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Return to Going to Work
Printing and
Publishing
 As a city where news was made, and state government issued regulations
and reports, Lansing had more printers than most cities its size. The Robert Smith
Printing Company, official state printers and binders, produced many of the State of
Michigan’s annual departmental reports. The firm employed 171 workers, 36 of whom
were women, with a monthly payroll of $7,000. The same company also published the Lansing
State Republican. Its name reflected its political position, as was typical for papers
of the day.
Book and job printers in 1897 Lansing included:
- North Lansing Record (E. D. Allen, propr.), 109 Franklin e.
- Emanuel J. Baumann, 109 Washington Ave n.
- Chilson & McKinley, Publishers of the Lansing City Directory, 107 Michigan
Ave w.
- Lansing Journal Co., 115 Ottawa e.
- Lansing Review, 116 Ottawa e.
- Lawrence & Van Buren, 122 Ottawa e.
- Ray Printing Co., 122 Washington Ave n.
- Robert Smith Printing Co., 330-334 Washington Ave n.
Printers’ Unions
The most successful unions in the 1890s were craft unions, whose members shared
particular skills. Printing was one of the most unionized trades because it employed a
high proportion of skilled workers. In 1897 one third of the labor organizations in
Lansing were connected with the printing industry.
Labor issues a century ago were similar to labor issues today, with wages and work
rules leading the list. This notice published by Typographical Union No. 72 in 1900
demonstrates that unions felt as strongly then as they do now about replacement workers.
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...HERE THEY ARE...
Lansing, Mich., August 1, 1900.
The following persons are now (or have been at some time during the
past 23 months) employed by the Robert Smith Printing Co., State Printers
of Michigan, and in such capacity have aided in the attempt to destroy
Lansing Typographical Union No. 72. The persons whose names are printed in
bold face type have been members of 72, and not only violated their solemn
obligation, but rendered themselves particularly obnoxious to the
Union men who have fought this battle to a finish. All Unions are warned
not to admit to membership any person whose name appears below without
notifying Lansing Union. Any person knowing of one of these applying for
or holding a card, will confer a favor upon Lansing Union No. 72 by notify-
ing them of the fact.
C. G. Abrahamson Charles W. Kelly
Steve Allen Eva Kenyon
Earl Ames Samuel Klippert
Geo. Bayley W. Lawrence
J. W. Beaty Loyd Lockwood
Arthur Boles (machineist) S. J. MacDonald
A. E. Brand Robert Manwaring
John Brooks J. W. Mason
James A. (Plug Hat) Brown George Merritt
Charles W. Chandler William Merritt
Miss Emma Cockburn Charles Miller
Geo. Cornwell J. W. Miller
Joe Davidson Bert Moran
Charles Davis B. F. Morrison
Oliver Diegel Arthur G. Mortimer
Oscar (Kid) Diegle James Ogden
Frank H. Doolittle Charles F. Perkins
O. A. Douglas Miss Maie Pike
T. B. Dowden H. D. Reprogle
J. B. Duggan R. J. A. Reynolds
A. E. Eldredge C. M. Robbins
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