The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1870-01-01

one third cents for each pair Of shoes manu-
factured. just think Of it-four and one
third cents for making pair of shoes Who
can compete with that ?-nct honest Cris-
pins, surely. But this is not all. | find,
on looking over the report of the managers
Tor last year, that there have been received
Oy the Treasury during the year 1868, for
current expenses
Fro" che State Comptroller. per ann um-
Prom .. City Comptroller. per .nnun- -
from labor Of boys and girls $3.50 %
&c. 1e,sss Sc
Total receipts applicable te ordinary
psnses Sl2i. .S9S 80
BY this exhibit, we learn that the people
are taxed to the tune of &67 1925 SO to
keep the institutions in running order, while
Mr.. Whitehouse, the contractor, is reaping
all the benefit. | say all the benefit, be-
cause the boys on coming out are no better
off, 50 far as shoe making is concerned,
than they were when they entered the Re
fuge. When they 60 into the shop a GER
tain task is allotted to them, which they are
obliged to perform; they are never gra-
duated, for the simple reason that the greater
perfection Of the boy, the more profitable it
is to the contractor. A few boys were cut
ting. We questioned one, who stated he
could cut four skins day, the price of
which is 81 10 for each skin. The cutters,
therefore, are worth 81 40 day to the con-
tractor, and yet the Refuge receives only
thirty cents.
The next question Of importance is.
THE CONSPIRACY LAW OF 1882,
which declares that TO commit any act in
furious to the public health, to public
morals, or to trade and commerce, or for
the perversion or obstruction Of Justice, or
the due administration Of the laws" is a
misdemeanOr, punishable on conviction
thereof, by fine and imprisonment in the
discretion Of the court The present statute
is taken from common law, under which
trials for conspiracy have not Teen unfre
quent. In July, 1910, case Of this kind
was tried in the Court of General Sessions,
between the People of the State versus
James Melvin and others, cOrdwainers.
Messrs. Griffin and Emmit for the people,
and Messrs Sampson and Golden for the
defendants. The cordwainers were con-
victed. 1t has been repeatedly decided
in this court that one conspiracy cannot
justify mother. In the case of the People
Us. Trequir and others, which was a case of
conspiracy Of the journeymen hattsrs, Mr..
Price, their Counsel, offered to prove con-
spiracy among Master Hatters, and the As
sociation of journeymen was merely to coun-
teract the combination among the Masters.
The Court refused to hear the evidence and
the defendants we're convicted. Wheeler
Criminal Gases, vol. 2 page 269
The same learned jurist states " that the
gist of a conspiracy is the unlawful con-
federacy to do an unlawful act, or even
lawful act for an unlawful purpose. The
offence is complete when the confederacy ia
made, and any act done in pursuance of it is
no constituent part of the Offence." Again:
" Journeymen confederating, and refusing
to work unless for certain wages, may be in
dicted for conspiracy, for this offence consists
in the conspiracy and not in the refusal, and
conspiracies are illegal, althOug gh the subject
matter of them be lawful The opinion
and ruling Of the court in the trial Of the
Morrisania bricklayers, last year, who were
convicted and fined, we're similar to those |
have quoted, from which we learn, that ac-
cording to law and precedent, a Trades
Un' Of jouv7seynsen or soorkmen, which
seeks to advance the interests and benefit
its members, by securing for them the
highest reward for their labors, is confed
Grafton, and as such is conspiracy, which
does not require any act to be done in pur-
suance of it to constitute offence. In short,
it renders all men, on becoming members of
Trade Union, amenable to the law. Last
year the State Trades Assembly prepared
q bill, which was presented to the Assembly
of the State Legislature. It was passed,
with only one objection, but was never voted
ON in the Senate. | was sorry, at first,
that the measure did not pass the Senate,
but it was the best thing that could have
happened, as the bill offered no protection
whatever to Trades Unions already or
ganized, Section Of that bill reads as fol-
lows: The provisions of subdivision 6 Of
section s, Of chapter /, title 6, part Of the
revised statutes, shall not apply to the men,
bers Of any society or association formed in
pursuance Of this act" At the time this
measure was adopted by the Trade As
sembly, | believe it would answer the pur-
pose for which it was intended, but am
quite certain that every society, union and
association of workingmen in the State
would have to reorganize " in pursuance Of
this act :" before its benefits would apply to
them.
THE APPRENTICE LAW.
The principal objection workingmen have
to the present Apprentice law, is that it
does not contain any penalty for its non-en-
forcemeut and those who are indentured,
in pursuance Of the provisions, are in no
better condition to become masters Of their
trade, than those who are not indentured, the
only difference being that those indentured
can be compelled to remain three or four
years, as the case may be, to perform any
kind Of labor they may be called upon to
perform, such as running errands, mixing
mortar, carrying the hod, and, finally, being
placed upon rough wall, and kept there
until the expiration of bis time, the employer
working on the selfish principle, that the
greater the perfection in any branch adds to
bis profit. If anything, the boys not inden-
tured, have the best of it, as they can quit
at any time, but both are an injury to the
mechanic, because they are never finished
workmen. Apprentice boys are seldom
taught to lay front brick or do fine work.
The present system Of hiring apprentices
and teaching them to master the trade them
selves, is the cause Of. 50 many incompetent
mechanics, and Notwithstanding the employer
is to blame, be is the first to find fault and
say y: 1t is not right or just for me to pay
the good and poor workman alike"
What we need is a law that will compel