Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-01-19
PHASE or THE STRIKE
Contest of the Printers for
Eight Hour Day.
TYP0THETAE AR O US ED
Issue Statement to Business Men of
Washington. @
THE OPEN SHOP PRINCIPLE
Alleged Attempt Of Union to Take
Customers From opponents-Strik-
ers Pleased With Outlook.
HE OPEN SHOP PRINCIPLE

~ Ills SldlCliieIi are lLe SlSIldtuToS Oh Tie
proprietors of the following printing houses,
all members Of the Typothetae: Byron S.
Adams, George E. Howard, r. Beresford,
Globe Printing Company, w. F. Roberts
Qncorporated). McGill & Wallace, John F.
Sherry. the Henry E. Wilkens Printing
Company, the Crane Company, Gibson
Bros. 8. E. Tomlinson, H l. Rothrock and
G. 8. Whitmore
The statement follows:
Columbia Typographical Union called all
or It's members out of our offices January
last. because We would not sign an agree
ment to employ only it's members and to
abide by the rules of it's organization, which
rules we had no voice in making
The union at first thought we could not
get competent men to take the places OF its
members and that 1t would be a matter OF
only few days before we would be COM
PEELED to submit to their obnoxious de-
mands. Having demonstrated that we
could and did have an operative force fully
competent to get out our work, the strike
leaders, through their pfckets, then began
to harass our men on their way to and from
our offices. BY such pernicious methods
they were enabled to persuade about ten
men to desert us.
in this direction cannot cripple us, and that
we are able to quickly replace the weak
men they succeed in brbing, they have
adopted the despicable and un-Amertcan
VI tlylS ny pei Soidl NiSieS " III
duce our customers to withdraw their pat
ronage from our offices and divert their
work to the shops under union control
Would Manage Their Own Business.
1--WE informed the union at the time we
refused to sign their closed shop agreement
that we intended to manage our own bust
ness in the future, and we only asked of
the union that it let us alone. We did not,
depend on any member resigning from the
union however obnoxious the oath might
appear when pointed out to the sensible
man, but declared that we would man our
offices with competent non-union help. 1t
is well-known fact in the trade that in
various parts of the country, where living
expenses are low, there are capable men
now working for $40 to $14 per week who
would be glad to avail themselves of the Op-
portunity of getting SIS in this city. We are
rapidly securing these men. and the past
two weeks has demonstrated the fact that
on the average they are capable of render
ing as good service as old employees
whose places they are filling.
I'm view of this latest move of the union
to strike at the foundation of our business
through the Ubiquitous methods of coercion
of our customers, we ask that you give us
your moral support In our efforts to keep
control of our business, without hindrance
from the walking delegate and chapel chair
man, and If a committee from the union
visits you for the purpose of influencing or
debating where you shall send your work,
we trust your righteous indignation at such
interference with your private affairs will
make itself manifest in no uncertain terms.
Right to Conduct Open Office.
Accompanying the above is a supple
mental circular, which states:
We maintain the right of every firm to
conduct an open office-one wherein any
American citizen may pursue his vocation
and reap the benefits of superior knowledge
and workmanship untrammeled by infiu-
ences seeking repression of ability to bolster
up incompetency.
We deny the right of any person or or
ganization to demand a CLOSED shop'-that
is, a shop wherein only such persons as
have subscribed to the union oath are
deemed worthy of employment.
We maintain the right to conduct our
business without the supervision or inter-
ference of persons designated by the unions
"a system of surveillance repugnant alike
to our manhood and American institutions
We maintain the right to sell or purchase
from whomsoever we may see fit without
prejudice. it being understood that the laws
of demand and supply alone should govern
transactions of buying and selling.
We propose to resist every unwarranted
or unjustifable encroachment OF organiza-
lions upon our rights and to the full ex-
tent of our resources will resist this we'll
planned and widespread effort of powerful
labor leaders to saddle upon our customers
an additional charge of from % to 30 per
cent increase over the present charges for
printins-an advance in price the labor
leaders unblushingly demand, they claim
ing 1t will be no hardship on the employers,
who should charge the extra advance to
their customer-"that forgotten man whom
the labor monopoliStS regard equally with
the tariff monopolsts a stupid and pa
tent beast of burden, who will stagger
along under any load piled upon his back"
Typothetae's Attitude.
The union, through its orators at its. daily
meetings, has placed before the public
much information of the advantages of the
closed shop-advantages to the workman
only. The Typothetae, in the words of an
other. respectfully submits it's attitude on
the question of an open shop:
1.-THE union strikes for the closed shop.
The employers are fighting for the open
shop: which simply means that they are
figting for the right to own and control
their own property. Under union dietation
the owner of printing Office cannot put
his own son to work al the machinery in his
own composing room; cannot hire or dis
charge his own employees; cannot control
even his own foreman, and has to submit
to every kind OF petty tyranny and restric-
ton of output.
Few not directly affected are aware of
the overweening pretensionS and intolerable
exactions of the Typographical Union. 1t
aspires to be supreme over both church and
which It's members are required to take:
That my fidelity to the union and nv
duty to the members thereof shall in no
sense be interfered with by any allegi-
ance that L may now or hereafter owe to
any other organization, social political
or religious secret or otherwise
1t is not strange that Catholic priest
should have read this oath to his congre
cation and announced that no person
subscribing to it could, in his parish.
share in the sacraments of the church"
Nature of the CONTEXT.
1T is a contest between freedom and
tyranny in the whole printing trade If
the open shop wins there will be gains
for liberty all round But If the closed
shop triumphs the next thing will be the
closed mouth: and all that will be re-
CURED of the employer is to hustle to get
the work to keep the men busy and that
he has money enough on pay day to meet
any demands the union may make in re-
gard TO wages.
Strikers Pleased With Situation.
Chairman T. C. Parsons of the printers
eight-hour committee informed Star re-
porter this afternoon that the journeymen
printers are well pleased at the outlook and
the words of encouragement they are re-