The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, March 19, 1896, Page 5

THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 1896 5 AN ACT HELD 10 BE ILLEGAL, Attorney - General Fitzger-| ald’s Argument on Rail- road Law. FRAUD ON THE PEOPLE.| | A Legislative Enactment Under a Title That Is Mis- leading. | FIGHT OF THE COMMISSION. Ancther Day Occupied by the State’s Representative in the Fed- eral Court. Attorney-General Fitzgerald continued his argument yesterday in the Southern Pacific injunction suit against the Railway Commissioners. He addressed the court | m on the right of outside corpora- | s to come into State and assume | privileges not previo possessed by His contention was that the Southern | them. | . | Pac ¢ Company couid not come into Cali- a and acquir ses not directly per- mitted under its original franchise, and he held to be iliegal the act of 1380, which he | declared was not intended for the purpose of fraud, under which the railroad com- pany asserted its The act is as fol- | and other cory laws of this State, or o State or Territory of the United Statesoi America, or any act of Congress of the United States to do business in atc on equal terms, (Approved April 31, 1880.) | Section 1. That every railway corporation | and every corporation organized for the pur- | pose of carrying freights or passengers which | has or may be created or organized under or f the laws of any State or | nited States of America, | s of the United States of | America, may hereaiter build railways, exer- | cise the rightof eminent domain and do or transact any other business which such cor- poration might if the same had been created der or by virtue of tne laws of the same rights, privileges iesand subject to the same laws, ions and burdens as though seid corporations had been created by or or- under the laws of the State of Califor- c and organized under any law of or the United States, or any Stateor | f, have power to enterinto | one another whereby the one the other, the whole or any part | ad, or may acquire of the other the | use in common with it the whole or | part of its railroad. out this line of argument At- ‘ itzgerald said that the act | gn corporations to do | tate on equal terms with | the California corporations could not give | the outside corporations any new power to | lease. 11d only use such power as sed by them before. ting from the constitution that no ration organized outside of the State be allowed to transact businessin er more favorable terms than yrporations organized in this | erald argued that the lease | y under consideration was impos The outside corporations could only be permitted to come here and do business on equal terms with the Cali- fornia corporations. It would seem, he continued, that when- ever the Legislature enlarges in any way or seeks to enlarge the powers generally | granted to corporations it shoudd be ex- pected to give the utmost pu ity to the act. In enlarging the powers to the ex--| tent of permitting the lease of the fran- chises the Legislature would not be ex- pected to cover up the act as in this case. To grant such power in an act thus dis- | guised is misieading, deceptive, dishonest Z_a frand on the people. 3 The putting of the foreign corporations | on an equal footing with those of Califor- | nia is intended. It cannot be contended, | and will not be contended, that the act is | to ba understood as increasing the powers of California corporations. Nobody read- ing the title would say that the act relates to increasing the powers of California cor- porations. The sole object and intention | of the act is to give equal powers to the ontside corporaticns—to place them on a standing of business equality. | If the assumed powers to lease could be | [ | obtained in that way, any corporation that could attach itself to another corporation would be able to increase its posar in the | 1he Attorney-General declared that an act with-a title like that under discussion | is obnoxious to the constitution. Judge McKenna asked for information | regarding certain authorities quoted in | support of this latter declaration, stating that as he had understood the reading it was necessary to show 1ncongruity as well as differences in the subjects of an act. | The title in the act under discussion, he | remarked, was a rather general one. | Aftorney-General Fitzgerald went over a portion of his argument bearing on that | point. Then the representative of the people | took up the subject of the leases of the | California Pacific and South Pacific Coast roads, arguing that franchises obtained from the Government could not be leased without Government permission. Another proposition presented is that the leases are void because they are repug- nant to section 20, article XII, of the consti- tution, which prohibits combinations be- tween common carriers not directly shar- ing in the profits. Under this subject