The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-06-30
OPEN SHOP WAR
THREATENS CITY
Strike on Trinity Church Con-
structiOn Late Tuesday.
Contractor Was Carrying Out
Contract With "Nonunion.-
UNIONS SAY THEY'LL FIGHT
withdraw Rank Accounts and
Open Retail Stores.
Matter Comes to Head at Thurs
day Night Meeting.
UNIONS SAY THEY'LL FIGHT

Unless drastic steps are taken to
head off the plans now in course of
manipulation. Topeka soon will be in
the midst of an "open shop" war.
waged between employers and union
abor.
The wave of conditions that has
dipped here and there over the coun-
try is threatening the capital city. The
employers are silent They are to
meet in special session Thursday night
1t is known. Union leaders declare
they viii fight the move to the limit,
even threatening to withdraw accounts
from the Topeka banks and conduct
their own retail stores.
The first smoke from the fire ap-
peared a short time ago when the ma
chinists and molders walked out and
the employers declared open shoD
Two weeks ago the Van Dorm iron
works "opened" It's shop and declared
| 1t was hiring union and non-union men
without signing contracts
Tuesday afternoon the lathers, car
/ penters. brick masons. stone masons,
electricians and representatives of 9TH
! er building trades dropped their tools
| during construction on the Trinity
| Methodist church. Cuthbert & Sons,
| contractors, were declared unfair"
| due to the attempted completion of a
roof work contract with the Van Dorp
| Iron works The Cuthbert company
also is building a courthouse at Hol-
ton and workers struck in protest
against the Topeka job.
The men were not on the job today
| Officials of the Cuthbert company
| have ceased work. They refuse to
comment on their future plans They
will not admit that they will attempt
| completion of the church and court
| house with open shop" workers But
/ 1t is known that the contractors will
meet Thursday night. 1t is known
also that the "open shop" question will
| be fought out at this meeting and that
Topeka faces. at this conference, the
question of a city wide open shop"
Unions VIII Fight 1t.
! Topeka organized labor is deter
mined to fight to the last ditch against
an open shop administration here.
/ We have $500 union workers in
this city," a union leader said today.
| The serene situation between capital
and labor in Topeka must not be dis
turbed. If it is, then the men will act.
1t means withdrawing accounts from
the Topeka banks. 1t means the
establishment of bank of our own.
1t means that goods bought on the in
stallment plan will be returned. IT
means that union men will buy their
goods, their necessities and their lux
uries from retail stores of their own
or from stores outside Topeka. II
means that instead of middle man in
labor, the workers will work indie
pendently"
]. o. Stevic, president of the Indus
trial council. was emphatic in his de-
nunciation of an open shop" here.
Topeka cannot afford such a
move" he said. ut will be a serious
blow to the city. 1t will throw into
; a turmoil the business that is now be-
ing conducted with satisfaction to all
Such a move has been given a death
blow in Salina. In Seattle the work
| he ci4 hxf ha hIn
dreds and houses are empty. Topeka
is free from labor troubles. To at
tempt an open shop means the Grip
pling of all industry. 1t is the height
of folly to attempt it."
,, "Wil! there be a general strike Of
all trades If the open shop is brought
about?" Stevic was asked.
Not a general strike" replied Ste
vic "but a protest on the part of tht
thousands of honest hard working
union men in the form of cessation Of
work. The men will not stand idll
by and see their organizations anC
!, their contracts broken"
Van Dorp Is Satisfied.
: Louis Van Dorp. local tin and gal
> vanized iron works proprietor. said
r today that the union had absolutel,
r demanded that he discharge every
> mechanic in the shop who did no
: carry union card. His refusal to d6
=
walking out However" he declared
81 get all the men l want and an
getting along better than ever before
Van Dorp said that the question o
salary. hours, working and shop con
ditions had all been agreed to anC
did not enter into the controversy
But when the union demanded two o
three weeks later that he discharg
non-union mechanics. he said. he flatl.
refused to do so and the walk-ou
followed.
I'VE never have run closed shop T.
: nv knowledge" said Van Dorp, "an'
, we absolutely cannot discriminate be
9 tween union and non-union men w
want TO be fair to both and are will
r ing to pay a good man what he earns
/ no matter whether he belongs TO
| union or rot"
i The union Building Trades counci
2 will decide on its future action at
2 meeting Thursday night.