Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1859-09-24
rhs Trade. rnion--rhs asnson s.r,he..-

The Trades TniOn--The London Strikes
Tyranny among tke WOrkiag ben.
The London press coLtiLuss to be largely occupied
with the strikes of The mechanics Ct that cty, and
in comments she fearful loss Of production which
they are OccasiODipg Yha same seeres appear to-
day. says the Boston Port that nave b en-
peatedIg in the past Of British industry aEd viii
undoubtedly bnt be auerded with the zane results
The mos. disinsFssed aaj intelligent Of the friends
of labor-set,irg aside the kaid rsbukes of the Tory
press-depOre the unequal cULt-st- Gope'im1s, It
is true, in tl,s past the wOrkmenfor line succeed
ed. but says an advocate Otheir cause, 'the VEGA
ton, loss Of time, expense aud ill-El attendant,
leave ample cause to doubt the nlma,s bsreat de-
rived in cases of success"
The historian of the middle ard working classes {:
England, WADE, remarks of Trade Unions ths', how
| ever useful they might haze been in their origin,
they become hurlfnl 20 industry, "their exclusive
privileges impeding It's growth; through the power
they ali nded to punish intraders and 10 suppress
sor,oetiiiou." No one who did not belong to tbs
Guild of his profession could enter business Thus
that c~eat ms ch 1nioa gpnius, 4IT vhen lie began
life. could ro Get int, guild and could not SO! up
bu,iness in London
The earliest combinations am,ng workmea in
Eg glsnd we're formed against the iyranny of tie
federal loris aud the exacion5 of the monarch;
and he1ce these privileged orders began TO hunt
these ccIa binations doEo. lhug. early as 1871
Masons, in England, were forbidden TO ccf.bine in
osapters and assen5.ie.: aad in JlS such, comti-
nations, by Z neral Jaw, were INSIDE Illegal. This
law reads that "arti6eers, hand crafismen an Ia
borers bsd male co.fed9rac aud Promises, had
svorn mu ual oaths, not cn'y thai they should rot
meddle With one anOther's work and perform and
finish that another hal beglr, but also to eonsti-
tuie and sprcint Lolc ma1a york Asy 'haH do in a
d,y and ,rLgt hours and tipss key sag'l ~ori" Al
his was contrary to the laws, and penalties vere
provided of the piory, loss Of cara an M IS Ter
violations Of Ilgs2 Laws.
This coatEl,d TO be lac policy Of Esg,aod down
70 1921. when. says WADE, tie CR.he saytcm Ea3
abandoned, and it was discovered lat lava - IRE
vent the combination OF wOrkmen and act their en-
movers we're partial and unjust; that If successful
thew could only tead 10 dePress one Glars Of t1e
eommunitv at the e1pen'e of another; and, most
Of all. that uch efforts, whether political or net
we're abortiye, for it rot possible for legi'ia-
lion 10 prevent either the open OF the covert urion
or workuep vi this was but the part Of 'he Ia
ternal system so long ia TSFCe. yhe higher OF
ders" deemed it not only their right ba' THAR duty
+, lake care of mechanic, and lsboreIs; to tx on
IN, days on which they should eat mast, en- the
quality of dress they should wear, on the houses
thew shouId live in, on the wsy they SHOULD nGnu-
fscture goods, on The wages they Should receive
and on nearly the whole routine of private life
These absurd LhiBgs-a remnant of VIII oh may be
seen in the legislation sf about all the old Thirteen
American Colcuies-aTs often displayed IN TINS
country as Tars ard parcels ar9 PfsuliqriHes Of
rigid, pharisaical Puritanism when, in truth, BAG
as they are in grain, they still ale an advance On
the same order of legislation long seen in Eaglani'
As in our peal legislation, 50 ia our busHe's
legislation aud legislation as to witches AID re'ig-
ion, the Colonies kept always fall century ahead
of the old world The monopolies Of The Trades
UuiOn-be laws against tbem-tho legislation en-
private afairs-are all of piece, and the growing
intelligence of the age dissaEjs them
The records of British industry eoniain cases in
which mechanics petitioned fer relic. ag .int the
mououolies of the guilds, 'fhe poor artifesrs' al
leging that these monoPOlcs were 'the very great
/ cause of their impeachment and undoiDg But
their great engine has been their means of carsirg
| cessation Of work, or the strikes. Sometimes
| th,se have been truly fearful Thus, il 1910 the
Lancashire spinners struck for the purpose of equa
;zinp their wages with those Of Manchester, when
"a 600 men roved abroad attacking mills, assaulting
those who wauld not oiu Il en- and finally the spin
ners we're obliged to accept Of work at less than
/ their Oh wsgss Ia 1911 the whole cotton trade,
~ g.
