The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-07-14

The workman b worthy of his hre-entitled to a
ia stare in the produce of his industry for his
own maintenance and that Of his family, and 70
enable him further TO educaie his children uD in
the tue KNOWLEDGE Of their religious, social, and
owl duties And thus the working classes will be
the DAtlCn and be the true oOnserya ors Of our
puhltcAn iBsiltuuons .t
We are clad to ote that apprenticing is last set.
uiug itself becoming at last systematized and in
practical working order In many cities The man
ner OF conoiton on which to permit youth TO
mechanics viii at tim be a necessity to every COM
munity. The simplest and readest system to govern
apprentices, and which would commend itself to
public tayor, is TO require Of everv per on desiring
TO learn the tae Or the art OF pas eiing, first
conditon, that he be lepa ly sntured.
This simple concitlon, alreadv enforced in some
cities has proved ITS efficacy check the wholesale
manufacture OF hal f.skI ed workmen that hitherto
BILE in the demand that apprentices be indentured,
II Is protectlonto the youth mdentured-it secures
to the master tie services of the apprenticed
youth. 1t checks undue and Unfair compe.
nnon ,ltlG1 a., amongst journeymen, as it tends 70
requirements OF the wants of society. II develops
superior mechanical skill in which our country Will
not be second to that OF any other nation And 1t
VIII aid in forcing back 20 the grcultural mining,
and manufacturing districts the surplus population
that centres around the mechanical branches in
how much the country would become enr ched, and
the wei -beng and happiness Of all concerned
Another evil had hitherto prevailed; but is happily
beng almost II not completely, removed. ReIer-
sub contracting which is more injury 10 tue owners
OF houses than perhaps to any others. 1t IS true
there trades that could not be conducted on any
other than the plece-work system.
But 1t is evident It would be the ruin OF the plas
teriDg trade. Your Committee, therefore, would
urge the most opposition to It, and that la wful
would be left untried to totally destroy IL.
The Committee would also recommend that all con-
tracts for plasterine be made directly with the
owners of houses, and no. taken at secondhand
rates from "master" masons or mas err carpenter
builders
AS remarked by the New York delegation, it is
to the interest of the owner that he take esti-
mates directly from those whose skill Is called on to
and more substantially executed Ihe master"
mason or 'masteI" carpenter builder who sublets
the astering 10 boss pasterer retains per cent
age of its value. What entities him to this per cent.
nget Is 1t the privilege of subetung?
a., All profits rightly belong to those who perform
fits, but these be arbitrarily absorbed from Ihem by
middlemen, they will recover them by other means;
cheap material and inferior wo kmanshiD will be
the result to the geeat loss of the owner Your
mtne would urge all plasterers to lose no oppOrtu-
pIty calling attention to the injury and injustice
that the results of toeratlng and fostering this
"mtddleman" agent.
Your COmmlttee is gratifed to note the general
taken by societies to avoid the trying q ter
native of strikes" at the same time accomplishing
the beneficial results sought for in strikes. The
interests of the trade and the we l-being of the
members have been secured and promoted as
firmly and as high as those who have lndulged
however, of your Committee, that has auy design
to decry strikes absolutely and per Sc, or for a mo-
meDt IOrReU U0ey nave no uSelul purpose III QeCroS
only the abuse of them 1t is remarEab'e however,
in the history of strikes that the and most un
conscionabe strikers those who condemn aud
decry them most. 1hls is particularly noticeable
nowa-davs with manufacturers, WOO growers, etc.,
who, bv high protective tariffs, strike against tns
consumers of the country. This high tariff strike"
the most unjust, aDusive, and mischevous strike
of any combination" that existed and oe-
serves the condemnation and op position of ALL
The mudde iu which the eight hour question, as
ii IS called is mixed, makes 1t difficult to consider
by some 1t beng regarded as a question for the
civil law to adjust Your Committee. no Zever, re-
gard it as purely soc al question. within the
jurisdiction or authority OF each branch or society
of labor, and that 1t should not be dragged in the
miIe of party politics White regarding 1t mat
ter for each local society to de,eTmIne your Com
mitee therefore deem 1t unwise that any immediate
action be taken ON 1t.
Your COMMITTEE reel satisfied that it will settle
itself when the abuses above referred to become
completely eradcated. In the meanwhile let errors
in wbics the eight-bour movement Is shrouded be
cleared away. Above ALL let be patient The time for
adopting the eIghthour system has not yet arrived.
We are nearing last to 1t, and If we continue
the future as have in the past, your Committee
predict the Plasterers will be the first to apply the
elghthour system.
CBARLEs MCLEAN, Boston
JANIS X. HERMAN, Detroit, Mich
s.s5El CHARLES MARSH, Newark, n j.
G. w. AREsnN, Paterson, N j.
JAMES GEBBY, PIttsburg. Pa.
Il. MoDERMoTT, New York.