The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1867-05-04
Tho Labor Crisis.

s,lyrs When the cight-hour" movement was
arsi started two or three years ago, !, was
laughed at 10y mos, men. For a while II was
Atlc more than mentioned in the press, and was
"pooh-poohci % by employees As something ~
ics.y Wild ani chimerica. which was hardly
worth serious opposition But it has, nevcrthe-
lc's grown steadily, and IS IN most States either
Producing legislation or ~ in a fair way to pro.
due a. By holding aloof from the two great
poii.ca! parties aad casting their votes solely
wi;a rciereace TO the eigh,-hout scheme, the
workinfmen have brough, the political lead
crs 10 their feet, aud now no convention. par,ic.
gIarly N the Northern States, ever draws ny q
platform wi,hog; inserting ia !; lot OF twaddlc
which, s;rirpcd Of i's pre,cx,s, simply means
legislative interference with contracts. In every
canvass too, desperate csor,s are made ,c
hs,cn on each candidate the charge OF hosi.l.
- 30 This movement, and the candidate makts
u,gUg.ean ciloris 20 clear himself o. the charge
tn, hing has, az nigh; be expected, a powerful
fascination FOR sorv phianthropis,s and reform.
er- who coniound sympathy with ale working
,a''' with participation Ia ;her ;estors aud lal.
ng'es anl people who insist that the working
'nsa ALL be injured by the forcible curMlmen,
'' h.s aogrs OF labor ar denounced a. either sci.
ian aris;ocra;s or coii-hearicl monsters
A; ni'; sec were nformei ;ha; the objec; OF the
o;t,-Aogg restriction was 80 give the working
uln A-;r tine FOR sell culture. and lhA, II this
'nsal,c! diminu;ion OF wages. why. be was
-aiy 20 submit 10 !; as the less o. Two evils -
bl' Nc now hea- from the wes, that this stage
. 'ar agitation has passed. and that, in Chicago,
g. instance !; ls demanded ,ha, the same wages
'hh. b. paid Cor cigh; hours work a. fot ten.
90. .a other words, ;ha, while production is 81.
niiaishcl one-if,h the operator. share in The
lsodaci shall he raised by onc-fth What il
more extraordinary il tia, there is whole a..
ms ~ orators aud writer's al. over the country,
WAC persist II Oelieyns, OF affecting 10 believe.
'aA; !! every ..aorc; IT, To county works l,ss
;sa hc d,i before be can still have Just AZ MANY
-lia,.rs ts hr sow cnio,s 10 feali;r We nigh,
t' ~r.. a;iemp; by legislation to prcycn; people
'sofa being bur, when they fai! AZ to make the
amount % comfort they EMO. independent o. the
amount OF work they 10
We confess that IA spite 0: the demonstrations
o. the 'o.ly u strikes which political ecouo-
a'ts oiier eve-y LAY, and ;he homies which the
pre- So 'feisenil- delivers upOa ,hcm, We be.
aeve they iOrui good a means a. can At pres.
~ be- devise. o. ixiag the rate OF wages aud the
n't.sc " Al, other relations between employers
Anl ;a' Employed Ia nos; o: the dissertations
~" .is'cn To CT ;ae " Identity OF interest which
cAis's 'c'weer Labor and capitol it IL assumed
al, oriy that the labosers share VI ;he protae;
90 labor wi.l Faaeh him through the natural
For.iug d economical laws, but that /, will
reach him At once The fact IL, It does not
a.. the laws Of economy work surely, no doubt.
s4l they work slowly. When labor Is scarce
and capital plenty and profits high, laborers
ought Immediately 10 receive higher wages. but
they do aoi. Employers Do not 30 to them and
Ay We can afford TO pay you % much
here u IS They 90 into the market aad give
as ii''le a. they eau The workmen are poor.
often snoFant, and know little Of the state o.
the markets. They have not any Of the means
which The employer has OF ascer,aining VIA,
profits are likely 10 be, or what labor 10 worth.
lie gives them no access 10 bis books, and they
have no time TO watch and listen and calculate
or wages ought 10 DO Is what be peases to tell
them II they were TO 20 to him singly aud tell
lin they thought the state Of the market entitled
them 20 CT advance, be could dismiss them. and
dismissal 10 man acting alone might mean ruin
or srca, Inconvenience, 30 that the only war
they have o. ascertaining what their wages ough,
to be Is BY ' striking, tina, is, absiaining from
work IA concert, and ensurirg this eoncer, BY
the pressure OF opinion on their fellows Is,heir
wages are A. high a. IL fair, employers will no,
give ia fihey arr not ~ high Is profits will
warrant, employers will give IN and the labor
cr gets his due Such a mode Of settling q dis
pu'e about an economical faei--for such IL really
ISIS no doubt rough aud barbarous, bu, Il Is
the only ono we have q, present. The interest.
Of labor aud capital 90 doubt, aro identical but
neither employer nor employed relieves then,
10 he 20, and act as II they were sure they were
not. Each mistrus,s the other, not altogether
through ignorance Of political cconomy, but be-
cause both aru human. We therefore confess
That We think strikes and trades unions are tho
lest and viii continue to be the only mode by
which contracts between lAboFer. aud capitalists
can he based on justice. whole trade abstain
ing from work BY concert, aad aiding the mem.
hers to hold ont by savings previously aeeumu-
lated for this express purpose, is. We shink, no,
only a gratifying spectacle, bu, the only means
~ which the conirAs, between tho two cla...s
can be made really FIRE. and BY which the ON
ployed car be- enabled TO treat on equal terms
We do not. however, greatly regret the prescn,
disturbance in the labor market, beoause there
are signs that workmcn are really tired Of being
servants, aud ast determined to be ruled, % far
az possible, BY iar, and not BY in5s.idsai,. Bu,
better means Of posiponing this result ndelinais-
y could hardly be rcsorsod TO than the invocn-
ton Of legislative interference with contracts.
This would simply be the substitution Of one
Kind Of slavery for another. n the Law once sleps
IN 70 hx the number ofhours the workman shall
labor he eompletc Independence will be further
OF than ever Il will next tx tho amount Of his
wages, and who knows what beside and all bus
iaesf WI every year b Al tho mercy Of polit-
rians, who win use their power Of regulating
labor as they nov ara their power OF granting
franchises, fof their own enda. Prom sueh a |
stats Of things capital would soon g. nlaa 10 nj.
low to escape the very " leisure Cor which "a.
borcrs are now elamoring 80 loudly The srsa,
enony 10 SHORT hours l. not capital but the laws
nature. As long ~ the soil bears only one cron
year, and cold and hunger KILL and everything
We eat drink, OF wear has 10 be procnrod by 70
many hours Of somebody toll. the aitemps 10 gct
more by working hes will he as futile as an at