New-York tribune., 1868-06-29
THE BRICKLAYERs' STRIKE LETTER FROM
JOURNEYAAN


JOURNEYMAN
To fll Edtor Of The Tribsn1
SIR: In your editorial on the "Bricllayers
Strike in yesterdays ssuc you say that the employers
"have put forth clear. temperate statement Of their
side of tine case aud that the ourneymen virtually con
cede to its accuracy" Now deny that in toto, and will
try individually with your permission, to confute It,
Now in the first and heading Of this indictment against
us they charge uswth being the Of such high rents
How many of those 70 bosses-oh, pardon master" ma
sons meant to say-pay remit How many OF them who,
besides living their houses, not landlords OF
several others, and eXacng as that class encr
ANY can be Now how has this wealth been accumu-
latedi A majority OF them poor short time ago.
All Of them VIII admit they conmCnced bosslng 90
ASK qgy ybey Sf S Sd 10 TS@ S 'S S he DAYS fST wof
family to support, and, u ihey speak thelI ihhI ln!
they will answer No. BY the enormous profits OF teiI
contracts and our toll aud sweat they became Tch and
/ now, because have become united for our own pro
lection. these cormOraus cry out that we obsruci
rade that our record Is Of oppression and wrong
They invoke suppression, that they may have II In
their power TO grind ms down again. ne more they
make, the more greedy and exacting they become
They complain that they cant work on their own Job
when they desire 70 do 30 Now, in my lndyldual ca,
pacity would couccdc to them that right because
know ful well u woull not niuIe US very mEch az inc
work they would do, ana II would stop tuer m9uth on
that point; besides. there are great many Of those
master" masous who don't know The nght sac oi a
brick, having never learned The traue OF Workeu AT ~,
being nothing but Spectators Those master Ias1ns
who seem 10 think or make ihe public believe ihat We
are infringing on their rights by denying hcm ue lN-
lege Of working The wall with us-how many OF theg
knowledge for tho last % years their numbers were few,
the m32y a ogy haTE 10 g15 dp5 sd ToW VINO
They likewise complain mat tney can hay have no more m
have but say II they have more than two and these
two must DC ndenturc0 We take our work 70 another
enough about the "prcntce" system, and how It has
been abused by the bosses. 1t their CUSTOM when
they had contract work be done, they hired boys at
four shngs per day long they had work for them,
flor bear IN mind these boys were never bound 70 them,
boys were nut 10 work first on the middle Of the WALL
where they could throw brick in fast as ourreyman
the troGei little tney we're allowed to work the line
between the joureyn"n who buiit the corners Ihls
was All the chance Icy ever had 20 learn their trade
with their first employer, who when his building was
finished sent them adft to seek new one who treated
them the the first, with trifling advance In
wages. The boss when he got another job, took
another batch OF boys, aud put them through the same
Now for Jobs done by days work. These bosses, when
they wanted apprcntcesit was not boys they wanted
wouldn't do 1t would not paythey wanted boys with
hair on their faces men apprentices, whom they could
ueymens wages for them, while they paying those
m6n-boys five six sblngs per day and learning them
their trade orsOoth a. long as that job lasted This Is
tine rub this is where tho shoe pnches this is the vital
point at issue, as they admit II they should be allowed
itl There woud be no protection for u.s. and the now
apprentice would curse the day he ever went at the
trade: for his wOuld be similar when he became a
iourneyman what they trying TO force on us now
think have ventilated the apprentice pretty well,
and would furthermore add that, since the abolition OF
the wholesale apprentice system, houses are better bt
for then il hard work 10 get the walls TO stand until
they got the beams on TO hold them together
The charge that compel them TO pay to man more
than he worth R 10 say the least gross peryerson OF
truth Here the boss OF the situation; and, II
he finds any ournoyman not worth the wages, he can
nav him off and hire good man In his place These bosses
must throw the blame on us there are incompetent
worlnen I'm the market They are OF their own making,
and gratitude should lind place in their bosom.
In their meeting the other day. these bosses were very
mnch afraid of each other They afraid that II the
owner should take their job from them Of these same
bosses would take The job over his head aud finish
IL on the eighthour system. Now would ask the ques-
ton why are these bosses afraid of losing their Jobs
when they say they will lose so much money on these
same Obs If they losing Jobs IL IA natural that
they would be glad 10 get them off their hands, but no,
they know full well they can finish them and make
money. . ,---.
Now II the would consult their own interests,
they would put their jobs into the hands OF the foreman
or iourneynen who can finish them at saving to said
owners OF from IL to 20 cent and give good security
for is perfOrmance for let IL be understood that the
"genus and skill" is all I'm the heads hands, II the
'capital" happens 10 be In their pockets
NJ TUTTE, No 3O4 West Fortieth-st.
Nee- York, June q, 1865