Mr. Fitzgerald dis- cussed the combination of the Central Pa- cific and Southern Pacific roads. going over different routes but having the same terminals. By that combination, he de-; ¢clared, the people were deprived of the | benefits of competition, and the combina- tion is contrary to the constitution. | 1n the argument the strike of 1894 was | referred to in connection with an official | report that no injury to the business had resulted. In that year less grain was shipped over the roads than in any other | year since 1877. It was shown that the | Southern Pacific Company’s vortion of| the profits under the omnibus lease in 1894 | was $546,051 30. The Southern Pacific Company of Arizona and the Southern Pacific Company of New Mexico operated et a loss that yi i ! (Anon), Dr. W. H. | fluid was found in the bed. | maceied” | unknown man was in a manner responsi- profits was represented to be something over $77,000. In other words, the earn- ings of the Southern Pacific of California were diverted to pay to these roads a pro rata of profits that they never earned, and the Southern Pacific of California was not operated at a loss in 1894. Mr. Fitzgerald announced that before he concluded he would show that there had been " profits all along the line, excepting | from the Oregon road. The argument of the Attorney-General will be continued to-day. TWO GRAND CONCERTS. ¥rank Belcher’s Testimonial—Stanford’s Glee Club. Two grand concerts are announced for this evening, the Frank H. Belcher con- | cert at Native Sons’ Hall, on Mason street, and the Stanford Glee and Mandolin con- cert in Metropolitan Temple. At the Belcher concert the programme will be as follows: Male quartet, “The Corn Is Waving” (Buck), | Press Club quartet; “Tin-whistle Rhapsodies Sieberst; barytone solo, “‘Song of the Helmet” (Charles Archer), Frank | H. Belcher; ’cello solo, “Norihern Romance” (Bohm). Dr. Arthur T. Regensberger; contralto selected, Mrs. Olive Reed; tenor solo, Nocturne” (Kellie), Frank Coffin; a few minutes with Bob Mitchell; sopreno solo, recitative and aria from act3, “Meritana” (Wallace), Miss Carrie Roma; sketches,“People I Have Seen,” James Swinnerton: barytone solo (a) “He Was a Prince” (Lohrn), (b) “Answer,” by request (Robyn), Frank H. Belcher. The programme at the Glee Club will consist of : “Estudiantina,” Mandolin and Glee clubs; “Zulu Dance,” Mandolin Club; college songs medley, Glee Club; violin solo, “Nocturne,” W. B. Wells; (a) “Wing Tee Wee,” (b) “Where the D srows Longer,” Glee Club; barytone A.; “Harvard Gavotte,” Mandolin Little Youngster,” Dillon; **Court- lub; “Stanford University March,” 01d Kentucky Home,” Ab- Club; “Ma Angeline,”” Mando- lin and Glee Club. SHE WAS TIRED OF LIFE Bertha Bryant Suicides in a Post Street Lodging- House. SHE TOOK CARBOLIC ACID. Deliberate and Successful Attempt at Self-Destruction—Tried to Con- ceal Her Identity. Bertha Bryant died because she said she | had nothing to live for. Her body was | found in her room at 207 Post street at 11 o'clock yesterday morning. She had taken carbolic acid the night before. Her body was removed to the Morgue, where it was identified during the day. The deceased was a little over 20 years of age. She came from Vallejo two weeks ago, and engaged a room at the Saville, conducted by John Greenhalge, where she ended her life. She | left this note: My life has been a complete failure.and I | am tired of it, S0 take means to finish it. | March 17, 11:30 P. x., 1896. In a goblet traces of carbolic acid were | found. A handkerchief saturated with the | Her death had eviagently been a horrible one, as her mouth had been frightiully burned by the gobt Fac-simile of the Note Written by Berth Bryant Just Before She Took the Fatal Dose of Carbolic Acid. acid. She had evidently made an effort to conceal her identity, as she did not sign the note she left for the Coroner, and de- stroyed_all other evidence of her person- ality. But Deputy Coroner Hallett found a blotter in her room, and under the glass he discovered the name of Bertha Abbott written in bold letters. He followed up the clew, and learned that the deceased was a relative of Conductor Abbott of the Sutter-street Railway Company. ““The name of deceased is not Abbott, as was first presumed by the Coroner,” said Jonductor Abbott when seen last evening. She 1s a distant relative of mine, which accounts for the name being found on the blotter, but her right name is Bertha Leone Bryant. “‘Being” a relative of the girl, I was naturally intimate with her and befriended her on different occasions, which led a | number of our acquaintances to believe that I was protecting the young woman. This, however, is not a fact and 1s_simply an unbased story circulated by idle gos- sips.” Late last evening G. H. Abbott, a brother of the conductor, called at the Morgue and corroborated the identification. He said that Bertha Bryant was the young woman’s name and that she was a_native of California, 20 vears of age. He also stated that deceased had been keeping company with some livery-stable man whose name he had forgotten, and that the couple were at one time engaged to be He was of the opinion that this for the suicide of the girl. Did the Bird Use an X Ray? FLINT, Mich., Feb. 28.