The Bismarck tribune., 1922-05-15

| lOW SuplCu <il UlISl VI Ud0CUull, WIN
as federal Judge made the wage award
that led to the Chicago labor tnouble.
BY NEA Service
Chicago, May 15.-The Chicago la
Dor war, now on in full. blast, has
been waged in more or less violent
fashion 1or ~ years. Causes behind
the present trouble are these {:
REFUSAL by 10 of the II building
trades unions to accept the condi-
tions laid down in the Judge Landis
award, cutting building trades work
ers' wages approj j-mlle4y l2.5 per
! cent 3 E,ys' y -,
REPUTATION by the 10 unions of
their agreement to the Lahdis award.
Employment Of outside non-uni0n
labor by the Chicago Citizens Commit
tee, which has taken hold of the, labor
! situation purely for the sake Of get
ting the $1l0.Co0,000 belated building
program under way. w.
REFUSAL of the Citizens Commit
tee to recognize or deal with either
officers or men tof the insurgent 10
as union group as punishment for
failure to live up to their agreement
to the Lands award. y5
! PUBLIC disapproval and demand for
inquiry into the trials of union lead
ers who were freed from criminal
charges under unusual circumstances.
.i Began In July
! The present disturbances date back
to last July. Up tto, that time off,
cials believed that the long years Of
labor wars would come to an end fol-
lowing the seemingly satisfactory
magma charta Of new working condi-
tions handed down by Judge Lands
formerly on the federal bench.
! But the 10 unions rebelled against
it. These 10 were:
Carpenters, sheet metal workers, ce-
ment finishers, hoisting engineers. fix
| ture hangers, lathers, plumbers, la
borers, composition roofers and slate
and tile roofers.
| The remaining % union crafts abid-
ed by their acceptance OF the agree
ment. ~
Even as far back as early spring
Fred Nader, president Of the Build
ing Trades Council, issued "a warning
that after April he did not see how
he could anv longer keep his men in
check or prevent them from commit
ting acts Of violence unless condi-
tions were altered.
Dcnunciation by Judge
Chief Justice Kickharl Scanlan,
elected on labor platform and al
ways champion of unionism, sprang
a surprise at about this time by MAX
ing an address to the jury in open
court in which he charged that some
of Chicago's unions were controlled
by ex-convicts and gun men, making
conviction of some labor leaders i'm
possible. He CHARGED that honest men
, in these unions have been terrorized
by the gun men leaders.
Judge Scanlan's charges followed
acquittal of two Chicago union lead
ers, one of murder charge follow
ing killing in saloon fight, and
the other of graft and extortion char
ges in connection with labor troubles.
What Leaders Say
Union officials deny charges Of law
lessness leveled against them. Here
is what some Of them say:
Fred Nader, president Building
Trades Council: "The present situa-
ton is but a natural result coming
from an attempt made by political and
other agencies to. foist the open shop
on Chicago unionism. We are not the
BLACK sheep that we have been paint
ed. We neither employ ruthless tac-
tics to gain our ends nor do we coun-
tenance them. "
"Some time ago I went to Chief
Fitzmorris and told him l wanted to
go through this building fight with
clean hands and have done my part.
The men who committed the outrages
should be arrested, tried and pun
ished will do all I can to help"
"Eut the situation has come to such
a noint that whenever there = fire,
explosion or some other crime, pro-
paganda is issued blaming labor for
the deed"
''Lies," Says Murphy
big Tim. Murphy, head Of the Gas
! House Workers and Street Cleaners
Unicn: Lies lies, mess of lies.
| That's what they've told about us, Chi
cago unionism is the same as union
] ism anywhere. The big fight is over
the open shop which they are trying
to push us into. But union men aren't
running about with guns"
Thomas Walsh, business agent for
the Sheet Metal Workers.: Back OF
i the whole situation is clever plot,
instigated by enemies Of labor, to