New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-02-08


We also give this morning later advices
from Oregon, the Sandwich Islands, Chill,
Peru, Australia, Panama and Jamaica.
The JOurneymeu Printers and the Jour-
nal of Commerce.
An earnest effort is now being made by
the great mass of the Journeymen Printers
of this City to place their calling on ba-
sis of Justice and security. They do not
ask nor expect high wages; on the con-
trary, their average recompense per hour,
at the rates prescribed in their Scale is less
than that of Hatters, Shipwrights, Black
smiths, or almost any other trade requiring
intelligence and capacity commensurate
with theirs. They do not claim the right
Of themselves to establish and regulate the
prices even of their own labor; for they
began by inviting the Employers as aclass
to confer and unite with them in free and
friendly council, wherein the Rates of Com
pensation for all descriptions of Journey
work at Printing should be established by
mutual and general consent. Such Scale,
once adopted, would of course have been
binding on both parties until changed by
mutual consent. A good portion Of the
Employers responded to the invitation, by
holding one or two meetings, but concluded
by simply rejecting (l9 to 14) the Scale
proposed by the Journeymen, and adjourn
ing without day. They suggested no
modification, proposed no substitute; they
gave the Journeymen no ultimatum, no
chance to understand what portions or pro-
visions of their Scale were deemed mad
Missile, and what notifications would
render it acceptable. The only alternative
practically offered to the Journeymen was
this" Submit to work at as many differ
'ent rates, and under as many different
sets Of regulations, as the several hundred
different Employers in the City may see
fit TO establish and to change at their own
good will and pleasure, or-help your
selves"
Thus repealed, the Journeymen have
waited, deliberated, reasoned, expostulated,
and finally, giving ample notice of their re-
solve, fixed the lst inst. as the day on and
after which their scale should be the COM
mon measure of their duties, their rights
and their recompense, while working as
Journeymen Printers within this City.
Most of the Employers have acceded to
their scale and the great mass of the work
in our city is now executed and paid for in
accordance Herewith. The Daily Journals
have nearly all acceded to it. promptly and
cheerfully. The Journal of Commerce is
a conspicuous and natural exception.
The Journal is not content with rejecting
the Scale, and refusing to employ any Jour
neymen who respect it-that paper engages
in bitter and disingenuous warfare on those
who framed and support it. 1t stigmatlzes
the Printers Union as "a selt-constltuted
tribunal" when in fact that UniOa was ex-
pressly authorized and instructed to frame
Scale of Prices by regularly called and
fully attended meeting of the whole body
of Joumeymen Printers, seven or elght
months ego. 1t speaks of the Scale as an
"edict" of said self-constituted tribunal"
utterly concealing the facts that the Print
ers' Union embraces Employers as we'll as
Journeymen, and that the Employers as a
class have been invited, entreated, and pa
tiently waited for, to unite in forming a
Scale which should be satisfactory to and
binding upon all. 1t drags in certain regu-
lstions of the Printers Scale of distant
city in order to excite prejudice against
those of this City, which contain no such
provisions. 1t talks loudly of elderly"
and "dictation,' but seems to have no idea
of any right on the part of Journeymen
Mechanics to frame general regulations as
30 the hours of their own labor and the rates
of its compensation. Carefully avoiding
any clear statement of the principles in