New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1870-12-29
THE CRISPINS.

If the working ShOamakeTS of our City hare
earnestly resolved that they Will make Shoes
for those who want them to wear, since they
cannot agree with those who make money by
buyng labor of the makers and selling shoes
10 the wcarers, they have taken a most i'm
portant step in the night direction. Let them
adhere consistently to this, and all that il
requisite will follow.
OF course, we make o large discount on all
that is resolved or GRATED as to the "rapa-
city, tyranny" and &" selfish greed' OF en-
ployers. We recognize bosses and iOu'neymen
as two distinct classes of the same human
family, holding radically diverse positions but
moved by essentially identical impulses. One
class seeks gain through making, the other
through selling Boots and Shoes and, so far,
each is all hight and neither has cause Tor
reprOachng the other. But they disagree rs
to thc terms on which they shall cooperate i'll
shoeng the public, and refuse to cooperate
any further The bosses say the cOrdwainers
who want to work for them are deferred by
Crispin terrorism and violence: wherefore, they
will employ no more CIispins. The Crispns
say they will not surrender their organization,
and ,rW make Shoes FOR those who want them
to wear rather than for the bosses on such
terms as Che latter prescribe. TIE TRIBUNE
says to either party, From your point of
view, you are entirely right Now, 90
ahead, Crispins make good Boots and
d" Shoes, and let the public know where they
"may be had at fair prices for cash. Go
"ahead, bosses hire as many nOn-Crispins
Gas you choose and see if you can give us
"bcttcr or cheaper fOOt-gear than the CriSpins
offer us |! There is room and work for all
" of you: so just 90 ahead with your work,
" and let each other alone !"
Nlr. Nelson w. Young. at the late Crispin
meeting, intimated that the Crispns could fur
nish Boots and Shoes at SIS to s. per case
lower than the prices charged by the bosses.
1t strikes us that this is, at least for the
present, needless. If the Crispins will combine
to start large Cooperative mandatory and
a conveniently located store-say on Chatham
! square or near Cooper lnstitute-and widely
| advertise that they are ready to make Boots
| and Shoes to order at fair prices, or to sell
! them reasonably cheap from their store for
| cash only, they will have customers enough.
| Let them Gas they fairly may) appeal TO the
| Laborng Glass for support, not i'll
willful idleness, but in fighting the
battle Of Liberty in Labor, and we are conf
| dent that they will not need to pass the hat
around for contributions. Enough people need
Boots and Shoes and at least one working
| man out of twenty will not grudge walking a
few steps further to buy where his custom
will rebound to the advantage of the strug-
Cling Crispins. And the patronage of one
working man out of each twenty viii (fOr the
present. suffice.
Of course, there is work TO be done. All
improvement involves effort and sacrifice.
The Crispins will learn by experience that the
bosses had to earn their profits if they made
any-that nothing in this world proceeds or
results from nothing. We should not Ike TO
warrant the Crispins that they will make more
money 10y working for themselves or the
shoe wearers than they could by working
for the bosses. But if they shall in
earnest undertake Cooperation, they cannot
fail to be schooled by it in forecast,
reflection, frugality, temperance, and the
art of saving generally. They will inevitably
be wiser and better men, after years strug-
gle in Cooperation, than when too many of
them knew no better than to squander half
their hard earnings in dram-shOps, gambling
dens, and other haunts of dissipation. Even
should they earn twenty per cent. less, they
will save, in the average, twenty per cent.
more, in Cooperation than in working for
bosses. Wherefore, we expect them to devote
the year 1871 to a resolute attempt to prove
that Labor has feet as well as hands, and can,