. The action was brought by
men who considered that they and
their business had suffered an injustice
by the action Of the capitol commits
sioners, and We still believe this to be
a fact, Notwithstanding the decision
Of the court
Another place where the papers
seem to be determined to misinform
the public, is that we are objecting to
the employment Of such artists as La
Fargo, Blashfield and Simmons or any
other noted artists to do the picture
and figure painting in the capitol. This
charge is absolutely without any foun-
dation. We do not claim any juris-
'iiction over that class Of artistic work.
There is no person that realizes more
fully that great artists are born and
not made than the men who are work.
ing at decorative and artistic work,
and there is no class of citizens who
will so greatly appreciate the work Of
these great artists. We have not, nor
have we ever thought of objecting to
the employment of the. above-named
+1aleaasors any. then not
that class Of work
AS I understand it, that is, if an
ordinary citizen has any right to dare
to try to understand what these czars
of Minnesota. the capitol commission
are doing, the above-named artists are
to receive something like $98,000 for
doing mural paintings in the capitol
building. Now, Mr.. Guarnsey has MOTH
ing whatever to do with this work;
and II the state Of Minnesota has that
much money to spend for fine paint
ings, as l said before. no one will ap-
precate them and enjoy them more
than we will. But, besides this $4,000,
Mr. Guarnsey Of New York has Sc
cured the contract for the painting and
decorating of the wall and ceilings,
for which he is to receive $125,000. This
is the work for which we are contest
ing. We claim. and can prove that,
with the exception of two lunettes
mentioned in the contract, and for
which it is specified that $4,000 is set
aside within the price Of the contract,
to hire Il special artist to paint and
perhaps Il few other lunettes and
Spandres which may require more
than ordinary ability to paint, and for
which we might allow another $4,000,
all the other work is ordinary decor
ative work which we are doing every
day We have dozens of men in the
:tWin cities who are just as capable of
doing that work as any men Mr..
Guarnsey has got or can get. A large
part of the work consist of putting
Efive coats of oil paint onto the walls
and ceilings. AS any one knows, it
don't require artist to do that class
Of work. but it can be done, and is be-
Ting done, by first-class housepanters
, at 37k cents an hour Aside from the
i lunettes and spandrels referred to, for
which we have set aside $4,000 the
|rest of the work for which the COM
! mission are paying this great and
onlv man Guarnsey" the magnificent
sum Of $115,000, is nothing but artisan
work. defy any one to show the
contrary This is the work that We
claim, according to the law, should
have been submitted to competition
and I can assure you if it had been 1t
would not have cost the state any
y i$115,OOO and the state would have got
better work.
What interest has Mr.. Guarnsey In
the state of Minnesota? He has quite
AN interest in that $125 900, but when
he shakes the dust Of this state off his
feet he wants to have just as much OF
that s125.OO0 down in his jeans as he
a can possibly get there.
The judge, in his decision, says:
1.-THE commissioners are engaged in a
monumental work, the magnificent
marble structure that will stand until
the foundations of the earth are shak-
en-" wonder if the judge thinks that
his fellow citizens who are in the dec
iorating business and who are helping
- to pay for this grand building would
not have taken pride in assisting to
beautify and preserve this great struc-
ture and in having their names 60
down in the history Of it's erection and
Identification.
Again the judge says: Nothing
about 1t should be tawdry or mean.
/ wonder If the judge means to inti-
lnate that there are no decorators In
Minnesota that can do decorative work
only in a mean and tawdry manner
Then he goes on to give us that Old