Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-07-18
CLAIMS OF THE UNION.
WASHINGTON, D. c., July 15 1907
ITO the Employers Association of the Dis
trict Of Colup,hja

WASHINGTON, D. c., July Is. 1907
TO the Employers Association of the Dis
tr1ct Of Columbia.
Gentlemen: You have given a series of
letters to the press for publication, omit
ting to send any Of them to the weekly pa
per published in the interest Of organized
labor though its editor has published all
that has been used by the daily press as
coming from your press agent Mr.. Hall.
But In your last pronouncement you make
statements not wholly consistent with the
muddle. that has the appearance on your
part of trying to befog the public and gain
from 1t sympathy that you are not enti-
tied to-nor do you deserve it. square
deal is square deal, and you cannot make
1t round by evasion.
You say in your latest letter that the
unions ignored the finding OF the arbitration
board. Now did they? You say that boy
sible method has been used to compel the
discharge of non-union men by the Central
Labor Union This is the first time have
heard of it. Strange how you knew 1t, when
nothing of the kind has occurred. You say
that when the employers began to place
non-unonfsts in the place of unionists the
Central Labor Union began a system of
picketing the work. This is entirely with
out foundation. The Central Labor Union
has done nothing of the kind. You say
there Is no desire for an open shop. yet in
the closing of your article you make the
open declaration. You are hardly consistent
In that-at least not logical.
Public Pays the Bills.
You say you want 1t understood that
the general public Is the most interested
in this matter, for 1t is the general public
that finally pays all the bills. You are
right, and are the and women-or-
ganized-in the District of Columbia, who
are earning $4,000 per day, a part
of the general public? They spend their
money with landlords who charge exorbi-
tant rent, they spend it at the markets.
coal yards, clothing stores, etc, not at
Atlantic City or Palm Beach, and you have
the temerfty to appeal to the business men
to frown down upon this class of the gen.
erai public and ask them to destroy their
volume of business, because forsooth, the
master plumbers and not the journeymen
refused to abide by the decision of the
arbitration tribunal.
half truths are vicious and do not help
adjust the controversy you yourselves have
brought about-our 'withers are unwrung'
You say the law covers the conspiracy
that you allege exists. Why don't you in
woke the law? The courts are surely con-
Quoted upon the open shop plan. You COM
plain of abnormal wages. Who are re-
ceiving them? You talk of decreased eff
ficiency. Are the mechanics of today less
efficient than the mechanics of last year?
You cannot answer in the affirmative.
Sacredness of Contracts
You talk of the sacredness of contracts
Who violates that sacredness? You say
restriction and graft make conditions alb
normal for the man who builds Who is
the CRATER? The public and, / am sure
organized labor would like to know. Out
with 1t! The cry of graft and tyranny is
but poor argument and platitudes about a
fair days pay for fair days work will
not fool the pubic. Your audacity In talk
ing about the abnormal wages of the me-
chanic who works but part Of the year.
and in the next breath advocating an In
crease of wages for government employees
and they ought to have it-places you in
light that is unenviable to say the least.
Your whole plant to where the fault
lies in this matter has been fought out
time and again, ever since there was a
labor movement, and your virtuous deaia-
ration of independence is somewhat frayed
the edges
What do you think Of an arbitrator
who will come to meeting with his de-
that this was not done? Try it! Unions
have no objection to apprentices, but they
believe, inasmuch as the members thereof
must teach them their trade, that they
have right to see there are not too many
Of them: not because they do not want our
boys to learn the trades, but because of the
desire to prevent the inefficiency you COM
plain of. Low wages and lol.g hours may
financial disaster to the business men Of
Washington, who the organized working
men in large measure make prosperous.
Union Not Consulted.
You appeal to the business men of the
District to support the contentious Of your
association when you are, through those
who sell material for building purposes, re-
fusing to sell material to those who are or
were employing union labor anless they.
locked out union men, You know and /
know that until Mr.. Post of the Citizens
Alliance visited this city this trouble was
in q fair way of settlement, and whom did
Mr.. Post consult? Surely not the union
men whose organizations he is trying to de-
stroy.
In conclusion let me say that you can
get together, you can make Greater
Washington. If you will pay less heed to
the outsider who has been singing the
sweet song of the open shop into your
ears and turn to the men who have labored
for and with you for years and who stand
ready to cooperate with you today for a
greater and more beautiful city. We have
the will and pride to do it. Will you
Join US? Respectfully.
SAM DE NEDREY,
Secretary Central Labor Union"