East Saginaw courier. (East Saginaw, Mich.) 1859-18??, 1865-04-26
THE CLOCK QUIZ
Its History and Operation---Proba.
BILE Results.

Its History and Operation---Proba.
BILE Results.
London Correspondent Cincinnati Gazette.
The expression, clock out" may,
am happy to think, require some ex-
PLANTATION in America, where no such
deadly battle as the phrase implies,
between capital and labor can occur.
1t is this : The iron masters capital
ists) of Staffordshire lower the price
of their wages, and the laborers in
that particular locality stop working on
a strike. OF course, the capitalist
could presently bring these poor work
ingmen to terms, for the stoppage of
mill is but a cessation of gains TO
them, while to the laborers it is stare
alton. Iron machines need no food /;
they can stop working. But Just here
comes in another power. The work
ingmen of the various trades and man
ufactures throughout England have
formed Unions" and these Unions
save up funds from which the fami-
lies of strikers in any locality are sup
ported during the cessation of work
and wages. BY this the capitalists
would of course get tho worst of it,
since his only sure means of coercing
the laborer into his conditions is the
vol" which, before these ONIONS"
were formed, was sure to prowl at the
laborer's door, if his wages ceased for
even a day. BY military necessity
the capitalists must either be at the
mercy of lnborers, or else form antag-
onistic combinations, T. G., an agree
y ment among themselves not to employ
in any locality or factory laborers who
are members Of any "Union" which
supports those who are on a strike
Thus when the North Staffordshire
pudd,ers struck, the South Stafford
shire "Unionists" supported their
families whilst they, the {" Unionists'
were still working and getting wages
in the South. OF course a strike
could hold out Unfortunately in this
way. So the Association of Iron
masters agreed to clock out" all these
laborcrs everywhere, and thus cut off
the supply by cutting OFF its basis
This is that lockout which is now
raging in the north Of England like
conhagration. 1t is estimated that
1000 furnaces have been closed,
which involves the enforced idleness
of AZ, 900 laborers, and the consequent
suffering of 200, 600 human beings
The laborers see that if they yield it
is the virtual enslavement of wages
the master may put them at fhe low
est figure, and starvation is held as
fiercely over them as the cowhide of
the Southerner over his slave. So the
combat has been fierce and long and
neither party yet shows sign Of
yielding. 1t is gigantic civil war
between Capital and Labor. Ny be-
lief is that the workmen have q pretty
fair chance of making tho masters
concede to them q compromise. But
considering the imperial position of
capital hitherto, a compromise would
be a triumph for labor, and deep
humiliation to the master. My rea-
son for thinking that the workmen
will conquer is, first, that their pro-
ceedings have been so orderly, and
their ability to feel and to show their
wrongs so much improved, that they
have gained the respect and advocacy
|.of cultivated persons; second, this
week the masters have evidently been
alarmed at tho Inauguration of
movement of emigration among their
trained and most valuable workmen
Yesterday ffty-three left one village
in body for America. A largo ship
load has just gone to Australia. Iiv-
erpool is now full of these mon of
Staflordsllire waiting to go to Ameli-
Gu, where they will be sent by the om-
migration society of Liverpool under
contract to work in the United States
for repayment These two things,
but especially the last, have certainly
alarmed the masters and though
they have not yet come to any terms,
l think we may soon hear Of some
conciliatory offer from them, which
will be, doubtless, accepted by the
poor men. But no matter how small
the concession that the masters shall
make, it will prove TO be, If they make
it. serious defeat and be an epoch
in the great chronic war in this over
crowded island between capital and
labor. Nay, this lockout being the
| largest ever known, will always DO re-
men,bered as the Waterloo of that
great conflict.