The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1906-01-16
LABORING MEN ENDORSE
THE JOURNALS POSITION
President Jas. N. Johnson, of the
Carpenters and JOinerS, Says
Eight-HOur Day Must Come.
HE MAKES STRONG ARGUMENT
SHOWING WHY BUSINESS MEMS
INTERESTS ARE HELPED WHEN
EVER LABoRlNe MANS coNDI-
TON is IMPROVED.
Mr.. Frank L. Mayes, Editor Pensacola
Journal:

Mr. Frank L. Mayes, Editor Pensacola
Journal:
Dear Sir and Friend:-I take pleas
Ure in taking of my hat this Sunday
morning TO The Journal and | wish to
/ sincerely thank and congratulate The
! Journal and her editorial staff upon
the stand they have taken in reference
to the eight-hOur work day. When
YOU say that the Typographical Union
is going 10 win its fight you ale cor
rect. They viii win as sure as the
sun rises in the. east and sets in the
west, because their demands are just.
/ am moi an Uninterested party in
this fight for l belong to an organiza-
tiOn that has been fighting for the same
thing since the 1st day OF May last,
and We are winning and getting strCn-
ger each Gay. We are gradually beat
ing down the prejudice that seemed
to be against the eight-hour work day,
Notwithstanding the fact that not a
single merchant Of the city of PensacO-
la has raised his hand or his voice in
defense Of men who make it possible
for them to exist and do business.
Nevertheless we are winning for the
simple reason that we pursued intell;-
gent methods.
l wish TO call your attention to the
fact that although the Carpenters and
JOiners CT Pensacola have been lock-
ed out far ten months they have not
shed one drop Of blood nor have they
/ destroyed one dollars worth of prop
erty nor do they intend to do so. We
/ propose TO continue fighting our battle
along the lines that we have pursued
/ in the past and we are going to win
/ and establish an -eight.hour work day
in Pensacola whether the contractors
wish il or not
Heretofore We have been willing to
remain their employees, but now they
/ have compelled US to become their
competitors and we are preparing to
form a stock company which we in
tend 10 capitalize for enough to start
one Of he largest building material
stores that has been opened in Pensa-
cola. We will carry a stock of paints,
oils, wall paper, sash, doors, blinds,
nails and hardware Of al descriptions
I that pertain to the building trades,
which will enable US to under
estimate the present builders eX-
) change en- all classes Of work Of this
kind.
/ 1t has row come 10 a fight between
: the two organizations and the mer-
chants Of this CITY will find il to their
( interest to stand by the carps nters
union, for we will also win because we
know that we are right.
/ wonder how many Of the mer-
chants Of this city know what the aver
! age la5Oring mans average wage is
I per year in this country. We are priv
J ileged to read that the United States
census reports for 1900 declare that
the annual average wage OF the Amer
lean labOrer is s437. That is a little
( less than $3.50 Per day. Here comes
another fact from the 1900 census that
! the average annual value Of the Amer
lean workiagman's product is S2,450.
( Now figure this out for yourself and
you Will see that the difference be-
/ tween what the average wage worker
gets and what he produces with his
hands is Sl,913 per year
The DAY has come when the Am2ri-
! con workman can no longer he fooled.
He is becoming educated and IS de-
handing els just share of what he pro-
duces ana he is going to get il. How
many men in Pensacola know that in
1 indianapolis on Washington's birthday
/ last the National Association of Man
/ ufacturers and Citizens Alliance and
! the boss printers held tn cir convention
! in the Claypool Hotel Of that city and
one million and a half dollars was put
up at that time in order 70 force the
! omen shop on organized labor They
were TO try the carpenters first so you
can ready see the gigantic scheme
and combination Of wealth the c9rpen-
4 tiers AMI ioiners of Pensacola have
been I'D against. But still they have
/ held out for ten months and shall con-
tinue 10 hold out ard with the assis-
lance II other labor organizations and
the citizens of this city they will es-
! tablish an eight-hour work day. We
are uD against a strong proposition,
4 but nevertheless We viii never die be
/ cause We are sure thai we are right.
The omen shop would be a curse 10
! the country in many ways, because or
ganizad labor has been the means OF
/ lettering he labOring mans condition
throughout the world. No sane man
will deny that fact. Therefore fie
/ open shop policy woulj show a strong
Tendency TO break up labor unions ana
/ by that means would d grade LABOR
and. my friend. YOU know As wei as
/ I do or rs the world does, that to de-
grade ,abor is 10 sap the very NE
4 blood IF a nation.
Please keen the. bali you started
/ Sunday morning a rolling and | can
I assure y0u that your efforts WEI ne
! appreciated by every iabOTing man III
! the CITY Of Pensacola. especially the
! TvpOgrapSical Union, and also the
E'Carpenters and Joiners and the Paint
] erS and Decorators.
With bast wishes for your success
! I remain your truly,
JAS. NJ. JOHNSON,
i President Of Local, No. "A. q. B. Oh
Carpent rs and Joiners Of America
j NJ Mills is as pleasant and POSITIVE