New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1864-08-13
The Proposed Printcrs' str:k

S}Jas Edisv Of TAsE j. T'lesS~
SIR Please permit Inc to say few words in
tsSsy TO "A Journeyman Printer" In "Wednesday
Rorpngs issue;
He takes O yery strange and as deem it. very an.
warranted view OF the advance asked by the craft
he hinges his whole article upon the dea that employ
srs are to be "o6creeS" The expression Is entirely
SIatutous and uncaed for VITO speaks Of coercion OF
threatens violence, Not one. The craft sucL. is
INV. abiding as is any other in the United States.
We ask an advance for this simple reason: at pres
eat We are inadequstely paidare not paid at equal
rate with other mechanics requiring similar skig Ind
care.
re prce.list at present. 'aR 49,. 10y hands in New.
xOrk, iss.: Z. Imaddphis. it is sl4 aud tAa' ne
cecn The price for the greater part Of the Spring ana
through the Summer Prior to the War. printers were
paid $40 and Gil week, aad now els only And Is IL
necessary argue with any person that provisions OF
ali kinds have advanced 100 aud in some instances over
no yer cent and yet this day tie wages Of printers
have only advanced ~ to 80 per cent
We Is craft are wiling to bear our full share OF
The war burdens imposed upon countryi but we 10
not consent TO for which are altogether In
adequate for the maintenance Of our families.
The statement VI TIE would.be journeyman who ep-
pears in your coluuns--for we think We see internal
eur so long that has forgotten how it feels 10 10
nc-of the imirovidence Of printers Is rather uncaed
Eur Can We not pout with PRIDE to the Editor OF tbs
journal as journcyman prineri And also TO nine OIL
Of every ten estIbshed in the trade in this city,
The grand question with Us is this; Is our labor
worth, at the present time. SO per week. We say
smpbsticaly, Yes.
The question of an advance has been mooted for some
time; and several Of the employers have said: why
don't you strike now while business is duIT We
NEE, their wish because we feel our claim both Just
and reasonable The busy will soon DO at hand.
In the usual course of busiuess but have no, waited
until then. We ask the advance when We are well
aware that business Is dali
The fiugs at the Printers Society not necessarily
snanswerabe because of their puIgency We lot them
a,one-
Asst putting down the prices at the first opportunity;
Vs never knew il otherwise Wages as rule are the
6rst to 20 downthe last 70 rises and employers will
vastly change when they do not put them down at the
erst opportunityao matter how much experience they
may have had as jOurDeymen Themselves.
JouRSEYhAs jon PRINTER
I'VE desire, in reference to the above, first 10
state fact, and then ask aquestion:
]. The fae,.-Our correspondent says en-
ployers always improve every opportunity to
put down wages--thst wages arc "first TO GO
down, last to rise" Now, we have been en-.
gagged in printing in this city, either journey
man or employer, for the last thirty three years,
and zee kar. nersr knopn or heard Of a reduction
d The regular ~agss Of joarneymen printers here
IN all that time. On the contrary, in the Fall Of
1861, when because Of the War; trade was
very dull and most employers losing money,
while the cost of living was remarkably low, we
solicited reduction Of ten per cent on our Jour-
neymen's scale of recompense, and we were de-
cisively informed that it could not be granted.
2. Now for the question: Our correspondent
scouts the suggestion that many printers are i'm.
provdent and aro on that account needy; and
several similar letters before Us harp on the as.
sumption that journeymen cannot live OF the
rates now paid Now it is none Of our business
how they spend their earnings; but, since this
point is so persistently made, we will thank our
correspondent to give his Oon estimate Of the
amount annually expended by the journeymen
printers Of our City in liquor saloons. gaming
houses, and worse haunts (if there car DO worse)
which they might far better keep out Of. Let
rs see If it be the fact that men cannot live at
She current rates.
Since we are in sor this discussion, let us
make it exhaustive. (Ed Trb.