Elizabeth daily monitor. [volume] (Elizabeth, N.J.) 1868-1880, 1869-04-21
For the DAILY MONITOR.
STRIKES AND THEIR REMEDY.

OF all the ways and means used to
accomplish great and good results to
the man who tolls for bread, by the
day, week or month, none are so per-
nicious, and fartherest removed, from
real and lasting benefit to the real ac-
tors on the scene, as modern strikes
and nothing helps to fasten more Sc
curely the letters Gmagining) on the
true working-men as the present sys-
TEN of strikes. j care not what may be
the trade, or business, the results are
evil in their influence. In order to get
a fair view of certain facts, let us exam
inc briefly the true situation of things
as it appears upon the canvas, and as
we want to arrive at fair understand
ing. Let us take for example No. l.
the cordwainers, who commence at that
point, to minister to the wants of com
mon life; a hundred or more, or all the
iours of that trade. They think they
ought to have more wages, to that we
have not the slightest objection ; it may
be the work of few, or it may have
been simultaneous action on the part
of the jours, it mat tiers not which suf-
flee it to say strike is organized, to
take place on a certain day; trade may
have been dull and bosses have been
losing lately, or business may have
been brisk that matters not, only pre-
cedents go to show, that it generally
accrues when contracts have been made,
and work begins to be brisk-the day
comes and no workmen; what's the
NATTER says the boss. More wages
says the jour. Cant pay more says the
boss Can't work says the jour. Have
made contracts based upon the present
current wages says boss. Cant help it
says Jour. Committee of conference
appointed. Men hold out Bosses
meet and hold out. Contractors de
mand contracts fulfilled. Jours sub
scribe a fund for the poorer part of
their company of strikers. Bosses go
abroad and get o few hands. Jours
won't let them work. Outside work
ingmen of other trades tell jonrs to
hold out. Bosses wont yield. Jours
wont yield Dead lock. Jours scatter
Bosses break. Capital idle, &c. Com
mon result, bosses and men both yield.
Net result. loss of time, which is mon
ey, by both bosses and iours. And now
perhaps, if we mention the matters at
The other end from the understanding.
we might go over the same ground,
and would in so doing find so little diff
ference that it would amount to q mere
cypher and so we will include the whole.
Now what is the cause-it is two fold
and on both sides. If you please, we
will begin with the boss or capitalist
he has not paid a full price for the
work instead of examining thoroughly
into the matter of what wages he ought
to pay, as an equivalent for the work
received, he has driven hard bargain
with the poor jour, and cut down the
price of wages so low that jour must
toll full hours to meet his expenses,
aud is in right mood to join strike
when it does come, and no sympathy
with the boss either. Bossd drew hard
bargain with me, and tit for tat is the
word &c. With the jour we have the
most words, because with them is the
remedy in this country at least; and not
in strife either. " Let us have peace,
We will take all the trades i'll the city
and say that there is not an equa ity
among the iours of the same trade, and
this is the basis of our remarks and
herein is the evil of a strike. Suppose
we say that the carpenters are on d
strike Boss A says to himself my men
are on d strike; there is B. F. p. X w
that l would gladly give all they ask
in fact, l would give them much more
than they ask. but there is G. ID. E. q
G.. that don't half know their trade and
I am paying them more than they carr
now, and if it was not for b. +. p
w. should lose money anyhow.
can't do it, for the reason that, take
them altogether am paying them al
they earn. B. is No. mechanic and
is worth ten such men as L. & G. I eau
set B. at job and it is done just as vel
as though l were there myself, but il
I were to set d. & G. at job must
send B. or T. along or go myself orAlse
have to do it over again, and be scold-
ed by the man who pays for the work.
I might go on and relate instances by
the multitude in the history of every
boss mechanic, in this, and all cities OF
towns in the country, where the inc.
quality of iours has and does manifest
itself to the disadvantage of the employ
er, and the employed.
Now, what is the remedy for all this
Very simple indeed. Let every mar