The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-09-11
JOHN W. DAVIS
GROUND WORK
DONE BY SCADS
Open Shoppers Ignore
Union Workers
By ART SHIELDS


CLARKSBURG, w. Va, Sept.
10.-When John w. Davis came
home to CIarksburg to be for
malIy notified of the democratic
nomination he found the old
family estate on the hill .over-
looking the court house shining
with a new and splendid front
the gift of the city.
Narrow little Lee Street, that
had comfortable room for only
bne car, had been broadened
and the bank above, on the
Davis grounds, had been tucked
up by a glistening balustrated
retaining wall more than a hum
nred feet long, with terraced
Sidewalk reached by steps from
the street.
Done by scabs.
This furbishing-up of the Davis
home for the eyes of wondering visi-
tors cost the taxpayers $1,000 and
every cent of it went to an openshop
contractor who hired nonunion work
ers. Clarksburg is union town, with
unemployed union men needing jobs
badly, but city manager Harrison G.
Otis and the other members of the
arrangements committee showed their
loyalty to the American Plan" in
spite of the protest of l.. e. Brewer,
business agent for the carpenters
union, and other representatives of or
ganized labor.
BY it's $1,000 openshop gift to its ia
nous absentee citizen Clarksburg
city ended a long dispute with the
Davis estate. The dispute over who
should pay for the widening of Lee
street began about Is years ago when
the city told John ]. Davis, father of
the nominee that strip of the bank
would be torn away and the street
improved, with the costs charged to
the property owner, according to
regular Clarksburg procedure. Other
property owners fell in line but old
John j. Davis, leading corporation at
torney of C1arksburg, was too staunch
q conservative to see such changes
made,-at his own expense. He got
the injunction courts to restrain the
city and he did sentry duty on the
bank himself, neighbors say. The city
was eager to open up the street but
the old man said nothing doing unless
the city paid the bill and put up re-
tanning wall. In that case he would
cede a few feet of property.
Davis Is Discovered.
The deadlock lasted after the father
passed away and after John w. Davis
and his two sisters came into control.
1t lasted until suddenly one day this
summer Clarksburg found its famous
citizen was still more famous as the
result of something that happened in
Madison Square garden. So the fell
lows who run the city dug deep in the
treasury and paid for all the things
Father Davis had demanded.
City manager Otis has since told
Clarksburg trade unionists that the
choice of an openshop contractor was
an accident-an unhappy accident for
the democrats, as it turned out
shortly afterwards, for the Central
Labor union passed up the favorite
son. The contractor selected for the
lob was the Concrete Steel Bridge Co.,
a notorious West Virginia openshop
concern which invaded Clarksburg
wear ago and began taking nonunion
contracts, a new thing in Clarksburg.
This firm made rush job of it. Non
union carpenters were procured for
the concrete form work, Local No. 236
being ignored. There is no local con-
crete workers union but the foreman
disseminated against unemployed UNI
ion miners who tried to get jobs as
iaborers, union officials informed The
Federated Press The jobless union
coaldigger-and most union coaldig.
gers are unemployed in Clarksburg
district-was asked where he came
from. The work went to men. from
non-union mines.
Suddenly Remember Unionists.
When the street and wall job was
finished the committee hurried up
with the building OF the reviewing
stand on another location. The car
penter work was to cost $500. The
committee asked Local No. 236 II il
didn't want to donate the labor of
its members, without compensation
in the name of civic pride, the union
fists were told. This was little too
raw. The carpenters ironically sug-
gested the committee get its scabs on
the job. Otis apologized and said the
openshop move had been a mistake.
Union men were hired and paid for
the reviewing stand work.
Came the day Of notification.
Thousands of autos rolled past Lee
street, admiring the Respondent wall,
which most Of them supposed that
r.. Tf..t.