The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1870-07-30

/ anu my HItlo O0ce tOSocDCh ~ snO
grave. 1t was this arm that lowered then
into the cold earth-into the narrow hous
and, sure, it has been weak as q child !
since. My strength is buried in tbeI
grave. have wrought but little since
for [ cannot. have NO home now; and
take Light job anywhere when it comes i
my way. Every year, at reaPing time,
visit their grave, and bring with me bl
of shamrock to place over it, and that i
may be a mark where to bury me, should
l die here. as l hope I will"
Within ten days after this, beheld the
body Of the once lively and generous
hearted Larry Mccarthy consigned to the
grave,by the side of bis wife and children.
The Lockout IF the Building Trades
at Geneva.
The following has been sent to us
from Europe, for publication
The General Council Of the international
Working Mems Association to the Working
men and women Of Europe snd the United
States.
FELLOW WORKERS The Master Build
ers of Geneva have, after much considera-
ton, arrived at the conclusion that, 6 the
entire Freedom Of Labor" is best calcu-
lated to promote the happiness Of the labor
ing poor. In order to secure this blessing
to their work people, they resolved to car.
ry into practice, on June IA, a trick Of
English invention, viz, the lockout Of up
wards of 5000 mechanics till then in their
employ.
The unionism being Of recent growth in
Switzerland, the same master builders of
Geneva used to Indignantly denounce it as
an English importation. Ten years ago,
they taunted their men with lack of pat
riotism for trying to transplant on Swiss
soil such an exotic plant as the limitation
Of the working day with fixed rates Of
wages per hour. They never doubted but
there must be some keen mischief mongers
behind the scene, since their own native
workmen, if left to themselves, would nat
urally like nothing better than drudging
from twelve to fourteen hours day for
whatever pay the master might find it in
bis heart to allow. The deluded men,
they publicly asserted, were acting under
dictation from London and Paris, much
the same as Swiss diplomatists are wont to
obey the behssts from St. Petersburg, Ber-
lin and Paris. However, the men were
not to be cajoled, taunted. or intimidated
into the pursuasion that limiting the daily
hours to ten, and fixing the rate of wages
per hour was something derogatory to the
dignity of free citizen, nor could they by
any provocation be inveigled into acts Of
violence afording the masters plausible
pretext for enforcing public repressive
measures against the unions.
AT last, in May, 1868, NJ. Camperio,
the then minister and justice of police,
brought about an agreement that the hours
of labor should be rine day in winter,
and eleven day in summer, wages vary
ing from forty-6ve to fifty centimes an
hour. That agreement was signed in the
presence of the minister by both masters
and men. In the spring of 1869 some
masters refused to pay more wages for
days labor Of eleven hours, than they had
paid during the winter for nine hours. The
matter was again compromised by making
As continues an hour, the unHorm rate Of
wages for artizans in the building trade.
Although clearly comprised in this settle
ment, the plasterers and painters had to
toll away on the old conditions because
they were not then yet sufficiently organ
lied to enforce the new ones. On the 18th
Of May last, they claimed to be put on
level with with the ether trades, and on the
fat refusal of the masters, struck work
the following week. On the 4th of June,
the master builders resolved that if the
plasterers and painters did not return to
work ON the 9th, the whole of the building
operatives should be locked out on the l. 1th.
This menace was carried into effect. Not
satisfied with having locked out the men,
the masters publicly called upon the federal
government to forcibly dissolve the union
and expel the foreigners from Switzerland.
Their benevolent and truly liberal attempts
at restoring the freedom of labor, were,
however baffled by monster meeting, and
a protest on the part of the Swiss nom
building operatives.
The other Geneva trades have formed
committee to manage the affairs for the
men locked out. Some house owners who
had contracted for new buildings with the
master builders. considered the contracts
broken, and invited the men employed on
them to continue the work as if nothing
had happened. This proposal was at once
accepted. Many single men are leaving
Geneva as fast as they can. Still there re-
mains 1000 families deprived Of their usual
means of subsistence. The General Coun-
Gil of the International Working Mems
Association, therefore calls upon all honest
working men and women, throughout the
civilized world, to assist both by moral and
material means the Geneva building trades
in their just struggle against Capitalist des-
potism. By order of the Council,
B. LUcRAFT, Chairman,
JOHN WESTON, Treasurer,
GEO ECcARIUs, Gen. Sec
256, High Holborn, London, w. O.,
Julv 9Th 1870