six weeks. and Ike London shipEIights struck for
/ lventy-two weeks, when both we're compelled to
accept of work on reduced terms. n 1920 The
London batters spent four months in trying to get
| An advance of shilling dozen On hats, and in tie
and went to work at reduction of a shillinEa dozen.
In 1924, 1929 and 1880 there were great strikes,
which ended disaslrcusly for the wcrkmen. All
these great strikes presented substantially the
features: all we're radically wrong aud terminated
dissstrously: and though there are features in the
last strike that DO not appear IN previous strikes,
vet there is every reason to believe that, even
though partial success may Oe achieved, yet it
! sill be more in name Than in reality The cause
of the woTkingmen Of England lies deeper than
Wsges.
If the statement contained 10 the following para
graph from the Philadelphia N0rih Amerrfn be
true it is marvel that the mech rncS submit TO
the tyrannic rules by which their Union govern
them 1t is the inalienGble right Of every man TO
earn as much by the occupation he follows as be
I can, and no body under whatever name it a:sumGs
should be permitted 10 abrilgs or Interfere in any
manner With This rgh.
By the latest intelligence from England, we Learn
IL. 81. IaaA 4 f,s
d. the masters we're as determined resist The de-
mands Of the men s. the latter were determined 10
4 enforce them. The sutferiDg experienced by
the families of these unemp eyed operatives eau
hardly be imagined. The nGml er o. ntn cut OF
emit 10y is SO large that 100 uun \ week eqII-
ed 10 dole cut TO each man even thirty coats day,
which is barely sufficient 10 provide bread fer u
family 10 say nothing OF other ares
But 50 great is the tyranny exercised by socie-
ties over their MEMBERS hst the mas ers are almo :,
afraid 10 employ those who ale wiling 70 work, be
cause the wages paid TO them will be taken 10 swell
| the fund for continuing the strike. Fes of car
readers, perhaps, are aware Of the extent TO which
the tyranny Of these unions is c IrrIsd. Not only
are men who are not regular members Of a soci cry
subjected to such annoyance as are sufficient u
drive them out Ct their employers fsoJorY, but
skilled artisans are forced to submit to code Cf
highly artificial regulation dev ged for the express
purpose Of restricting their setViiy, dim nishin Z
The productive power OF their labor, aad GOES :
auenl yk coping down tAetr wages. Tae London
builders Union inteid.ots brioEloyers, und
ssTerest penalties, from working with DO h hands
at oncP, and laying as many brick they VT
in given time. Ii is standing order of the trade
that ihe brioklayeT must for moment put the
trowel out of his right hand even though i; PRE-
vents his getting on with his work. An average
workman il is SAID can easily lay thousand brick:
in day if be we're allowed TO put down or Ike OF
his troEel ct his discretion, but the Union re
stricts him TO layug no more than four or five hun
bred In like manner it is dscreed that no NOR,
}. than twelve brieIs shall ever be packed intC
hod ct one aud the came time, though TIL
l. nod would very we'll hold frou sixteen to twenty
Piecework is prohibited overtime is viewed will
the utmost jealousy and enly tolerated under yer!