OCR Text |
Show , . 60 SL0WJ1R. MAYOR! ' 1 Labor's Voice in Protest Ag-ainst the Eight Hour Law Veto. FLIMSY EXCUSES WILL NOT BE TAKEN. Workingrnen Demand Election Promises Prom-ises Shall Be Kept. IMPROVE THE BILLDO NOT KILL IT. Intense Interest Taken by Prominent Iabor leaders in the Threatened Veto of the Ordinance That Will ltenelit Workingnien They Ask Xotltins; More Than lias Keen iiven Laboring 51 en in All Cities n the Coast Km phatie Kxpres-ions Kxpres-ions of Opinion That Mayor JJas-Itln JJas-Itln Can't Afford to Ignore. The mayor's intention to veto the eight-hour eight-hour ordinance, first announced in The Times, created a profound sensation among workingrnen throughout the city. The announcement was received with in- I dignation and regret and interpreted as a distinct setback for labor. Public sentiment is against the mayor and in favor of the laws which have given a shorter working day to laborers in public work in many states aud most of the large cities of the country. THE COUNCIL'S ACTION. The ordinance was passed by the council with but one dissenting vote. To pass it over the veto will require ten votes, and it is doubtful if they can be obtained. A great fight will be made to that end, however. THE ORIJINA XCE strongly in favor of the measure. "It certainly cer-tainly ought to become a law," said he. "The councils of Denver, Chicago aud other large cities have made the eight-hour law a part of their city ordinances, and there is no reason why it should not be a good thing for the workingrnen of Salt Lake City." J. H. DOBI5S. "I think the eiirht-hour law would be of great benefit to the laboring classes," said J. II. Dobbs, a laborer on the city and county building. "A man who can't do a day's work in eight hours ought never to try to do a day's labor." MASS COFF1X. "Eight hours should constitute a day's labor," said "Mans" Coffin. "It is the rule in other cities. I dou't see why the bill should not be in vogue here." 1. W. FAKUELL, "I don't think the mayor is in favor of the eight-hour bill at all," said J. W. Farrell. "The citrht-hour b 11 is a srood thing and ought to become a law. The mayor has shown by his action that he is not a friend of the laboring man. When he was in the legislature leg-islature he dodged the issue whenever he got the chance." MAX LIPPMAX. "The bill ought to be passed." said Max Lippman. "We need it in Salt Lake. Eight hours are enough for any man to work in one day." H1RSHMAS. "The government can well afford to work its men only eight honrs a day," said Mr. Hirshman. $EORGE ARROGANT. "1 have no particular opinion in regard to the matter," said George Arbogast. "It is the general rule all over the country that all city work be done ou ciirht hours a day, and I don't see why it should not prevail here." TO THE POINT. T. F. Kill-man I think the mayor is in error; the bill Miould become a law. What excuse has he for tryins: to make men work nine hours in Salt Lake when eight hours are a day's labor in most large cities. A. 31. Jos. "I am a stonecutter and a union man. I do not believe the mayor is friendly to the laboriug classes; if he was he would not veto the measure." Chat-lex 1'vhliij (president of the Stonemason's Stone-mason's union) "1 don't approve of the rnavor's veto bccmise the hill would he of mayor s veio oecause ine uiu would oe oi great benefit to the workingrnen. The men are unanimously of the opinion that the i mayor is against them." I). J. Vrovain, (foreman of street, work-gang work-gang ou State "I think the eight-hour law-should law-should be in force. AU of the cities on the coast that I have been in work their men only eight hours. I can see no exruse for the mayor's vetoing this bill." Kd. IF. IVtite "Why should the mayor veto the eight-hour bill if he is friendly to the workingrnen as he claims to be? It is a good measure." Clturh Johnson "Eight hours for work, eight hour3 for rest and eight hours for recreation, re-creation, these are the unwritten laws of nature. But the mayor don't apDear to see it that way. I had always thought he was a friend of the workingman, but I do not think so now." MOLIDLT IN FAVOR OF IT. A Times representative clamored over the walls of the city and county building this morning and asked the stonemasons, the hod-carriers, the carpenters and the laborers generally their opinion of the mayor's action in vetoing the eight-hour bill introduced into the city council by Alderman P. J. Moran. Ti ere was unanimity opinion regarding the mayor's expressed action. Many of the laborers la-borers spoke bitterly of Mr. Baskin's avowed intention and said that he had demonstrated beyond a doubt that he was not a friend of the laboring1 man aud that his protestations of love for them would not harmonize with his official career. Forty-two men were at work at the intersection inter-section of Fourth South and State streets at noon today. A reporter got some emphatic exi ressions regarding the mayor's action which would not appear to advantage iu the columns of The Times. The men "felt that the mayor had struck a blow at them which they would remember in the future to his detriment. "If he is in favor of the workingman," ' said one of the men, "why does he take the lirst chance he gets to strike them iu the back." "We will have an eight-hour law in Salt Lake yet," said another. "It may take time, but the day is gone when we can be hoodwinked by political promises." Eight new men were at work on the corner of State and Third South streets. They were also unanimous in their disapproval "of the mayor's action. At tomorrow night's session of the council coun-cil Mayor Baskin's reasons for vetoing the eight-hour ordinance will be read. Whether the veto will stand the test is a matter of speculation. An effort to pass it over the mayor's veto will be made. Those who are on the inside declare this will prove successful. Labor bay Celebration. An executive session of the Utah Federated Feder-ated Trades and Labor Council committee was held yesterday and partial arrangements were made for the proper celebration of Labor day. Those having the affair in charge propose, if time and money will be of airy avail, to