Denver labor bulletin., 1916-08-26
Eloquent Eulogy Paid Prescott
by Lunch at /. T. u. Convention
Was President During Most Trying Days of the Union and
Secured the First EightHour Day When
Machines Were Introduced

in vogue during Prescott's presidency
As you know, in those days we formu-
lated scale of prices and we printed
that scale of prices and presented it to
employers, and if they agreed to it, well
and good, or if they did not agree to
it conferences resulted and changes were
made in the printed scale, which said
that so much per thousand was to be
paid for type, double price for this and
price and a half for that. This consti-
tuted practically the only agreement that
existed between the International Typo
graphical Union and its employers in
those days. Nevertheless, he exerted all
the influence that he could, all the In
agreements might be held sacred and in
violable as far as the International Typo
graphical Union was concerned.
lie took up the question or organiza.
tion work. That in itself 1 think was
not so much appreciated in those DAYS
But he. understanding that the Interna-
tional Typographical Union must event
ually control in every place where there
were enough printers to organize union.
and that it must make all effort it could
to affiliate those members employed In
towns where there were not enough to
organize so that it might to n reason
able degree control the supply of labor,
turned his attention to organization
work and accomplished tremendous
amou ntof good in that direction, consid-
ering the limited finances with which he
had to work, the limited understanding
of the membership at that time as to the
necessity of paying dues in order that
this work might be carried on, and the
apathy of printers themselves who had
- - l.
of the formation of unions and banding
them together into great international
chains in order that there might be sup
port and cohesive action in the presenta-
tion of scales carrying with them the
reduction of hours of labor and Increase
of wages.
Now, when we consider that altogether,
when we consider the remodeling of the
laws, when we consider all these things
that he accomplished and put them all
together and compare the international
Typographical Union with what it was
at the time he found it and the great,
strong international Typographical Union
in reality as well as in name at the
time that he left it, I am sure that we
will all agree--even those who bitterly
opposed him during his incumbency--
that indeed he wrought we'll. and that IN
deed he bu;lded a great labor organiza
ton
After he left the office of president
he returned to work at the trade and
practically began his life all over again.
He worked as a proofreader in the city
of Indianapolis and afterward came to
this city and worked in the same capac-
ity. / have talked with the foremen for
whom he worked in both offices, and
:, ,- @riI, ta 10 In nIar
acter of the man that the men he worked
undcr-especally the man he worked un-
der in Indianapolis-said repeatedly that
he was one OF the best men that ever
worked in a composing room. Now no
one can deny. no one ever impeached the
determination of Prescott to secure the
best conditions that he could In wage
scales, the best conditions that he could
when he represented the Typographical
Unions and sister unions in negotiating
their wage scales. but when he had made
a bargain his determination was TO stick
to it. and as an employe when he had
left the high office of president of the
international Typographical Union and
went to work in the composing room he
exempified that trait of character that
not only was he a good president of the
organization but he was a good work
man when he returend to work at his
trade. Then he began to contribute ar
ticles to the Inland Printer and after
wards was made member of its staff,
and vet afterward was made one of its
executive officers and was appointed n
member OF the commission that has In
charge the work of educating the appren-
tces of this organization. and rendered
valuable service in that position, as all
the members of our organization can to-
day testify and as the great progress
made by that correspondence school tes-
titles He devoted himself as far as he
could and did all that he could to build
up and strengthen the International or
ganization, TO inculcate in the minds OF
all the members, especially the younger
members, that organization and combina-
ton were rot enough; that organization
of the wage earners could not raise
prices and maintain those prices unless
the union on its part could guarantee to
the employer that it would furnish him
the most highly skilled labor in the
trade. and then. after the contract was
signed and the wages and conditions
agreed to. make good that guarantee.
thinl: that the work that he did in this
respect in the latter years of his life,
his writings on this subject, his speeches
from the platforms of these conventions
and at the state gatherings that he at
tended, when he sought to impress on
the attendants and thru them on the
membership that they represented that
the salvation of this organization, tho
salvation of the conditions that we have
succeeded in establishing, rested in the
last analysis on the skill of the member
ship of the organization itself, and that
without that skill, without that complete
knowledge Of the trade that we follow
without knowing as compositors all that
we should know as compositors, without
being able to give fair days work for