The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1920-01-24
TALES OF LONG AGO
The &p-saw Historian Digs Into Doings in the Dim Dis
tant Past and Unearths Interesting Incidents
of Days That Are No More.

10 applications for membership re-
| ceived.
The printers recently had secured a
raise in their wage scale. ''Rats" and
"panhandlers were scarce. The bar
bers and their bosses were having a
little friction, but nothing serious.
The Trades Assembly then had a
charter from the American Federation
of Labor and met twice a month, the
second and fourth Thursdays. If mem
DRY is correct, meetings then were held
in the old O'Brien & Knowlton block
on Michigan street.
At that time, it was reported that
the Labor Directory would be ready
May l. ?
John L. Morrison edited the local
department of the Herald g labor page
until the spring of 1895, when he was
forced to quit the evening paper. At
that time there was a fierce boycott
on the flour products Of the Imperial
mill, dominated at that time by B. G..
Churh, a consistent autocrat in those
days.
At an executive meeting of the
Trades Assembly, Morrison was asked
to make some remarks on the Imperial
flour boycott, he being present as a
regularly elected honorary member of
the body. The. labor editor had a
habit, even in those days, of talking
plainly to the point. His remarks were
promptly reported outside by spy,
some traitor to the body in which he
held membership, and the fellow
Church was very angry, as autocrats
usually are when a commoner criticizes
them.
Going to manager Weiss, at the Her.
aid office, Church said:
"You discharge that man from the
Herald or I will cancel my advertising
contract and cut the Herald entirely
off our advertising list"
The Herald's treasury was not so
deep and strong in those days as now,
therefore sentiment could not stand in
the way Of business.
Calling. his labor editor and very
| faithful reporter to him, Mr.. Weiss told
how Church had delivered an ultima
tum.
~ guess you will have to go,' said
the manager Of the evening paper.
"Just as you say, not as I care"
replied the practitioner in free thought
and free speech.
A. E. Chantler then was manager of
the News Tribune. He admired Nor
rison s work as a reporter and held it
up to his men as local model. He
was more than glad to. put the reporter
at work, greatly to the chagrin of the
autocratic Church, the then chief of
police and some others, who had hoped
that Morrison would be compelled to
get out of town or starve to death in
Duluth.
All through 1895, Morrison edited a
labor department for the News Trib-
une. In September of that year, he
won a prize for the best report on the
Labor Day celebration. It was a gold
pin and it was fastened to his lapel by
Bob Haire, then president of the Trades
Assembly.
January 1, 1896, Chantler's contract
with Messrs. Hartley & Mendenhall
ended and he left. Coming into the
office one day, G.. G.. Hartley said to
the new manager, A. F. Hammond:
10 IudI 1ellOW WOIhluS mere yeCV
| Discharge him at once"
Hammond meekly did as he was Or
| dered, although he told Morrison that
his work was fine and no fault could
be found with it. He refused to give
any reason for the discharge. Charley
Skillings was given the vacant place,
under Willis Drummond, then combined
managing and city editor. Morrison
took an active part in the municipal
campaign early in 1896 that resulted in
Henry Truelsen's first election as
mayor, by a majority Of over 700 votes,
with every daily paper, every corpo-
ration and nearly every lawyer in Du-
luth opposing him. It was an uprising
of the common people and some of the
upper classes.
After that, Morrison pilgrimmed to
Kansas City, where he had worked in
1Ss9-90, and quickly was given posi-
tion as police reporter on the old Kan
| sas City Daily Times. But that's an