The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-09-11
CALL ON MAYOR.
Union Men Protest Against
Ordinance Book Contract.
Trades Council Wants City Coun-
ell to Back Up.
FIGHT STEVES & son.
Unions Say He Can't Do Salts
factory Job.
.COuncilmen Think 1t Is Too
Late to Make Change.
FIGHT STEVES & SON.

An attempt to take the contract away
from Stoves & Son for printing the city
ordinances will be made by the union
labor forces in the city. The Trades
and Labor Council which takes in all
the union organizations in the city are
protesting at the action of the city
council and at the next meeting of the
council will appear and formally ask
that the action which has been taken
by the council be rescinded.
The Trades Council met Friday evening
and appointed W. L. Stark, w. T. Lutes
and John Curry to wait on Mayor w.
H. Davis and arrange for q new deal OH
the awarded contract. The committee
called on the mayor at his office Satur-
day and protested against the award
of the contract as it had been made.
They claimed that they represented the
union labor interests of the city and
desired to inquire If the contract was
awarded on the basis of discrimination
and whether it was intended to act as
a slap against the unions of the city.
Mayor W. H. Davis in reply assured
them that there was no discrimination
involved. Il don't believe there was
any thought of union or nonunien in
the matter" said he. 1T was simply
granted on the basis of the lowest bid
der. l feel sure that the committee did
not take into consideration whether
either one of the bidders was a union
shop or not. If there is anything that
can be done about this would like to
do it but really don't know what can
be done. I will look into it,
w. T. Lutes, one of the committee.
said: I'VE came UP here to see the
mayor about this contract. We know
for certain that Stoves can't do the job
and do it right. He isn't prepared to
do that kind of work. He has never
done anything of that kind and he will
have to farm it out in order to get it
done, He hasn't any bindery in con-
nection with his plant. We three were
appointed by the Trades and Labor
Council to look into this. don't know
just exactly what action we will take.
We will probably take it up with some
of the councilmen and be present at
the next council meeting. We intend to
have the award of the contract held
back until that time If we can"
r. M. Stoves, of Stoves s. Son, made
a statement refuting the charge that
he employed incompetent help. II don't
employ children said he. 81 simply
employ whom I think will be capable
to do the work for which they are en-
gagged. / have employed union help for
the past three years, at the same time
I have also had nonunion men work for
me. am not to be drawn into. any
eight hour struggle. 1 am not fighting
for the typothetae nor am / fighting in
ply do the work the best that know
how, in order to make a living. I am
fully competent to do the work. / have,
it is true, let my binding be done out
side, but the work that will be done for
the city will be every bit Sa good as
what Crane & Co. can do. The citys
work will be done by w. N. Tincher
and he does some of the best book bind
ing in the city
Councilman Fred E. Nipps. who was
Of fNl1orS n O.
ommend to the council the awarding of
the contract, said in defense of the
charge that the unions had been dis
eliminated against: 1.-THE word union
or nonunion did not enter into the dis
cussion of the award at all. In fact L
didn't even know who employed union
help and who didn't. We simply grant
ed the contract to the party who had
in the lowest bid. There was no dis
cussion in the committee meeting over
who should have the bid. We were I'M
anin1ous about it. I noticed afterward
that Councilman Swendson voted for
Crane & Co. and I was considera bly, sur
prised at it for he had not held out at
all in the committee meeting. He SEEM
ed to think as we did, that the lowest
bidder should have it. I don't see how
the contract can be altered now.
Eyes, it is true that I sided in with
the remaining members of the commit
tee upon granting the contract to the
lowest bidders at nrst, Sald .. "A.
S. A. Swendson. at changed my vote
in the council, though. I don't care to
say why I did this. may explain later
on. I really can't see how the Trades
and Labor Council can expect to get
the contract made null at this late date.
The council has voted to grant the con-
tract to Stoves & Son and instructed the
mayor to enter into a contract with
them. That seems to settle it. We
didn't discuss the union or nonunion
phase of the situation. We didn't think
of that at all. It was simply the item
of the lowest bid which caught US
while Crane & Co. offered to do the
work for 1866.