New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1870-07-01
THREA TENINGS.

The speeches and resolutions at the meeting
of wOrkingmen, last night, to consider the
Chinese question, display plentiful lack OF
sagacity or calm judgment. The best things said
were those taken from an address published yes
terday morning in THE TRIBUNE the worst
was a wild and frothy defamation which
might mean very much or very little. But we
are glad to observe few threats against the
unoffending occasion of all this turmoil.
1t il with sincere regret that we notice the
tendency of the Crispns of Massachusetts to
resort to threats of physical violence unless stop
is put at once to the introduction of Chinese La
Dor. The leader of these Crispins is a person
named Cummings; and he writes in highly
wrathful mood to The (BostOn) Herald that
there is limit to human endurance" 1--WE
" deprecate and dread" says Cummings, "any
" conflict, and shall avert it if possible; but
the feeling we have seen among the work
ingmen during the past week makes us
" shudder, as we think what may take place
at any moment. Just now everything Is
"1uiet, but we think that a new squad or
Goodies had better come by some other
route than the one taken by the last"
OF this morsel of demagogism we have, in
the first place, to say that Mr.. Cummings is
self-convicted falsifier, and the truth is not in
him. He does not "deprecate the conflict" as
he pretends to he does not "dread," but on
the other hand, he desires it. All the vio-
lence which he processes to be afraid of is of
his own suggestion. His hints and innuendoes
mean simply murder-no more and no less.
No doubt, if misguided men, the dupes OF Mr..
Cummings, should hereafter be found blindly
running their necks into halters, he will be safe
enough from the Sherif's rope. His depart
ment is the exhOrtatOry, the advisory, the
stimulating His business is to lead his IN
fatuated followers to the commission OF
offenses in which he will have no share of the
punishment, however great may be his share
of the glory. 1t has been the browning curse
of Trades Unions and of Strikes that the gov
eminent and control Of them have always, or
almost always, been in the hands of ambitious
and designing leaders, who have exercised
despOtism over wOrkingmen quite as intOler
able as that of the employer and capitalist.
We have now less reason than ever to be-
lieve the Crispin Association to be exempt
from this heavy misfortune.
The intmatiOn of Mr. Cummings is that If
any more Chinese shOemakers are brought to
Massachusetts, they will be murdered. We
call the attention of Mr.. Senator Wilson to this
point; and we beg leave to remind him that
his own name is freely used by these unscru-
pulOus demagogues-with freedom, in fact,
which we should not suppose that a Senator
would find very pleasant. These threateners
say that if his bill should become a law, all
danger will be averted but should it fail of
enactment, "the ballot-bOx and other agencies
"remain." We hope that Mr. Wilson-who
really, we believe, wishes injustice to no human
being-will inquire what these other agencies"
are to be and that he will inquire in the light
of Mr. Cummings significant remark, that the
"new squad of Coolies had better come by
some other route than the one taken by the
"lastn Mr.. Wilson must see as well as we
do that unless a stop is put at once and de-
cisively to this kind of intimidation,
the boot and shoe business of Mas
sachusetts will be utterly ruined in five years,
with capitalist and workman alike beggared,
or with the whole trade transferred to the
West, in which direction its current is already
so strongly setting. The best marked result
of the whole difficulty will be an increase of
pauperism and taxes The main and decisive
trouble in all these conflicts between Capital
and Labor, is that Capital can afford to wait,
while Labor must go on with its daily vOca-
ton or starve. The Capitalist although he
may not be the monster depicted by dema-
gogues, is still man of passions and infrmi-
ties not unlike those of his less fortunate fell
low creatures. He will make great concessions,
partly out of sheer humanity, and partly
because he does not want to lose money by
the stoppage of his business but drive him to
L. h ha hoa 6aa
found in the history of all strikes, very
ugly customer to deal with. Conventions
and secret societies and PROFESSIONS and
brass bands and banners are but frail
weapons to oppose to a good cash bal
ance in bank. The manufacturer may
cease for while to make money; but if he
has ordinary prudence and foresight and firm
ness, it is not in the power of a thousand
Crispn societies to ruin him. All that is
needed to oppose them is an equally thorough
union of the employers; and this will come
when wanted. In fact, it is coming already.
1t is coming in what appears TO us to be an
indefensible form. Some of the Crispins of
Massachusetts, have shown a praiseworthy de-
sire to try the experiment of cooperation in
the shoe and boot manufactures wise plan
which we think should be most decidedly en-
couraged and which will be infinitely better
than assassinatng the Chinese workmen-a
plan which English experience has demon
strated to be beneficial to both parties
a plan which affords almost the only
hope of solving this importunate problem of
conflicting interests. 1t is discOuraging to find
that the shoe manufacturers of Massachusetts,
have determined to do everything in their power
to prevent the experiment of cooperation from