Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-01-31
UNION LABEL EARNED.
Will Net Appear on Any hors of the
 City Printing.

The present city administration has set the seal of its condemnation on the union label and as result the symbol will not be found in the year book now being printed by Canal street frm represented by Mr Kelsey. who has se- cured the contract for the municipal register for 1904. This has stirred up the union men about town. but It ap pears that the men now at the helm have the courage of their convictions and don't care who knows where they stand on this question. Some time ago the aldermen passed a vote providing that all city printing bear the union label. and as this vote has not been re scinded many take the ground that the action of the powers that be is not legal. but that is a small matter. The present city administration is ont bound by charter provisions. let alone votes of previous boards. so that the calling attention to the fact of an order passed by their predecessors amounts to nothing.
 l The vote passed by the aldermen this year regarding the printing of the reg ister is beautifully silent on this ques- tion, but from what can be gathered oll the matter the majority representa- ton in the city boards got together on the question and decided to have the label relegated to the grave of oblivion during the present administration at least.
 1 No said one of the officials to q reporter the union label will not ap- pear on any more city printing. l don't see why it ever should have been used anyway In the first place i. is great distigurement to fine printed matter and is objected to ih various places for one reason or an- other Lots of people who have no particular objection to unions dont want the label spread over every bit of Lote paper and other documents that pass through their hands. The order means nothing more than that the label will be dropped from all city printing. The stock we have on hand will be used with some reluctance, but as soon aS that is used up there will be no more of it. We don't want to be mis- understood in this matter. It is not our intention to make any distinction
 
 houses. So far as we are concerned we don't pretend to know one from the other, and we shall refuse either to make an advertising medium of stock bought at their places and delivered to the city. I don't think it right that the city of Waterbury should say to ;i man in the printing business, you can- not do work for us unless you put the union label on it. We don't care whether house has the label or not, but we don't want it on anything we order, that's all. Do you think there is anything wrong in that?" he added looking the reporter squarely in the face and then pausng as if waiting to hear if the scribe had aught to say against it.
 That's exactly the position many took on the school amendment Which you and your colleagues acted upon favOrably." replied the reporter. "ll was said that it was not fair to say tC an applicant for position as teacher in the public schools. You cannot get employment here unless you become 1;
 member of the union and pay into the pension fund.- It locked like a sort ol coercion to deny a competent teacher position simply because she migh not carc to belong to the. teachers club. just as you say it does to refuse a printer Il job because he does no carry the union label" The gentleman didn't see any simi larity between the two questions. bu he refused to explain where the differ cnce came in.
 Asked what he thought about th' , vote passed by the aldermen som' . time since ordering the union labei oi . all city printing. he said the board eX cceded its authority in passing such ; resolution. Certainly the board tha
 passed that vote had no right to eX
 pect that it would be binding on thci
 successors.
 'I understand the city attorney salt } it was legal" remarked the reporter.
 "I don't know as to that.' repiie, the official somewhat sharply. but , ,Io know that all attorneys don't SO , things in the same light. Anyway. think our position will he approved D. 1, all fair minded citizens. We are no , seeking to antagonize any elements il
 the community. hut rather to make al l. en,, tb, pn,ni.i,,oI hoor =