The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1870-02-05

ed rates Gould these men 70 before she pubic
and represent that they were forced 70 establish
this new bill or prices He Thought not IL was
perfectly apparent that such was not the case
The employers were simply engaged In an
attempt to destroy the organization OF the cigar
makers, and had chosen the dead OF winter
when every poor man trembled lsst bis family
should suffer for the necessaries Of life, at time
when, BY throwing them out Of employment on
mere pretext, they get them into their nanos
and make them agree to any terms,
~he employers we're discriminating against
Cincinnati workmen, and preventing their en-
ployment elsewhere. They had written letters
TO Chicago, to St. Louis, to Philadelphia, ana
to the principal cities of other States than Ohio,
insructinR the members Of the Manufac nrers'
Associations to compel their hands to work tor
the bill Of prices adopted here, and not 70 en-
plOy Cincinnati men. 80 that woen cigar On aker
sought work elsewhere he could not get because
be was resident Of Cincinnati This was in
fAmous Il was antagouistlc 20 the fundamen-
tai principles of republican form Of govern
ment
Mr. Lavine had inquired into the average Of
wages earned by cigar-makers here, under the
old regime, and found that Sit week was a.
much as any good workman couli make. Il
the reduction we're made, the cigr-m4ker
would hardly be able to earn . living at their
trade.
But the reduction should not be made w''hou;
q struggle against il on the part Of the Interna-
tiOnal Union. There we're twenty thousand IN n
in that organic alton, and every man Of them
would give up his weekly earnings to stall
their Cincinnati brethren in their resistsuce TO
the oppression of capital. Furth .rmoee, he
would say that if this prescription OF Cincinnati
cigar makers in other cities we're carried much
further, he felt that the workingmen OF Cin-
cinnati would combine and run the tyraanical
manufacturers VINO we're urging il out OF TOW Z.
The bosses had refused, at the conference
held in the morning, to agree to any terms Tor
the return of the strikers to their work, except
those which they themselves proposed, and
these the Cigarmakers' Uninn would not accept.
1t but remained for the Union men to keep up
their strike, and fight opposition to the bitter
end. He had come from the International
Union to offer its aid to those engaged in the
strike, and he promised them that they should
be sustained as long az there was do lar in the
treasury. The Union would send money enough
to start the strikers in business for themselves
two or three together, in different sections Of
the city-and that method Vas bound to fetch
the manufacturers TO terms in the course of
time Il conclusion, Mr.. LaVine bade his fellow
craftsmen to be Of good cheer, promising them
pecuniary relief from the central body at an
early day this wsek
The gentleman had the undivided
attention of his hearers throught his
address, and was frequently interrupted
by applause.
He was followed by Mr.. @. Ii.
Tucker, President of the National La
Dor Congress, who made a telling
speech in German, after which the
meeting adjourned.
In conclusion, allow me to lay before
the trade an extract from a circular
letter sent by Mr.. A. G. W. Fienlein,
Secretary Of the Manufacturers Asso-
citation Of Cincinnati, to the various
manufacturers of the West, and por-
ton of the East. Mr.. Fienlein after pre-
tending to show good reasons why the
Association was formed, says:
Our Association has made great progress and
now comprises sixty-two members. The
wants Of th- trade have been very ably and
benefcially discussed. At our last meeting il
was Unanimously resolved to reduce the present
exorbitant prices for cigar making, and the fol-
lowing scale of prices was adopted, viz Clear
Ohio Seed, 80 Connecticut Seed, $40; Seed
Havana, &l2; Clear Havana, Sl4.
These prices being below those OF the Ma
tional Union Of Cigar Makers. general cesssa-
ton rom work of such hands which number
about 300 in this city, occurred. At last
special meeting a committee was appointed to
communicate these facts to the manufacturers
throughout the West, and we hereby request
you TO circulate this in your city among the
manu-. Acturers, and aiC in establishing a similar
organization, and act 10 conjunction with US,
and by these means form perfect union among
the manufacturers.
Undoubtedly a great many workmen will
leave this city to seek work elsewhere, and 10
behalf Of the trade VIZ WOULD RESPECTFULLY RE
QUEST VOC NOT 70 EMPLOY ANT SUCH, or by no
means PAY MORE THEN Our PRICES
1 also see an account IN one of the
Cincinnati papers, of where the manu-
facturers passed resolution, not to
employ any cigar maker who was a
member of any union or organization of
cigar makers This was denied by
some of the manufacturers at Cincin-
natl, but as an organization they never
gave any official notice Of the same
being untrue. l beg to lay the above
before the public without any COM
ments thereon, and let the reader judge
for himself.
Yours very respectfully,
"a