—Abraham Cod- dington, Township Clerk of Thetford, was in the city to-day,and related a story which ilustrates the wonderful sagacity of Sthe wt}odpecker. i everal years ago Mr. Coddington puta basswood timber into his fnmilygresldgnce. and later placed two coats of paint upon the siding which had been placed overa coat of tarred paper which covered the basswood. A few daysago Mr. Coddington was alarmed at hearing a tapping upon the side of the house. pon investigation he found a woodpecker striving to borea hole in the siding. Hedrove the bird away several times, but it would return after he had gome into the house or fields and worked upon the spot where itslabors were first begun. After a week the bird had several nice fat worms in its possession.— Detroit Free Eress, 1 PAINTERS' STRIKE N FULL SWING, All of the Union Journey- men Taken From Their Work. THE JOBS ARE TIED UP. Bosses Are Determined They Will Not Yield to the Strikers. A COMPROMISE SUGGESTED. Paint-Dealers, Master Painters and Union Men in a Triple Alliance Is the Plan. A call was made early yesterday morn- ing for every union painter in this City to quit work. With few exceptions they re- sponded to the call and laid down their brushes. A few objected to do so. A mass-meeting of union painters will be held this evening to decide upon future actions. The executive committee of the union visited several paint-dealers, and were as- sured that they can get all the material they want when they desire to take con- tracts in the open market for themselves. The strikers are confident of winning the fight. The master painters are equally deter- mined not to yield, particularly to the card system. They held a conference yes- terday and discussed a plan for settling the strike and guarding against future troubles. The plan isto form a triple alliance of the master painters, paint-dealers and journeymen. Another strike is among the possibilities of the near future. The District Council of carventers and joiners last night in- structed its walking delegate to call out all union carpenters working on jobs with non-union men. This may cause trouble between a dozen or more contractors and the union carpenters. s el £ ORDERED A STRIKE. Prompt Measures Taken by the Painters’ Unlon to Call Thelr Men Out. Determination and enthusiasm marked the meeting of the members of the Paint- ers Union yesterday morning at the Temple at 115 Turk street. There were about 400 present, and little time was wasted in getting down to business. After a brief discussion of the action of the master painters in declaring against the recognition of the card system, it was decided by motion ‘to order a general strike of all the painters in the City. In accordance with this determination twenty-five men were appointed chairmen of as many committees, each to consist of five members in addition to the chairman, whose duty it snould be 1o at once notify all men at work of theaction of the union. Each chairman was provided with the fol- lowing letter of authority: SaN FRANCISCO, Cal., March 15, 1896. Thisis to certify that Brother — has been duly elected at a called meeting of the Painters’ Union held on the above date at the Temple, 115 Turk street, chairman of a com- mittee to interview the journeymen now at work and call them out, as a general strike has been ordered by the union. All members of the union must act immediately, as the Master Painters’ Association refuses to recognize the card. James RoSE, President. FRED BUSSE, Rec. Sec. the fizht was not to bring one man to time but to regulate the entire painting trade of San Francisco. The letter from the mas- ter painters showed fiplainly that there is bat one thing to do—fight. It is better to bring on the climax at once than to delay matters. & A committee was appointed to see the gramers to get them into the painters’ union or form a union of their own. A number of rousing union speeches were made by C. Isham, Mr. Andrews, Bean and others. S WANT TO WORK. A Dozen or More Painters Objected to Belng Called Out Again. There was a spirited special meeting of the striking painters last evening at 1159 Mission street. The gathering was the creation of a moment, and it was the only evidence of a break in the strikers’ ranks. It seems that these men were working yes- terday morning when the call out for a general strike reached them. Instead of indorsing the action of the majority who made the second call-out, they protested on the ground that it was not fair to the bosses who had given in to the union’s de- mands, and they made the argument that the union’s