Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1870-11-03

" ssssASVs S0SeaS uuNsCi vi W I'm
ham. They left their work and scat
tered over the neighboring counties
but the Sheriffs Of Berks, Bucks and
Surrey soon brought them back in obe-
dience to the peremptory mandate of
King Edward. and savage punishments
in one instance,ifI rightly remember,
the last penalty Of death-were intlict-
ed on the ringleadcrs. And 80 the
vicious system went on for centuries
through the Tudor and Stuart and
Hanoverian times. Now and then, as
liberal counsels prevailed and wiser
statesmen were at the head Of affairs.
We find attempts at legislation in the
interests of labo- TO break the dull
record of shortsighted selfishncss. But
not until Our own age had come did it
occur to our statesmen and people that
the only wise thing for the country
represented in its Legislature was to
stand aside and allow the rate Of wa.
ges and the condition of labor to be
settled 10y those most interested. 1t
was not moment too soon. The
great war of the Revolution had thrown
nearly all the producing trade Of Eu-
rope into the hands of England, and
the rapid accumulation of wealth and
the inventions in machinery had gath
cred the work people together in large
factories. Secret societies had sprung
up all over the Kingdom in defiance Of
the law, and when the bad years had
followed the peace Of 1873 and wages
fell and fearful distress prevailed, vio-
| lent outragcs, arsons. even murder
arising out of trades, disputes became
iearfully common. AT last, ia 1925,
Parliament made u clean sweep OF all
the cruel, wicked and foolish old laws,
and declared that in future combina-
tions of working people for the pur-
poses of settling the rate of wages and
the hours of labor should be no longer
unlawful.
From the repeal of the Combination
laws in 1925, the modern history of
our labor movement dates. Beneticcnt
rs that legislation was, it was far FROM
perfect. IL has been described as "a
solemn duelling code between capital
aud labor" and not without reason
We have had 10 supplement it in sew
eral directions. First. by protective
legislation, such as our factory acts.
which We have passed TO prevent the
ovcr-working OF women and children,
Of which it was confidently predicted
that they would reduce wages and Ill
minish production, while the workers
would misuse the leisure provided for
them, The exact contrary has hap
pened. Wages and production have
,""'",seh mo s6e;r AID the people, on the whole,
we have had to supplement ins 1t bS;,,sf
perience of more than 4 whole genera
ton. we have fairly acknowledged
that it IS not sufficient TO have com
binations of employers or Of workpeo-
pie outside the law; 10 say YOU may
combine. but the courts cannot recog-
nize your combinations or protect ycur
property. 1t is only within the last
two years that England has come 10
this wiser mind, and has resolved to
bring all unions resolutely within the
pale of the law, TO compel them 10
publicity. and To make them bodies le-
gally recognized and legally response
Bile. To return. however. to 1925.
The unions soon learned 10 make use
of their new lowers, aud local civil
war broke out all over the country.
1t is needless to dwell upon a state
of things which has passed away, or
to cndeavor 10 fix blame on either side
in the long struggle. The frightful
waste and misery inflicted on employ
ers and work-people by strikes and
locks-out, the widespread ruin Of fami-
lies, the danger to our trade, as we'll
ar the hcroism and self-sacritice, which
not seldom lighted up those civil con-
| tiicts are now, trust, matters of his
tory. The war ended, as SO few wars
do end, without the complete discom-
future Of either side, and how better
state of things has cJmc about, must
try TO tell you in few words. After
some twenty years Of strike, the work
people fonnd that they were unable 10
contend with their employers, in their
isolated local unions, numbering a few
hundred men. They determined to
extend their organization so as, if
possible. 10 embrace whole trades.
The first experiment was made by the
engineers and lDachinists. About the
year 1849 these men, who are, of
course, among the most able and skill.
full of our mechanics, formed a vast
federation Of societies, and called it
the Amalgamated Society. In 1851 it
numbered $4,000 members, scattered
through branches all over the King
dom, and had a reserved fund of some
$4,000. Then came the first, and,
am proud to say, the last great trial
Of strength with the employers, SO far
as this Society is concerned. After
four months Of misery, in which, at the
lowest calculation, the men lost fl5C,-
600 in wages. the struggle ended in
their total defeat, and left the Society
without a penny of reserve fund, heavi-
ly in debt, and with the loss OF more
than quarter Of its members and it
was thought that trades-unionism had
received its death-blow. Never was
there more vain calculation. The
Amalgamated Society recovered itself
with marvellous rapidity, and has gone
on increasing till the present time,
when it numbers some 40 1000 members,
has more than 800 branches, some
twenty of which are on this side of the
Atlantic, anu a reserve fund Of flOO,-
900. The example Of the engineers
was followed in the building trades,
the iron trade, the coal trade, and