Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-04
OPEN SHOP DECLARED
Employing Printers Post No
tice Today.
BITTER FIGRT BEGINS
TYPoTHETAE AND TOPOGRAPHIC
CAL UNION LOCK HORNS.
Government Printing Office Employees
: Participating to Be Brought to
Presidents Attention.
Notice-On and after January 4,
1906. the composing rooms of each of
the following employing printers of
Washington, D. c., will be operated
as an open shop the hours of labor
will be nine"

| as an open shop the hours of labor
| will be nine"
| The above notice is prominently placarded
| today in sixteen of the largest printing
| houses in Washington, and is signed by the
| following companies. firms and ind viduals:
| Byron S. Adams. George E. Howard, r.
| Beresford Globe Printing Company, Judd
| & Detwieler, w. F. Roberts & Co., McGil
| & Wallace. John F. Shiery, the wilkens
| Printing Company. the Crane Company,
| Gibson Bros. Clarence E. Davis. Manhat-
| tan Printing Company. 8. E. Tomlinson,
| H. 1. Rothrock and G. S. Whitmore
The fight for and against the eight-hour
| day in the printing trade is now fairly on,
| and Investigations made by Star reporter
| today indicate that the battle will be
| fought to a finish by the United Typothetae
of America, composed OF employing print
| ers. on the one side, and the International
| Typographical Union. composed of journey
men printers, on the other. Both sides are
actively preparing for the fray.
An important proposition in the local sit
uation has been presented on the side of
the employing printers, as was learned
today. The proposition is that the intend
| ed boycott of the printing houses that de-
| cline to enter into the eight-hour agree
ment In this city will be taken before Pres
ident Roosevelt for adjustment in so far
as the employees of the government printing
office and other federal departments figure
| In the matter.
| Views of an Employer.
An employer said today that there are
| approximately 2.4OO printers in the Dis
trict, and that of this number only about
| LOO will be affected by the downtown eight
| hour movement Many of the others are
| employed in the government printing Of
| flee, which, the employer added, is, accord
| ing to President Roosevelt's declaration. an
| open shop.
! Now he said. the anomaly will be
| presented of a large number of government
| employees, themselves employed in an open
| shop. combining to do injury to number
| of reputable business concerns in WASH
| lngton, because their proDrietors are doing
what the government has already done
declaring for an open shop and the right
to control their own business affairs in
| their own way.
| President Roosevelt has declared against
| 'pernicious activity in politics. How much
| stronger will be his declaration under his
| square deal policy against a secret or
| gaalzation composed of government en-
pioyes displaying 'pernicious activity in an
effort TO MAIN or destroy certain private
| business interests in the District of CO.
| lumbia.'
1t is understood that this matter of the
| participation of the employees of the govern
| ment printing office in the movement for
ing offices will be taken directly to the
| President by the Typothetae when It has
been decided that the proper time has ar
| rived.
Decision Reached Friday.
| The decision to post the placard against
| the eight-hour day was reached it Is said
at a meeting of the Washington Typothetae
held Friday evening. 1t is stated in this
connection that but three of the larger
printeries have recently decided to sign
| eislrt-hour contracts with Columbia Typo
graphical Union. These are the Sudwarth
Printing Company, the National Printing
| Company and the Law Reporter Company
The employees of the Trades Unionist Com
| pany have been working on eight-hour
| basis for long time, that office having
| been the first in Washington to grant its
employees the lesser work day.
| That complications of a serious nature
| may result when the matter of the partci-
| patton of the employees of the government
! against the downtown offices is brought
| before President Roosevelt was not denied
In local printing circles today.
. Information was received here today of
| the strenuous steps that are being taken by
| the United Typothetae of America to with
stand the general strike of printers sched-
/ creed by the International Typographical
! Union. the eight-hour work day Is to go
into effect, Schools have been established
| In New York Philadelphia and Kansas
| City where linotype and monotype operat-
| ing is being taught to large classes of
young men and women. who will be ex-
| pected to fill the places of the strikers
The National Typothetae has leased one
of the largest printing houses in the United
| States. and it is being used as a school OF
| instruction preparing hundreds of boys and
young men to go forth as book and job
printers. A school has been established in
which young women. preferably high school
graduates, are being instructed as machine
operators, and in all the offices in which
lE-nlr ~ a rlla md
will be taken in and placed under instruc-
tors, to be graduated as compositors both
for book and job work.
To carry out these and other plans the
Typothetae has subscribed to a large de-
Tense fund
Demand of the Union.
The local demand Of the members of
Columbia Typographical Union is for
a union shop, s1S a week and eight
hours days work. Members of
the Washington Typothetae declare that
they cannot conduct their establishments
on this basis, especially as they will have
| to compete with non-union printing houses
In Baltimore. Richmond and other nearby
cities
ness, said one employer, "and whether
we shall continue it at profit or a loss
Members of the Typothetae everywhere
are determined that rather than keep their
offices open for the benefit of their en-
ployes they will close the doors and go
out of business"
In addition to the other extensive ar
engagements the National Typothetae is
| making to meet the threatened conditions
at the close of the present month, country
compositers are being registered, and 1t is
proposed, 1t is said, to have a clearing
house from which printing offices In ali
parts of the Union will be supplied with
hands on short notice.
I'VE have no feeling against our men or
against the union" said an employing print
er today. January all of our present en-
ployes will be invited to remain In their po-
sitions at the same wages and nine hours
of work per day. We are willing to enter
| into individual contracts with our employees
covering periods of one, two, three or four
years Merit viii win. If our employees
deserve it their pay will be increased even
beyond the scale, but we propose to operate
our own shops In our own way. If they
leave our employ that Is their own busi-
ness. We regret the seriousness of the