word to the friendly bosses should not be broken. These arguments were met with the statements that the majority of those bosses who had promised to conceed to the union’s demands had already broken faith with the union men by joining hands with the master painters, and had signed the latter's refusal to recognize the card system. In other words, at its worst, it was a stand-off. Those who made the protest threatened to return to work to-dayv and they were told that there was nolaw to prevent them from doing so, and that the last cali-out was legally made by 800 or 900 union painters at a special meeting. Also, that the last call-out and the first as well, was not against individual bosses, but against the entire trade for the purpose of regulating the entire trade and not any one boss. In order to get the sense of the union and to satisfy the protestors, it was de- cided to call a mass-meeting of all union painters to-night. The place of meeting will be announced on the bulletin board at 115 Turk street to-dav. The twenty-five committees now picketing the entire City will at the meeting at 10 0’clock this morn- ing probably be instructed to notify all union painters in their respective districts to be present at the mass-meeting in the evening. The question at this mass-meeting will be “‘Shall the strike be general or only ap- ply to those who have openly declared against the union?” It is stated that the majority of those who protested against being called out yesterday morning were among the last to join the union and the first to secure work under the bosses who conceeded millingly or unwillingly to the union’s demand. All of the members were notified to be present at the morning, afternoon and evening mass-meetings to-day. e WILL BID FOR WORK. Striking Painters to Enter the Open’ Market and Take Contracts. As soon as the striking painters learned that they might be obliged to make a long fight they determined to cast around for means to protect themselves against im- mediate want and. to provide for future employment. For the time being they have been promised such assistance of a financial character as will keep the strikers from actual want. In order to be ready for emergenciesa committee was appointed at an executive meeting late vesterday afternoon to canvass the situation. Mr. Bean is the chairman. He and his co-workers started out to visit a number of organizations and individuals that have promised support. They met with considerable success dur- ing the evening, and from the present out- look there is every reason to believe that the strikers who are in need of help will be provided for for some time and thus be able to stand off on a long strike if necessary. Within a few minutes after 11 A. M., as the result of this action, 150 men were scouring the City, which had been dis- tricted among the various committees, and a few hours Jater every union man who had gone to work in the morning had laid by his brush. Many of those who arose to go to work in the morning refrained from doing so on reading the reports in the morning news- papers in reference to the action of the master painters. 2 The action of the union resulted in call- ing out about 300 men. The spirit that pervades the men was indicated in the course of the fifteen men employed at J. J. Cooney’s on Fourth street. After the com- promise had been effected pending the action of the Master Painters’ Association, Cooney selected all new men-to work fof him, instead of taking back his old hands but these new men were among the first to quit yesterday, doing so as soon as they Jearned through the newspapers the de- termination of the master painters not to recognize the card system. Among the contributionsreceived yester- day werse $25 from Thomas Carto and the same amount from the Goodfellows’ Ex- change, the latter promising $50 if it was required. N A ALL' FOR FIGHT. Unlon Painters Called Off From Nearly Every Job In the City. The afternoon meeting of the striking painters was well attended, there being but a few vacant seats left in the gallery. The committees appointed in the morning presented their reports, which with but few exceptions were to the effect that the painters at work quickly responded to the call for another strike, and all those who did not quit work at noon promised to do so at night. In fact the City is well tied up so far as the painting trade is concerned. The most interesting reports were as follows: Committees in the Western Addition and south of Market street said that not over three or four men declined to come and they do not belong to the union. ¥. Schulz of Committee No.3 reported that he and his men had caused every jobin his district to be closed up. His district is also south of Market from Fifth to Eighth. He visited eight jobs and all the painters came out upon being notified, Al the men promised to be at the afieruoon meeting. The only op- position