The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1869-11-27
ENGLISH vs.. AMERICAN LABOR
CONVENTIONS.

recled to an article in the Sheffield In
dependent, in which the relative merit:
of the English and American labor
conventions are criticised in q manner
far from plimentary to the latter
While we fully endorse the enconiuml
passed on the practical wisdom which
controlled the Birmingham trades coun
ell, the conference to which particular
reference is made, we fail to see the
policy or justice of detracting from the
deliberations of others, or willfully mis-
representing their position. After
compimenting the English conferences
the writer says:
If We turn TO the American labor conventions
we find them vastly different Differences in
detail there must Of course be, as WOrkingmen
in the United States are IL many things not like
their European brethren. But the Americ an
labor conventions are pretty nearly as unlike
Qua conferences of trades aniOne as their pro-
ceedings are like those of a church congress
Thu Americans are very ambitious They aim
to reform and reorganize society. Such ques
tons as wages hours Of labor, piecework, ap-
prrnticeships do not appear TO concern them
They want to know why the capitalist should
not paw more and obtain less They ventilate
such notions as special legislation against non
producers meaning those who do not work with
he hand and the rate of interest for money
They disc1ss the national debt and the claim
of he bond-hoders the supposed misdeeds o.
A. 1, - nd IN ftrfh he hal IN n
the lahorer to the idea of a specia. minister o
labor, no, bv Law and BY methods Of admins.
ration, NAV carry on sort of warfare against
capital Through a great deal Of this there run
~. hpresy which has been pretty much exploit
ed in England, that capital is he enemy of la
Dor
Well, as a short horse is soon curried,
let us see how much truth there is in
all this nonsense. Does this wiseacre
not know that SO far from ignoring such
questions as the ''hours Of labor" &c,
that it is to their exertiOns the mechan-
les in the employ of the national gov
eminent owe the adoption of the eight
hour system and the passage of the
eight hour law in six states Of the I'm
ion that the questions Of "piecework,"
apprenticeship, &c, are left entirely to
the control of the respective trades or
CARNATIONS, and would be altogether
out Of place in national convention.
SO far from advocating especial legis-
lation," in favor Of any class-the en-
tire movement is protest against lis
continuance. They believe, and justly
so, that 80 long a. the current rate of
interest on money exceeds by fifty per
cent the increase on the public wealth
by natural production, that the rich
will become richer and the poor poor
the laborer will be robbed as
At present, nd the drones of society
reap the frs Of his industry. Conse-
1uently they deem it Of more import
lnce to thoroughly understand this i'm
oortant fact, than to appear as the
champions of strikes or piecework.
"They discuss the national debt and
he claims of the bondhOlders /" Yes,
md who has better right to discuss
them than the men whose labor is re-
4uired toliquidate every dollar of them.
We know it is very popular, both in
this country and Great Britain, to i'm
press the idea upon workingmen that
whenever they leave the beaten path
oftrades uniOnism, they are out of their