03/28/1938 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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'~ 59 Council Chambers, Eugene, Oregon March 28. 1938 :f... I c:..., The minutes of the adjourned meeting of the Common Council held at the hour ~ of 7:30 o'clock P~M., March 28, 1938. Mayor Large called the meeting to order. Councilmen present were: Messrs. Lamb, Hendershott, Reid, Hanns, Farrington, Bond and Carlson; absent, Mr. Page. 1 The minutes of the previous meeting, March 14, 1938, were presented and 2 ordered filed. 1 Mayor Large announced as a special order of business the discussion concer- ning the picketing ordinance passed by the council at t~e last session. He re- quested that only official speakers representing those groups opposed to the measure address the council. .Professor Paul E. Keipe,-Univ.er.s.ity of Uregon t3peech Departmen , was t,he first to strike at the o1;',dinance as being in violation or human rights, a breeder of strife between employers and labor, and an abridgement of free speech and the right of protest. Mr. Kiepe asked why no one was informed of the council's intent to enact an emergency picketing ordinance. Charles A. Paddock, representativ of the united Brotherhood of Carpent~rs and Joiners, rejected strenuously to the passage of the ordinance under an emergency clause without calling in other parties interested. He declared that the Hecorder should not have to decide whether a labor dispute exists; that disputes of this nature should be decided by the coutts. He further declared that there should be no charge made for the privilege of picketing and organizations should not be required to file the name of the pickets employed by reason of the fact that pickets are constantly being changed. The fact that the ordinance limits the number of pickets in front of a business, is alsb illegal, he asserted. Mr. Paddock asked Mayor Large whether the Better Eugene Association is responsible for the ordinance. City Attorney Calkins interrupted at this point by stating that he alone is the responsible person for the preparation of the ordinance He had help from no one; drew it to the best of his ability to meet the wishes of the council. He admitted that the Better Business Association had no part in the preparation of the ordinance except suggest an increase in the fee from $1.00 to $5.00, as originally drafted, and reduce the length of time for picketing from 90 days to to 20, which was later amended by the council to 30 days. As to the con- stitutionality of the ordinance, Mr. Calkins pointed out that this was not the place to determine that, it was up to the courts. Mr. Paddock declared that in the event the ordinance wa's pronounced unconsti tutional by the courts, it would certainly re- flect unfavorably on the City Attorney, Mayor and Council. Harry Johnson, represen- tative of the United WorkersJ League, pointed out that this ordinance only states that pickets cannot whistlLe-,.sing or talk, and does not say a thing about playing an instrument or creating other types of noises. Although it states that all pickets shall be required to walk back and forth at the outer margin of the sidewalk, he stated what would prevent the pickets from walking at the outer margin of sidewalks in any part-of town. Mr. Johnson was in favor of repeal of the ordinance because it interfeJ'red w-i th the rights of picketing and was unconsti tutional. Lawrence T. Harris, attorney, stated that the better Business Association represented 300 em- ployers with 3000 employees and of the latter there are few, if any, who oppose this ordinance. Judge Harris gave a complete analysis of the Oregon law pertaining to this question, stating repeatedly that the council acted perfectly within its rights He further pointed out that the reason the ordinance ~as passed under an emergency clause, was due to the ract that there had been violence in the city as. a result of labor disputes. Resolutions from the Local Branch of cugene Workers Alliance, Local No. 2611 Lumber and ::3awmill v'iorkers Union, .Willamette Valley District Council of Lumber and :Sawmill v',orkers, .l!ugene Gentral Labor Council, Culinary Alliance, Local o43,~lumbers Local No. 481 and communication from H. S. Hilliard, ~ecretary to the Lumber and ::3awmill v\orkers, Local Union 2574, Dexter, Uregon vigorously protesting the picketing ordinance, were also read to the council for their consideration. Mr. Fred G. Reese pointed out that he was in sympathy with organized labor but as a result of our acts of violence and the general conditions that existed, he felt that the council was perfectly justified in preparation of such an ordinance and requeste that they continue to stand by their previous action. Harry Johnson, again added a bit to ~ne onslaught by~sserting that Judge Harris, in his discourse, was apparent 1 placing the common council in place of the courts and further stipulated that no vandalism by pickets themselves occurred in the city. Mayor Large closed all furthe discussion at this time and asked members of the council to defer all further action until the next meeting of the council. Two sets of petitions containing 163 and 105 names respectively demanding revocation of the anti-picketing ordinance, were also presented for the council's consideration. I 1 I 13 4 I The $75.00 offer of E.V. Hamblen for parcel of property described as "Be- ginning at a point 113 feet south of the south line of 16th Avenue West on the west side of Jefferson Street, thence south 16 feet, thence west 150 feet, thence north 16 feet, thence east 150 feet to the place of beginning," was upon the recommendatio of the Finance Committee ordered held until such time that the city acquires title to said property and upon motion made and duly seconded, the recommendation of the Committee was duly approved. Offer of Colin H. Macdonald in the amount of $600.00 for Lot 5, Block 20, College Hill Park Addition, was rejected by the Finance Committee and a counter-offe ~