The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-01-15
Fifteen Carpenters Fail To Re-
port on Crosby Job Today.
No Reasons Were Given For
Failure To Show, Up.
F. M. SPENCER is CONTRACTOR
WalkOut Will Not Interfere
With Work, Spencer Says.
Trades Unions Meet In Effort
To Settle Open Shop War.

| Fifteen union carpenters failed to
report on the construction job on the
Warren NJ. Crosby store building this
morning. The job is in the hands of
F. NJ. Spencer & Sons, general con-
tractors.
I'VE don't understand why they
quit" F. M. Spencer said this morn
ing. I'VE employed only union men.
There wasn't a non-union man on the
job, and we had all the carpenters we
wanted, and Were not trying to hire
any new men"
Spencer said that his firm along
with the rest of the contractors, had
announced that they would operate
under the open shop system from to-
day. He pointed out most explicitly,
however that that did not mean that
! they would hire no union men. nor
would they ask union men to with
draw from their unions to hold their
jobs.
I'VE intend to hire the men who
can do the sort of work we want done,
and not ask them whether they are
Ger said. The jobs of the fifteen
union men are open to them if they
want to come back next week. and
for certain length of time thereafter,
but we don't mean to let their walk
out hold up the construction. We will
hire carpenters who want to do the
work and who can do the work. 1t
makes no difference to us whether
they are union men or not"
Merchants Not Involved.
The statement credited in morning
paper to Paul NJ. Montgomery. of the
building trades council, to the effect
that he feared that merchants would
be induced by the contractors to dis
play the open shop placards which
have appeared in the offices of the
contractors, was met this morning with
statements from the merchants that
they had not been asked into the fight
vet, had no interest in it SO far, and
furthermore that it would be very
foolish of than to wilfully antagonize
the working men of Topeka with moth
ing to gain by doing so.
T. W. Williamson, who has been
handling the dispute for the contrac-
tors, declared that no merchant had
been asked to display any of the
placards, or take any part whatever
in the fight. 1t is pointedly not an
affair colling for any sue action by
either retail or wholesale dealers, it
has been pointed out. The stores OF
the city are and always have been
|operated on the open shop principle,
$50 far as that principle can apply to a
store.
Boycott, Says Williamson.
Williamson said that the union men
had been to the merchants with the
threat that they would be boycotted
if they mixed into the fight, but that
the contractors had not approached
them in any way.
AS for the open shop placards. he
said, there was no difference to be
seen between the union shop placards
which are hung in union shops and
the open shop plaeards which are hung
i'll open shops.
Trades Unions Meet.
There was an informal meeting of
representatives of the trades unions
and also of the contractors, held this
week, Williamson said, at which the
dispute was discussed, and an effort
made to reach settlement of the dis
pute in Topeka, without result. No
compromise short of the open shop is
acceptable to the contractors, and
nothing but the closed shop is accept
able to the unions. The situation re-
mains there at a deadlock at the pres
ent time.
Unions May Use Boycott.
Montgomery said that any indication
on the part of the merchants that they
intended to side with the contractors
i on the open shop question, would be
taken by the union men as a hostile
act, and that the unions would not
hesitate to use the boycott in the fight
if it came to that.
Just as soon as they do. they be-
come our active enemy Montgomery
said. "All we ask of the merchants
is that they keep out of the fight. We
have no chips on our shoulders and we
don't want to fight anybody. But we
will do whatever is necessary to pro-
tect ourselves"