New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-08-26
CITY FIGHTS UNION.
ACCUSED OF BL1CKMAIL.


One of the biggest fights this city or any of
It's departments has ever had against labor
unions is now on between the Commissioner Of
the Department of Street Cleaning and the
Drivers. sweepers and Holsters Union. COM
posed OF men in the Street Cleaning Department
The Acting Commissioner. Captain Gibson. has
written to the union TO say that the very pur-
poses of the organization are illegal The union
men say they eight thousand strong
The fight arose over the union gathering adj
vertisements for manual or handbook TO be
issued by the union, in connection with which
Captain Gibson said yesterday that a huge
blackmailing scheme had been going on. He
said hotel and other business men have been
held up by union agents for from SIS to 800
apiece, or even less If they could not get more
on the representation that the money so paid
out would do good among the men in the Street
Cleaning Department
The union men say they simply authorize
men to collect for them for advertisements and
know nothing about blackmail. Captain Gibson
said philanthropically inclined business men and
other people had been swindled out of thousands
of dollars in the last six or seven years by
schemes of this kind in the department. He
says now he will fight this thing to the end.
Acting Commissioner Gibson received a letter
from the union asking for photographs of
used in the Manual. He showed the letter.
which had the names of the officers of the union
at the head as general executive council. and
the trustees. The office was given as No. 1863
East 9Th street The officers are Thomas W.
Parras, president James Wythe. vice presi-
dent; Henry CARLOS, recording secretary: Henry
Grossgean, financial secretary: William Green
field, treasurer and Gibrello Miano. sergeant at
arms. Captain Gibson then wrote that the De-
partment of Street Cleaning would have no con-
nection with the association at present. Cap
tain Gibson added in this letter:
At the present time we have no knowledge as
to what use the funds put which are re-
ceived by your association that are solicited in
an advertising way from the business people of
the community. who given to understand
that by subscribing for an advertisement they
are going to be in some way benefited by the
Department of Street Cleaning, which is not a
fact.
Captain Gibson said yesterday that the union
men then sent him letter. which. he declared
showed their purposes as stated were Illegal
and which stated among its objects:
To employ legislative agent, who in an
honorable way, shall present the just grievances
of the employees of the New York Street Clean
ing Department to the State Legislature a
body, and its members severally, for the pur
pose of securing such legislation would al
leviate conditions under which the employees of
said department at present suffer
Secretary Cardos also states the objects of the
union to be:
To better the condition of it's members as
employees of the Street Cleaning Department in
securing them higher wages, proper conditions
of employment. payment for overtime work; to
protect them from undue encroaChment on their
rights as human beings, citizens and members
of an important municipal department on the
part of such SuperiorS who may be inclined TO
mite the employees of the Street Cleaning De-
partment in body so that they may all con-
tribute toward the protection Of any one of the
members from any acts OF injustice to which he
may be subjected; to agitate on behalf or ana
in the interests of the SweeperS, drivers ana
hostlers of the New York Street Cleaning De-
parement In order to secure for them all such
advantages as any first class labor union en-
deavors to secure to its members.
Mr. CARLOS also stated that the union was a
knights of Labor organization.
To this letter Captain Gibson wrote the fol-
lowing brief response. declaring the union as it's
objects were outlined to him was illegal:
have received your letter which outlines the
purposes for which your organization is solicit
ing contributions from the business community
of the city of New York, and this is just exactly
what I inferred from you and your associates
when YOU were before short time ago, and
in this connection l wish to state that your pur-
poses are positively illegal Your acts would be
variance with the provisions OF the charter.
and your attention is called 10 the last clause of
Section J36, which distinctly prohibits just eX-
actly what you say your purpose is
Only yesterday Captain Gibson heard of two of
these agents who had represented themselves as
collecting for the Street Cleaning Department,
going to a business man to get $50. The man
informed Captain Gibson. and he sent Superin-
tendent Thomas Stanton up to meet the man,
an appointment having been made for yesterday.
The man did not appear but said he would later.
Charles Paul who was caught at the game once
before and sentenced to year and half.
ceived eleven months and fine of $500
Thursday for exactly the same thing. Accord
ing to Captain Gibson. Superintendent stanton
caught him at it.