Organized labor in Chicago had no sympathy for the Bricklayers' union.
Members of other unions entertained for it a feeling of bitterness which
was constantly being manifested. This was fully illustrated at a meeting
of the Amalgamated Building Trades Council held Saturday evening, June
18th, at which delegates stated that the Bricklayers' union had taken
contracts from Master Masons for the erection of buildings, and had then
hired non-union hod-carriers, carpenters, cornice-makers, lathers and
laborers of all classes. The Bricklayers' union was characterized as
"the meanest organization on God's green footstool," and it was remarked
that it would be a good thing for Chicago if it was wiped out of
existence. The union was bitterly denounced for its selfish, mercenary,
unjust, tyrannical conduct toward other labor organizations.
On Sunday, June 19th, at a meeting of the Trade and Labor Assembly,
Edward Mulrany, of the Bricklayers' union, made a vicious attack upon
James Brennock, of the Building Trades council, on account of the action
of the previous evening. Mr. Brennock, an old man, attempted to explain
the true situation, but his voice was drowned by Mulrany, who fairly
yelled: "Lies! lies! you're a liar!" and heaped abuse upon the old man
to such an extent that he was forced to subside.
The Bricklayers' union had for so long had everything its own way that
the leaders assumed the right to not only dictate to the bosses and
other unions, but they usurped the prerogative of trampling upon
anything and everything that attempted to question a single act of the
union. They had made servile tools of the members of every other
organization until all had grievances of such a character that they were
in a position to sympathize with even an employer, in a fight against
the oppression of the Bricklayers' union. The Hodcarriers went so far as
to threaten to take up trowels and lay brick for members of the Master
Masons' association in order to aid in breaking up the Union that had
been so abusive to all other labor organizations. Under these
circumstances it was but reasonable to expect that the tide of the
strike would turn in favor of the Master Masons.