The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-11-24
MR. INADDEY To
UNION P R|NTERs
Replies to the Charge That En-
ployers Have Soaked
State.
EVERY PHASE TOUCHED ON
Employing Printer Discusses At
titude Of Strikers at Con
siderable Length.
Editor OF The Tlrnes-Dispatcb.

olT,-1n your paper OF to-day the eight
hour committee of the Richmond Tyno-
graphical Union. No. 80, have made u des-
peratc attempt to drag themselves into
the public eye by printing column and
nan statement =, to let the public know
their side of the controversy" Inasmuch
as the public has heard in our opinion,
altogether too much of both sides OF this
controversy, 1t seems to US that the
only reason for the publication in ques-
uon Is 10 call attention to the advance
IN the prices, which are to be paid
FOL, the public printing this year and to
make bid to the public for the use or
the union label" 1nasmuch however,
TT TO publish this statement under flam-
Ing headlines, We feel that the employers
would be false to themselves If they did
not make immediate reply and request of
ms taa ae s same pr tbn
made upon them. The Union Commit
tee seeks to produce upon the public the
IMPRESSION I'm that BY the Introduction OF
inc linotype machine the volume OF work
mas been reduced and consequently a
large 1amber of cotnpositors are In a
condition OF enforced idleness, but no
one knows better than that COMMITTEES
mat with the Introduction of the limo
type and other typesetting machines came
large Increase in the volume Of print
ing which far more than made UP to
the 1otirneymen what was lost in the
''.''HNI w w VIC lICIedSGu Cipd-
city OF the machine over hand work.
daily afternoon papers of more than four
pages were unknown except in metro
politan. centres, prior to the introduce
ton OF the machines: the morning pa
pers that published n Sunday edition of
eight pages considered that it was show
Ing an extraordinary degree OF enter
prise. To-day with the introduction of
the machines an afternoon paper Of less
than twelve pages Is considered beneath
the dignity of any city OF 5000 inhabi-
tants and morning papers and their, Sun
day editions run from "a TO 81 pages
age. of 1G This same reduction of cost
made by machine composition has made
possible an enormous increase In COM
ncrcia and other work and the result
has been that never In the history OF
printing has there been as great a de-
mand for competent compositors as there
has been in the last two years particularly
has this been the case within the twelve
months last preceding
AS this committee well knows, there has
not been a day during that period in
which a competent printer need have
lost an hours time; when incompet ent
compostors were SO constantly employed,
and when the only people who were out
of employment were the drunkards and
buns, whose unrelia5ility made 1t i'm
practicable for the employer to put them
"necessarics Of life for themselves and
their little ones" to the superior indus
try Of their wives and children, or the
o. OF me CITY.
our employers to give us the eight-hour
w, WGTh uay, not % Durden tnem or cur
$l l.l thelr8 proilts uor they are paying the
en nov m ,neir r. e ~ 10 4 more Ian they
were PLYING US pS y 70 ~ per Week, Dut
IN order that the work might be divided
a H - az anu tnat ~ tnignt nave
G S.tI VI seeuIins lliAl liVins Which
; Klho taovlaehce Nus so r1chiS PROVIDED.
Inns 81, statSment IS not true ana they Know
~. Inc nIosa,s under whlGn they are con.
uuGtlns their neht WIN tue employers IS:
we propose 20 seli 70 tne. elnployers
elsht hours OUT OF the tWenty-iour. ana
ing sixteen;
This high-sounding and Independent
declaration is emblazoned upon the shield
q these modern knig hts OF labor. and
their banners; 1t Sdecorates all Of the cir
culars which are sent out from their In
ternauonal union headquarters, 1t is
When II Il the president Of the international
Typographical Union made this declara-
ton to the Toronto convention:
we do not want the eight-hour day by
reason of charity or philanthropy. We do
not want 1t in order that our physical or
mental well-beng may be improved. We
refuse to abandon our eight-hour demand
because we may under present conditions.
be more fortunately situated than other
artisans. We want the eight-hour work
day because we are convinced that it suf-
fees for the work there is to do the
work there is to be done, the demand of
society for the, product Of the press. We
propose to sell to the. employer eight
hours out Of the twenty four, and We will
do as we please with the remaining six,
teen .7
It was taken up by that convention and
by the Information Union Representatives
there and has been their war cry ever
since This militant spirit is certainly very
different from that which is now assumed
by the elght-hour-day committee OF the
agraph above quoted, ana II is this spirit
70 he last ha dteh on the part fo he en-
Moving nIjnters, This militant and iIctn-E
uy,iis - rnr, h,ned VIII, he IMAM
action Il Striking our ottless upon j, notice
~ ~ itu,n s. i,,nenass y nnrnlvza n,,r'hn,s
mess and see i, utterly DESTROYED. i the
dtetai.on aue ."t tha fa1t hat mder
e Existing conditions the union haa this
power, GouP!Ga WIN w taSl tmas ny G,, uu-