came from Charles Sheahan of Fifth street, who said that he never intended to recognize the card system any longer than necessary to get his present contracts finished. Half a dozen other committees made similar reports. The report of Mr. Raymond of the Rich- mond District Committee was received with cheers. He said that the Richmond District men are nearly all cut. In his travels he met Mr. Kreling. a pr ominent member of the Iroquois Club, who stated that the club had authorized him to say that the club will help the striking painters to the fuil extent of its moral and financial ability. He also met Mr. Foster of the North' Pacific Railroad, who promised to stand by the union, pay $3, and recognize the card on all branches of the road. An effort was made by one or two who The other feature—future employment— proved equally encouraging. Before and since the strike the men have stated that they would go into business and compete with the bosses if necessary to win. For fear that it will be necessary several mem- bers of the executive board of the union visited several dealers in painters’ mate- rials. ‘The dealers. told the journeymen that if they desire to go into business and make contracts with property-owners they can have all the paints, oils and other materials they desire. And bexter still, no osit will be required on any legiti- mate job they undertake. Of course, the dealers expect to receive atime. But I have kept my men going and have paid $3 and upward all the time. *“The trouble, so far as this strike is con- cerned, seems to me to be caused by the fact that the amount of work to be done has decreased while the number of painters has increased. San Francisco, in this re- spect, resembles a trap. Painters come here from the cold north to wintér. While they have alittle money to stay on they re- main, hoping to get work, and when their money is gone they caunot get out of town. This explains the over supply of labor, and ‘hard times’is a sufficient ex- planation for the decrease of business. “In regard to regular men, you must know that during the last few years the local shops have followed the Eastern custom of keeping a regular gang of men who do all the work that comes into the shop. When necessary, however, extra men are called in, and these are usually paid $2 50 a day. The extra men are usu- ally those who are not good enough work- men to hold down a regular job, though occasionally a first-class workman is found among them, but they are so plentiful as to greatly outnumber the regular men, and 50 control the union. “That this is so is evident from the fact that we boss painters employ only about 300 men regularly out of an estimated 2000 journeymen in the City. “Now, the effect of calling out the men who are working, and who, without any card system or formal understanding, are receiving the wages stipulated, cannot but hurt the union. For if we yielded to all they ask the men who have been working regularly would still be working and the extra men would still be catching an odd day or two of work and making just as little money asnow. Grantingtheunion’s demands would not furnish employment for a single man more. “Again, this action of the union in order- ing a strike at this time has knocked the bottom out of the spring business, upon which chiefly we depend. Landlords whose tenants want painting done present this as an excuse, and about 80 per cent of our business comes from this source. So if the men went back to work to-day there would not he so much work for them as before the strike was ordered. I, myself, have lost thereby two promised jobs which would have kept ten men at work for four weeks. “Why not grant the union’s demands if ‘we are paying the same wages now? Well, this is the reason. There is in every shop one or two men who are kept for the pur- pose of doing rough work and for cleaning up, etc. We pay them $2 25 or $2 50 a day. If we granted the union’s demands we should have to pay them $3 a day. It’s only a half dollar, but it means a raise in wages all along the line. If I can doa third more work than another I am worth more money to my employer,and Iam not going to be satisfied to see that other getting the same pay as I do. Soit is with the journeymen, and if that schedule is granted it only means more trouble. “But the great stumbling block in the way of a speedy settlement of the strike is this proposea working-card system. This time when the men struck there were tobe found two or three union men in each shop. They went out, but the others stayed and we were not seriously crippled. But, if the card system were in operation, they could take every man out and make us grant anything and everything. And from our past experience we do not care to trust ourselves completely in their power. ‘Why, the demand isridiculous. We would not own our own business. “'‘There is ore circumstance connected with the strike in