The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1866-05-19
THE COOPERATION OF La.
B0R

1he events OF the past lew weeks hav
develored the fact that most of our labor or
ganizadons, as at present constituted, ar,
unable to cope successfully with tn. wealth
the tremendous influence. or the I'M y Of oul
incorporated monopolies. This inability
arises from the fact that the great principl,
of COOPERATION, about which so much hal
been said and written, ii as yet imperfectly
understood, and has never been applied in &
practical manner to that system Of all other,
best calculated to promote the welfare Of the
masses-the cooperation Of labor 1t is true
our Trades Assembly, to certain extent, i,
composed of the representatives from the va.
rious trades unions, but its functions are Of
arecommendatory rather than of an obligato-
~ character; and while it has been tbs
means of drawing the members of tbs
various unions into a more kindly inter.
course, acquainted them with each Others
wants and necessities, and inaugurated
many important reforms, the value of which
the future will determine, it does not and
cannot fill the void, which the necessities OF
the present, and the requirements Of the
future imperatively demand should be filed
and without which all their efforts are com
paratively powerless.
What is wanted, nay imperstively de-
manded, if success is ever expected to
crown their efforts-is an amalgamation
among the various trades unionsr where an
identity of interest exists. For example,
let US sur that til machinists, black
smiths a 0iler makers employed on the
line Of the Michigan Southern railroad
had made common cause with the members
Of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers
10 their recent difficulty, how long would
the officers of that company have persisted
however, instead of cooperating, the men
were worked day and night in order to re-
pair the damages committed by those botches
who had sold their manhood, and the newt
able consequence was the engineers had even
tually to succumb. Fortified by the as
surance that the men could be beaten an de-
tail, the officers Of the Rock Island railroad
COMPANY reduced the wages Of the mechan-
les employed in those shops II per cent. |;
successful in this endeavor, the engineers
will be the next victims. A short resist
ance-an Unequal contest, and defeat will
be the grand result. Thus, while unity Of
action would render such demands impos-
sible, and eventually accrue to the advan-
tage of all, timidity, selfshness or irresOlu-
ton entails the very evils sought to be
avoided.
Amalgamated societies, similar to this
now advocated, have been tested IN Great
Britain for years, and with the most success
full results. Nor is it a matter of surprise
that such should be the case. The strength
of our labor organizations lies in their unity
Of purpose and action. 1t is the combina-
ton Of labor against the accumulation Of
wealth. If society embraces every me-
chanic in the trade, it is far more likely to
triumph in such contest than where its
members embraces only one-half or two
thirds Of such. Thus, when employers and
railroad corporations realize an encroaeh-
ment on q machinist is deemed an encroaeh-
ment on the blacksmith who YIELDS the I'M
shaped iron and the engineer who drives
the express, to be resented as such, discre-
ton will be deemed the better part Of valor,
and the rights and claims of the laborers be
respected as they have never been before.
1t Is not more absurd for three or four
fighting single-handed, than it would be in
q general to allow his tanks or rear to be
attacked, while his cavalry were passive
spectators or to hurl his infantry against
the batteries Of the enemy, while his own
guns remained unseryed. We know At is
objected to this scheme that companies not
at present engaged in the difficulty would
take umbrage at such action. Umbrage, at
what, pray? At men uniting to obtain
their inherent rights. How gerry consideratef
When the iron masters convention, which
recently convened at Cleveland, determined
TO cut down the wages of their employees,
did any such conscientious scruple annoy
them1 But if offence was taken, it would
be because the death s0arrant, of every such
corporation SO EAR as their ability to carry
out their designs was concerned, was signed
by such amalgamation.
Again, if the Rock Island railroad COM
pany is successful, how long before similar
reduction is made in every other railroad
establishment in this cityf Does it stand TO
reason thai the Illinois Central will pay n
per cent. more than any other company N
Certainly not, and there is no establishment
which would. Neither is there any danger
Of letting outsiders know our fears on this
matter. EDeyy railroad company in this
city is directly interested in the issue. A |
thorough understanding exists; they are
certainly as shrewd and as calculating as
any other body Of men, so there is no pos
sible danger Of posting" them in any par.
ticular. Moreover, the remedy, 80 simple,
and yet so effective, to thwart this intention
but awaits their acceptance, that BY its re. |