The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1905-10-21
JOEL ?. HEATW0LE IN
LINE WITH PRINTERS
Gives Typothetae Some Need
ed Advice on Relation of
Union to Printing Trade.
Striking Pen Picture of the
Mighty Contract Undertak-
en- by Our Boss Printers.

VA ~ WI oV00 4AVOA0s
Hon, Joel P. Heatwole is the editor
| and proprietor Of the Fairbault Daily
Journal. That paper, in common with
all the really influential papers of the
| state outside the big cities, has taken
the part Of the union printers in the
! prevailing strike. AS correct and SEN
| sible presentation of the situation as
can be made from the standpoint Of a
disinterested observer is presented in
the following editorial taken from a
| recent issue Of ex-Congressman Heat
wole's paper:
THE country is face to face with
another struggle between capital and
labor. While it may not be as extern
sive, in so far as the number of men
| who go out are concerned, and there
will not be the bloodshed as in former
instances. yet the employers will find
that they have nut much harder to
| crack; they will face proposition
far more difficult to solve. The strike
OF teamsters, of beef packers and Of
other organizations, the duties of the
men of which can be termed little
more than day labor, can only be con-
sidered as child's play when COM
pared with the typogra phical strike.
The printers have a trade, the
details of which are probably as
numerous and as hard to master as
in any other class of business. 1t
might be said that there are various
man Is printer does not signify
that he can work at all branches of
the printing business. A printer
may be a good man in job depart
ment. Maybe he never touched a
typesetting machine. He may be
good in a printing establishment in
country office, yet unaccustomed
to intricate machinery and modern
styles, and in large publishing
house he would be as green as the
man who never saw stick. Then,
again, there are various grades CT
printers. The large majority OF
those who are competent and able to
earn the money paid them belong to
the union.
"The Tpothetae will probably be
able to get hundreds of men, maybe
enough to fill the vacancies made by
the strikers, but what kind of print
ers will they be? Some will have
only the education of a small, old
fashioned office, and will be COM
gs.ssa salohaslleaily earn .tne trsds;
u 1asSns sIn t6ssisfxsf'
cities have habits which as not rec
ommend them to the positions. An
other thing, most of the men en-
ployed In large publishing houses
have been there for years. New
men have so many things to learn
that months of training are required
before they are of value. Even in
going from one publishing house TO
another the printer finds details IN.
known elsewhere, and which it takes
time to learn.
Then, again, the master printers
must understand that they are not
dealing with an ignorant lot 3f peo-
pie. The members of the Topographic
cal union are educated; many Of
them are the superiors of those who
employ them. In hundreds of
places throughout the country the
employers are unable to attend 10
the business without the assistance
ing an eighthour-a-day scale. This
is especially so in concerns where
there is competition. The practical
printer is called upon to do 1h., fig
uring.
There is no labor organization in
existence that has a better educated.
more intelligent lot of men at its
head than the printers There are
not the agitating foreigners among
them. The employers will fird the
strikers we'll able to take care of
themselves in the struggle. Thare
will be no bloodshed, no riots or
fighting Of any kind. The printers
do not believe in it.
LAS in the teamsters' strike recent
ly, the employers can get thousands
OF men whose hearts are in the rirht
place for the employers, who stand
ready to take the places of strikers.
but, unlike the teamsters' strike.
they cannot fill the places.
All Of these things thu printers
we'll know. They are having no fen:
of tho ultimate outcome. They are
determined to fight to the end and
consent To no compromise. In most
of the newspaper office, the scale
has been accepted