which thefjjourneymen | this respect. | Painters’ Association will were manifestly unfair. committee to confer with us concerning their desires. We reported to our associa- tion, bnt did not see our way clear to grant all that was asked. So we asked for another conference. To our request no reply was vouchsafed, but the strike was ordered forthwith and without further warning.” L e AN IDEAL UNION. Bosses and Journeymen Shinglers About to Band Themselves Together. The shinglers of this City are about to form a trades union and affiliate with the Building Trades Council. Yesterday a number of representatives of this craft called at the Temple to see the organizers of the council to make arrangements for “unionizing” and sending delegates to the council. There are between seventy and eighty journeymen shinglers and about six boss shinglers in San Francisco. This union will be different from all other unions in The bosses themselves are the leaders in the movement of organiza- tion, and they are urging their workmen to go into the union with them. In this way their interests will be made identical, and any possible difference that may arise between employer and employe will be straightened out in the union, or if neces- sary in the Building Trades Council. The men ate enthusiastic in the movement an ideal trades union will soon be perfected. R o A POSSIBLE COMPROMISE Plans for Solving the Trouble For- mulated by the Bosses. The board of directors of the Master shortly submit to the union a plan for an amicable settle- ment of the present troubles, which, they believe, will solve the whole difficulty. The scheme is an ambitious one, involv- ing a triple-alliance among the bosses, the material men and the journeymen painters. “What we propose,” said President E. H. Black of the Master Painters’ Associa- tion yesterday, “is nothinz less than a combination of all three classes for mutuay snpport and protection. If it be accom- plished, and I beiieve it is more than feasi- ble, troubles of this kind will never occur again. “At the present time you must know the master painters buy their material where and how they please. Some patron- jze local dealers, others buy from the traveling men of Eastern -paint-houses. We believe that if our trade were confined strictly to the local dealers it would be of sufficient advantage to induce them to favor the association’s members in regard to prices. ““In the Master Painters’ Association we have at present sixty of the principal shops in town, and of these a considerable percentage by its materials directly from the East. Now, we propose to go to the Paint and Oil Club, the dealers’ association of this Citv,and say to them, ‘lf you will agree to sell material to members of our as- sociation at a price say 15 per cent less than what you ask of outsiders, whether they be owners or boss painters outside of our association, we in turn will agree to buy all our materials from members of your organization.” This proposition has al- ready been made to the material men in an unofficial way and meets with their ap- proval. They want only to satisfy them- selves that we are strong enough to pro- tect them, and this is easily shown since we are gaining members rapidly. Last night we took in a dozen, and as many more applications were laid over till the next regular meeting because of trifling irregularities, such as, for instance, the absence of initials to a name or the lack of an address. “Having settled this matter with the material men we shall be in a position to They had sent a | treat with the union. A reduction of 15 percent in the cost of materials will justify an advance of 8 per cent in the price of labor, which is practically what the journeymen demand. This being the case, we will offer them the wages they ask and agree to employ only union men. ‘*An unconditional surrender? Not at all. The question of wages will have ad- usted itself, for.we are and always have n willing to pay as high wages as we could get out of our customers. The ques- | tion of wages cuts but very little figure in this strike anyway, for the regular men in the shops have been getting $3 right along. But this plan involves the abandonment by the union of the working-card system. That is what has been the cause of the whole trouble. Unconditional surrender? Scarcely, if we get 15 per cent from the ma- terial men and the abandonment of the working-card system by the union. Of course we agree to employ only union men, and it might be thought that that is prac- tically the same thing, but it is not.”” el MORE TROUBLE AHEAD. Union Carpenters Will Be Forbidden to Work With Non-Union Men To-Day. At a meeting of the District Council of carpenters and joiners last evening action was taken in a matter that is of much im- portance, inasmuch as it may involve a dozen or more jobs in a walkout or strike. Last fall the four carpenters’ and joiners’ unions, and the