The day book. [volume], March 03, 1917, LAST EDITION, Image 4

About The day book. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1911-1917

Image provided by: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library, Urbana, IL

                
NATIONAL ELECTRICAL TRUST GLAD LOCAL
TRUST IS BUSTED MIKE BOYLE NAILED
The Commonwealth Edison Co.,
the Westinghouse Co. and the Gen
eral Electric corporation got their
Chicago market widened today when
a jury in federal Judge Humphrey's
court brought in a verdict of "guilty"
for ten small capitalists and four la
bor union officials.
The ten small capitalists are ther
heads of the Chicago Switchboard
ass'n and were-in conspiracy with the
four labor men to shut out from Chi
cago territory electrical construction
all appliances not union made.
The verdict today is . the final
action by which the conspiracy Is
broken and the way made clear for
the non-union electrical appliances
of the Commonwealth Edison, West
inghouse, and General Electric to be
sold and installed without interfer
ence from the electrical workers"
union. These are the guilty:,
Michael J. ("Umbrella Mike")
Boyle, former business agent of
Local No. 134, Electrical Workers
union.
Raymond Cleary, assistant to
Boyle.
C. L. Hampton, former business
agent of the same local.
Frank A. Lundmark, former busi
ness agent of Local No. 713.
The individual manufacturers are:
John Cuthbert, Cuthbert Electrical
and Manufacturing Co.
Charles Kreider, Kohler Bros.
Warren E. Ripple, J. Lang Electric
Co.
Otis B. Duncan, same company.
Julian J. Neilson, States Electric
Co.
James Obermiller, same company.
G. W. Berthold, Electric Apparatus
Co.
They are subject to fines of $3,000
each and one year imprisonment or
both.
The defendant corporations are:
The Cuthbert Electrical and Manu
facturing Co., Henry Newgard & Co.,
the J. Lang Electric Co., the States
Electric Co., and the' Electric Ap
paratus Co.
"The impression has gone out that
the prosecution was aimed only at
the labor grafters involved in this
case," said U. S. Ass't Dis't Att'y Al
bert Hopkins! "That is wrong. Both
labor men and electrical contractors
have been convicted of conspiracy
to boycott and establish a monopoly
in restraint of trade and in violation
of the Sherman anti-trust law.
"If it had been the Commonwealth
Edison Co. or the Westinghouse or
the General Electric in a similar con
spiracy we would have taken the
same course. The verdict of guilty
involves both forces of capital as well
as labor."
The boycott was organized in
April, 1911, when the contractors and
labor men came to sign new agree
ments. Contractors said they
couldn't meet the new wage increase
asked by the labor men unless some
way could be found to close the Chi
cago market to all switch boards and
panels that didn't have the union
brand.
Mike Boyle's conviction is the sen
sation of the day. He has been a
dominating figure in the electrical
workers' union and though often ac
cused of unfair methods today is the
first time his business connections,
his organization and his influence
failed to get him'an acquittal. His
personal real estate holdings are
valued at $300,000 which is some
Lhandy bunch of property to earn as
a labor business agent or in real
estate speculation.
The Chicago Telephone Go. gave
its assistance to the big electrical
corporations in getting Boyle. Horace
F. Hill, vice-president Chi. Tel. Co.,
testified he slipped a cool $20,000
cash to Boyle for keeping peace
while the phone company put up its
new building.