The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1866-05-19

Lsok bsek, and shaddsr a HE younger years.
SaELLY.
IN RISE ANB PRoaRRss.- -
The past decade has witnessed more
striking and important changes and revolu-
tons, both social aud political, than any
that preceded 10 in the present century
Trades Unions. prior 70 that time bat little
known, have nov come 10 be an acknow-
lodged power among the laboring classes Of
North America. If not with those who seek
the moral and political uplifting Of the
masses enc at4 t#AN
The numerical strength Of these organiza.
tons, which ten years ago might have been
counted on ycur finger points. il needed,
would now fill quite a respectable sized
volume, and the vast army Of hard listed
workers that answer the roll calls Of the
Unions Of the East, West, North and South,
attest the love, tenacity, and depth of feel.
ing which those principles, promulgated by
Unions, have attained among workingmen
ali over the country.
The originators conceived and felt, and
experience has since demonstrated their
sagacity and foresight, the necessity Of com
bining and meeting together, to promote q
mutual good understanding among each
other, respecting the various operations Of
the trades in which they are engaged, and
by which they have to obtain the neces-
an rims and carnfarts of l;ca
What can be more consistent with the
laws Of nature, reason and common sense,
than that men engaged in one trade, mutual
ly dependent on each other, should wish 10
meet together, to reason, discuss and en-
tighten each other as to the best steps to be
taken in order to promote their own social
and pecuniary welfare. Let us illustrate
this little. Take for example, 1900 men
engaged in trade in one town, and work
ing for $500 per day. A slight depression
fof that parti cular branch Of industry takes
place, aud 500 Of them are thrown out of
work, employers see ut once that there is q
surplus Of labor in the market, and they
hold their meetings, quietly Of course, more
stealthy and secretly than these Trades
Unions they are SO much opposed to, and
" resolr9' that they win pay but $500 per
day to the workmen still remaining employ
ed, although their profits remain the sam e,
production and sale being all taat is temper
arily deranged. Now if these werkingmen
have no means of meeting together and com
ing TO a mutual understanding with each
other, as to neither the employed as well
as the unemployed can accept this rroffered
sum per day, whether business revives or
not, would it not cause, at once, mutual
distrust and dislike of each other, and tend
to still further reduce wages, and who can
say where the reduction would stop, live
they must By some means fair or foul, and
their Union present v them the manly,
honest, decent way Of obtaining that living
Now, on the other hand, suppose these
1900 men are combined together for the
mutual support of each other, and on re-
ceiving notice Of the proposed reduction
they all meet together, and as reasoning
and thinking human beings consider the
matter pro and con for and against, accept
ing the reduction, and if they as body Of
men, united in word and deed agree not to
accept it, then there is at once mutual
trust and faith that each man will stand By
his fellow laborers for good or for evil,
through thick and thin, down to the last
bitter end if need be. l
THEIR RIGHT TO LIFE, LIBERTY AND rHE PUR-
SUIT OF HAPPINESS"
There is no intelligent thinking man liv-
ing that can show any Just or tsnantable
grounds on which to place an objection
against such a combination as the foregoing,
which is the legitimate and true Trades
Union.
If they are wrong in the combination, so
are monarchs when they make holy aiian
ces" to preserve the balance Of empire. and
grind their unfortunate and unhappy sub
jects into the very dust beneath the iron
heel Of their despotic power. If. they are
wrong SO are the the bIood-sucking middle
men and corner and curb-stone dogs of the
large cities Of our own country, men who
buy low from the farmer and sell high to the
laborer, who circle and plot to raise or de-
press the market to enrich themselves, who
never did hard days work in their whole
lives, who produce nothing, add nothing to
the material wealth or usefulness Of the
country-very drones in the hive of civili-
zation, who toll not, neither do they spin,
and yet Solomon in all his glory was not ar
rayed like one Of these" who should like
Ananias Of old give up the ghost, fer lying
and stealing, being eaten Of worms, trieiina
spirialis or one Of their own inbred fraudu-
lent gags.
If they are wrong, pray what is your
Honorable Board Of Trade of Chicago doIngs
The only medicine that workinguIen can
employ to kill these cysted rascals Is CO
OPERA ZION Of which, MOI anon.
But to return to our subject mattar.
Who is better qualified TO judge Of any
grievance arising in trade than number
Of enlightened thoughtful men, connected
with that trade. working at it daily, and
who are yet not personally connected with
that grievancef Let the enemies Of Trades
Unions answer this plainly and straight