The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1868-04-11
FROM NEW YORK.
NEW YORK. Anril 4.


To the Editor Of the wosKnoMAs's Advocate.
The mild and spring like weather has
aroused business fairly with Us in New York,
and from all appearances we shall have one
of the busiest seasons that we have known /
for some wears. Almost all the trades are
now awakening from the lethargic sleep that \
has for so many months kept them in dor 4
mant state. The Germans this year seems
to be much more active in their trade orga- /
izations this year than has ever been be-
fore. They appear Ike their prototype Rip
Van Wrinkle, to have suddenly woke up out
Of their very long slumber. The cabinet
makers, numbering over two thousand mem
4 bers, have been holding meetings, but have
not as yet taken any open action on either
time or wages. Many members Of this trade
complain that they cannot get the small
amount Of pay that they are working for
paid them in = regular way. 1t seems al
most incredible that capitalists are mean
enough to hire men at prices that they scarce
~ can live on, and then try to cheat them
out Of that; yet so it is; and am sorry to
say that this system is Of frequent occur
renee in New York. The sums, as general
thing, are not Of large amount, which makes
the cases all the more heartless, and their
bosses think the men are too poor to enter
in,J law suit with them to get their par,
we'll knowing that before any lrwyer would
take up their case they mnst pay him FIVE
or ten dollars, a sum that but very few have
in their possession, and, therefore, a eat
many have to bare it. There certainly ought
to be some law passed that would inhict
heavy penalty or Imprisonment, or both, on
any employer who attempts to defraud mis-
workmen out of their wages. Was such
law passed and faithfully carried out, We
should hear lees of this system than we now
do.
Another German association, the varnish-
ers and polishers, are also quite active in
preparing for The summer campaign.
On Thursday evening the coach-makers
held mass meeting TO take into consdera-
ton the present state of wages, and whether
: it would be advisable TO ask for an advance.
There was quite a large attendance and sew
eral speakers addressed the meeting, after
which they adjourned for one week without
coming to any decision. This trade, it was
) stated, shasI suffered more than any other
from the late commercial depression, car
riages being an article Of luxury, and when
shoddy ruled and appeared during the war
l it was in a very dourishing condition, as to
, ride in a carriage was the very highest Of
the shoddyites ambition. This brought 90
many into the trade that, when the pressure
. came and shoddy had to sell instead Of buy,
it found the carriage makers with large
stocks on hand, and Of course hands were
discharged almost by wholesale, and moth
ing scarcely has been doing for nearly a
year, but it was stated at the meeting that
the business is hourly reviylng again.
The Workingmen's Union held their stated
; meeting on Friday night. The delegates re-
ported trade to be good in all branches.
The correspondence of this Union IS now
very volumnous, and comes not only from
! all parts Of the States but from various parts
Of Europe as well proving conclusively that
spirit IL awakening in the ranks of labor
that must, and ultimately will, bind US to-
gether in a universal bond Of brotherhood.
And when it reaches that point all the
: boundaries Of nationality will DE swept away,
and man will become what be ought to be
a citizen of the world Then there will be no
more acts Of Congress placing duty OF 400
per cent. on articles to protect labor, and al
q the same time have emigration aid societies
10 keep the labor market all the time over
. stocked, till We witness what we have seen
in New York, this winter, thousands fed
daily by public charity at our prisons, 10
keep them from starving, whIe capital
/ quietly pockets its protective duty to labor
Of 400 per cent, and the working men Of
one country is made use Of to keep the
others in state OF semi starvation, and
may also add, semi slavery. A union Of la
Dor throughout the civilized world will
abolish all this; and the workingmen's union
Of New York has lent valuable assistance to
bring it into practice. The legislature still
: has the eight hour bill before it; the design
! is to strike out the words Except as other
/ wise agreed), and leave the law without any
|, proviso, to read simply, "tha. eight hours
work, between the rising and setting Of the
sun, shall be legal days work in the State
for all kinds of manual labor" There is
also another bill in the legislature which it
is cry desirable should be passed its pur-
poses are to protect the rights Of working
women, than which nothing is more needed
, in this city. There has long been pro-
tective women's association in this CITY, not
such as is understood by protective union
|
could 60 and get employment if there was
any one required, and also, the association
would see that they were paid for the work
when done, but had nothing to do with fixing
the price, which Is the main thing with
women's labor. (The machine operators
did establish such a union here but it Ian
guishsd and died) It is now sought to in
corporate this union some five philanthropc
men are the corporators, and no donbt under
their management the usefulness Of the
society will be greatly extended. Several
philanthropic persons have given funds to
this union. But woman does not want
charity: what she requires is to be paid for
her labor, and then she can take care Of her
self Instead of these large merchants getting
as much as 800 per cent. profits on the la
bors Of those women, let them be satisfied
with one half, and give the other to labor.
MECHANIC.
EnnRH RNAUNl Am