make it a red-letter day in the history his-tory of labor in this territory, and besides te usual speeches and exercises the programme pro-gramme will consist of unique and interesting interest-ing games and amusements, the successful iarticipants in which will be rewarded with landsome prizes. passed by the council, and which the mayor proposes to veto, is as follows: A bill for an ordinance making eight 1 o irs a j legal day's work en all public ntia t lahor. f Section 1. Ba it ordiiined by the city council of Jt Salt Lake City, Utah t Tritory, that in all con- J tracts marie by the City of Salt Lake for the erec tion, building or repairs of public buildings, bridges t,r viaducts, : t.'eet paving or grading, and all work on waterworks and sewerage, t lere shall be incorporated the express agreement between 1 the paid city aid contractor or contrac o.s, that ihe said contractor or contract rs shall not require re-quire or prrmit any employee or laborer, between ite bourn of 6 o'clock a. in. and ti o'clock p. nr. fach ( a, t ) work more than eight hours upon ny such build, ng, bridge or viaduct, streets or other public work, and that the mid eight hours f labor fhiill he a full r.n 1 lognl day's work. The provision of this section ch ll not apply to work e.'.aired under Kiid contract to be done at t fie !ai t ry, foundry or shop of the contractor or tontractore, but shall only apply where m-jloyces m-jloyces or laborers are engaged directly at work rpon the premises v a ?r3 such public work is be-ng be-ng o ist u te l. Sectio.i 3. Any such contract shall also pro-" pro-" '.fie th it iu the event of any co . tractor or con-Jacto con-Jacto ' violating the provisions of sai l to-itrnet, j hat he or (hey il; forfeit one hundred ilo'l ire 'SlOOlt ilh iiyof Salt Lake for each antr every lay that he or thy shall violate the provl slons of aid (ontr rrt. Sections. This oid'n nice th 11 bo in force end a'ie effect fioin ar.d nft3r its passage and ap-iroval. ap-iroval. COFNC ILMAN MORAN SPEAKS. Councilman Moran, the author of the 'ight-hour trdinance and the recognized :hanipion of labor iu the city council, wns literview by The Times in relation to the nayor's coming veto. "In your opinion, are the grounds of the nayor's veto well taken?" he was asked. "Well, so far, I do not exactly know, but Jrom what I have heard I do not think they ire. I understand his objection is to the nord 'permit.' Now, if that word is taken out I do not think the bill would be worth the paper it is written on, and would practically practi-cally leave the matter in the hands of the contractors. WorKingnieii would be just where they are today. 1 understand that another objection is that of the engineer, about the tine of $1(10 for the violation of the contra' t. This, however, is merely technical. The engineer thinks that the stipulation of 1U0 wou'd contiict with present contracts ou street paving, where the forfeit is $50 per day for delay in completion com-pletion of work. Both parties in the council coun-cil were pledged to this measure when elected, aud it is a repudiation of their pledges to the people to refuse to stand by it now." "In your opinion is the labor sentiment of the city pretty unanimous in favor of this V . f measure?" "Yes, they are unanimous in favor of it. t y,;i!. j ; 'This measure is practically the same as the one introduced in the legislature last winter, which was killed by two Liberals in the lower house. This bill was recommended in the governor's message in the last legislature. legisla-ture. President Harrison signed a bill of the same character a few days ago, and this law exists in New York, Massachusetts, Illinois, Illi-nois, Kansas City, and many other parts of the country. In taking up this fight for the workingrnen, The Times will do a service for labor which I ha ve no doubt will be rcc- ognized and appreciated. II. C. GRIMES, president of the Federation of Trades Unions of Utah, and ex-president of the Amalgamated Society ot Carpenters and Joiners, sid there were too many loop-holes in the ordinance for the contractors, but it would be of benefit to the laboring classes. "The bill should be submitted to the Federated Feder-ated Trades to consider, the workingrnen being better able to know what they want than the city council. I must say, though, that the passage of this bill ty the council is a move in the right direction. The mayor may veto this bill, but the laboring men' are going to have an eight-hour law iri effect in this city. We may not get it from the present pres-ent mayor, but it will come. That is certain. I do not think the mayor should veto the present bill if he is in favor of the working classes." k. a. SI.EATOH, ex-president of the Federated Trades and one of the leading workingrnen of the city, said he was very sorry, under the circumstances, circum-stances, that the mayor had decided to veto the bill. "We have urged the passage, years ago of such a bill earnestly and unceasingly," said Mr. Sleator. "The bill may be defective in one or two particulars, but it certainly is aimed at the advancement of the interests of the working classes. The mayor should state his reasons for refusing to sign the bill, but I should greatly dislike to 6ee him veto it. Mr. Baskin stood pat on the labor question in the last legislature, and there-lore there-lore I am surprised at his action now. My opiniou is that the bill as read should be indorsed in-dorsed by the mayor, as I understand the bill, in preference to a veto." JOHX WOODBURN'. "The eight-hour law," said John Wood-burn, Wood-burn, president of the Plumbers' union, "should be in force in this city on all public works. There are one or two imperfections in the present bill, but they can easily be remedied. The proper thing for the mayor to do in this case, I should think, would be to return the hill to the council with his reasons why he cannot sign it. Then the ' council could perfect the measure and re-'. re-'. turn it to the mayor for his signature. There is no doubt if the bill is passed that it will be of material benefit to the laboring classes." II. C. FENSTERMAKER, president of the Typographical union, is ; V |