Notice having been received by the president of the Builders' and
Traders' exchange that the officers of the National Association of
Builders were to be in Chicago, the board of directors of the exchange
met and appointed the following committee to receive them: George
Tapper, Joseph Downey, George II. Fox, James John, M. Benner, Charles A.
Moses, William E. Frost, F. C. Schoenthaler, and James C. Beeks.
The officials were met and were fully informed by the committee of what
had occurred in Chicago from the inception of the labor trouble which
had paralyzed the building trades, and were furnished with a copy of the
platform of principles adopted by the Conference committee of the
building trades. The situation was informally discussed by the officers
of the National Association and the reception committee, in order to put
the visitors in a position to fully understand the ground upon which
action had been taken. They were apprised of the demands which had been
made from time to time for years, and of the fact that these demands had
been generally acceded to until they had become almost unbearable, and
that the builders of Chicago thought the time had arrived when decisive
action should be taken in order to insure a permanent settlement of the
troubles which had disrupted the employers and the employes.
Referring to the situation William H. Sayward said it was not alone
Chicago builders who were affected by the movement, but the whole
country was interested in it. The builders of Chicago and those of other
cities could see the benefits which were expected to be derived from a
national association. Before that, when there had been a strike of any
magnitude in any city, the builders engaged in the complications
received not even a word of sympathy from their associates in other
parts of the country. In their troubles the Chicago builders had
received messages of sympathy and approval from almost every part of the
country, because all felt and had a common interest in the questions at
issue.