District Council, which is the central body, revised the constitution and by-laws, and among other changes was that of section 23 of the trade rules, which reads as follows: Sec. 28. No union carpenter shall work with a non-union carpenter longer than one week, unless he obtain his application and fee or notify the business agent. For violation of this rule the penalty shall be five (§5) dollars, fine. During the winter months, when work was very scarce and times not particularly lively, this rule was not strictly enforced. Consequently there are many mixed jobs in this City at the present time where union and non-union men are at work to- gether. The union fever has of late en- tered into all branchesof trade, and the carpenters are not proof against the spirit of the times. Last evening the District Council in- structed its business agent, Mr. Schadt, to enforce the union law in question and call out every carpenter in the City who is working on & job with non-union men. From all that can be learned there are at least a dozen such jobs in San Francisco, and this order means nothing short of a strike in some places. It is not at all likely that the contractors will give in on the first sign of a battle, and it is equally improba- ble that the carpenters ordered to quit a job will risk the payment of $5 fines or be- come defiant, particularly as the initiation fee will be $10 in a very short time. Mr. Schadt said that he will begin 10 act under the council’s instructions as soon as the men go to work this morning. As soon as these jobs are weeded out Mr. Schadt will go to Sacramento and or- ganize a carpenters’ union in that city, District Organizer Malsbary having left the State. Another matter of no little future sig- nificance came up in ihe form of a_resolu- tion, that all building contractors be noti- fied that after May 1 they will have to pay their union carpenters no less than $3a day. Like the other trade rule this has been a sort of dead letter during the win- ter months, and even union carpenters have been working for less—many as low as $2. The reason for sefting May 1 is that carpenters figuring upon work may know exactly what they will have to pay for their labor. The council again passed a resolution that it will support the painters'union in its present strike. the first payment on all work, and to this the journeymen agreed. As stated, sev- eral dealers were called uoon, and the as- surance of each was the same. The paint- ers were highly elated, and state that if the bosses do not come to terms in very short order the strikers will enter the open market and ‘offer to finish old contracts and make new ones at rates that will force the obstinate bosses to close up their shops. THE BOSSES’ Master Painters State Thelr Posl- tion In Regard to the Strike. The master painters have a grievance connected with the present strike and a sore spot which they are rather disinclined to expose to the public view. For days they have contented themselves with terse remarks to the effect that there are always two sides to a question, but until yester- day no one could be found who was will- ing to exploit the second side. “This strike was caused,” said J. P. Fraser yesterday, “by the unemployed painters, not by the men who are working regularly. The steady menin the shops are all rightc They have been getting on an average more than $3 a day, and the question of wages is but a side issue in this case. The real fight is over this proposed working-card system, and to this the bosses will never give in. What is the ob- jectiontoit? . Humph! We want to run our own business.” E. H. Black, president of the Master Painters’ Association, entered largely into the history of the painting trade in this City. “Five years ago,” he said, ““the journey- men were working ten hours for §3. Then they struck for nine hours and got it. Then they struck for eight hours and got that, too. Then business got bad and wages dropped. “Two years ago the journeymen struck again, that time for a restoration of the $3 rate. At that time we attempted some organization against them, but it was weak, and all we accomplished was the passing of a resolution granting them all they asked. And the result of this course we have before us now. SIDE. had been called out to get the permission of the union for them to return to work where the bosses had previously acceeded to the union’s terms. They were quickly voted ont, and several strong speeches were _made in consequence. McIvor said that *For the last two years business has been growing worse. I raise fruit down in Santa Clara, and I tell you if it had not been for Black the fruit-grower Black the painter would have been busted man; California, + CALIFO TN A!‘unu4 Anc-unnmwm Blood Purifier, M]mtor and In existence. A eompound of the juices of Vegetable Alteratives indigenous to THE EDWIN W. 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