New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1844-07-18
Strike for Wages.
To tho Editor Of The Tribune.

To the Editor Of the Tribune.
PETERSON \. J. July 18th. lai'
The Table Cloth Weavets OF Paterson helo
meeting ON Saturday last when twas UNANIMOUSLY
resolved 10 send depu,aons 10 the various 'Na''"
facturers OF those goods, to solicit them i'' ." u"
vance of wages equal 10 he reductions ''''' ''''
been formerly made upon them, which announce u
90 per cent and which The operatives thhH WI III
selves entitled 10 according to The present scuie pa'u
IN pb;,,deIrbia and New-York. The deputai'ons
waited upon the respective manufacturers ""e"
H,assrs Turton and MIR. Packer refused 10 pay any
advance. and the Messrs Preston nj once comptied
80, ~. ,,.,sbes of the me-ting and are now paying
,h. advanced list; and the weavers belonging 10 'e
-, ,.y, sra Attachments have struck work.
Tne Viewers OF these Factories are men who
have come from England 10 better their condition;
they are al men whom their employers WIZ give
good characters as being good worhnen so''''
stead, and industrious. The Weascrs hope 'h''
these ,icns which they have taken VIII nave I'VE
proper Influence upon anv that would "ish L" ci''''
,,,n ,b.u and that all Mechanics viii see the ne
c...,v of maintaining rcmGueraridg listot wages
:, ,h;. country, which, by well regulated sei'-
ac,;n, will keep oct from among Us tile pauper
labor of England, believing AT the same time 'hat
their labor Is their capital, and they have right 10
carr, i, TO the best market.
Nothing is more apparent than the fact that tins
,y;lI he great Manufacturing countr, that great
change has already taken place in the ManutGotur-
inc business of this world, winch is 10 grow "a
n foil! deep stream flow onward 10 wealth 10 all
within It's reach. This new era has commenced, and
The keen calculating Manufacturer IL getting ready
for a great business. Why not thu operative Hand
Loom Weaver have his share allowed him without
being compelled 10 resort 10 means which he depre-
Gates and abhors
THE HAND.LooM WEAvERs OF PATTERSON.
u We publish the above checI(ully, bat we
regret the existence of the state of things ii pre-
sents. a strike is perfectly iuslitiablc pro-
cedure when TO contracts arc broken and no VIC.
lence or intimidation rcsor.ed 10 against those
who do not see fit 10 unite in It, But it is always
awasteful proceeding always excitcs and infames
i'll will between those who should be on the most
friendly terms; and very often runs into outrages
m the rights and liberties of those who do not see
fit to strike. Only an imperative necessity can
render it polite or wise.
There are very often two sides to story like
the above. In this case, the statement represents
the wages now paid (ior piece work) as 30 per
cent less than formerly. But has there been no
Improvement in processes meantime 2 Docs it
REQUIRE as much time and labor now to weave
twenty yards of the cloth as it did when the price
of weaving was higher? We ask information on
this point.
We heartily desire and hope to see the whole
system of arbitrary Wages Tor work superseded by
some plan which shall secure to the Employer and
to the Workman respectively fair, Just, fixed
Proportion of the net proceeds. olong as wages
are paid, having no direct reference to the pro-
ceeds Of the work, there will be constant tenpta-
ton on the one hand to exact too much work for
the wages, on the other to get moro wages and
do less work. Employers will often be required
to raise wages when it is utterly impossible that
they should do without ruin, and they will often
grind down or keep dowfi when they should not.
We must get rid of Wages altogether Ed.