The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1871-05-27
Til IIE HGIAIl LABOR lNslIIls
AOoer'o" OF NEW coNsTir0roN---rns
SPEECHES, ETc., ETc.

! ~~V'" w VIEW CONsTfTUTSON-ssThk
| SPEECHES, ETC., arc.
The New EnsaudS Labu Rsforn Con
ventlon net-pupuant TO- notice pablshed
at Steinway Hail. New Yerk, May Z, alE
K W. Hume in the chair. The stteRdanot
was somewhat limited, but was partially
made up By the calibre Of those who were
Present--cousidering that every one was q
"sPeafnt' The proceedings opened with
discussion between z. II. HAYWOOD, ol
Massachusetts,, and Mr.. Drury, Of New
ork, ,Fon the question, Are Trades So
cieties, as now organized. injurious to the
working classes ?" the former arguing il
the Affirmative and the latter IN the mega
tiveS the resplt of which was that both
agreed to disagree, though we believe Mr..
Drury had the best of the argument. But
that our readers may Judge for themselves,
we present it in full
| SPEECH OF AR. HAYWOOD. g..t
In discussing this question heretofore, it
has been cur custom to request those on the
side Of the trades unions to define their DO
sition first, and TO choose their own battle
ground, desiring that the fullest and most
intelligent statement possible on that side
might be made. But the gentleman who is
to follow me requests me to lead of tonight,
and, although it is not pleasant to set one's
self up as mark to be shot at, | shah en-
deavor 10 present three or four tangible
points for him to level his guns ut. And,
trst, wish my friends, the workiagmea,
to understand particularly that in criticising
their trades organizations, I do so in a
spirit Of friendship. The surgeon is mot
unkind who removes damaged part Of the
system in order that the body may live /;
whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth /; and
if | say anything that is unpleasant 10 you,
please remember that I say i because love
you ggil Mo tr.F rsL .HaiT yfEa..
The chief point | would call your atten-
ton to is the TACT that trades societies as
now organized, are monopohes their main
object being to gather within their lines all
the skill of the trades which they represent,
and thereby control the market to which
that skill comes to be sold. Upon this plat
form, ever since the organization of this
league, some three or four years ago, in
Massachusetts,, we have denounced all mo
nopolies grant at the outset that these
trades union monopolies are no worse than
monopolies in trading, or in transportation,
or in money; indeed, they are far less in
furious, because they have not generally be-
come stereotyped in forms Of law, while
the-e other honns,alins hAun4 A-1 --L~4 f.
more cruel than to have the power of one
class to prey upon another stereotyped in
legal forms? But | wish TO show that the
undo oninns 40 !. their nature monopo-
lies, and shall cite IN llusxatioa theeeof
the twenty-third section Of the bylaws al
the Benefit Protective Society of Operative
Painters, which provides that every member
Of the society working in shop with non
members, where the former are in a major.
lty, who shall be over three months in ar
rears of dues, shall for the first offence be
lined three dollars, for the second offence
be suspended for three months, and for the
third offence be dealt with at the pleasure
Of the society and that il shall be the duty
OF every member going to work in any shop
to produce bis card Of MEMBERSHIPS. If I
am not misinformed, that clause, or one
similar to it, exists in the constitutions or
bylaws Of most Of the trades unions, and |
think that that one provision in the consti-
tuition Of these organizations is Of itself suf-
iclent to condemn them as indefensible in
morals and self destructive in practice. In
the first place they are opposed to liberty !;
in the second place they are hostile to pro-
gress; in the third place they are destitute
Of moral principle; and in the fourth place
they are selt.destruetiVe In practice. They
are destructive in their ends and tenden-
cies, for a chief object is defined in their own
constitutions to limit the spread Of knowl-
edge. If there is any right sacred, it is the
right to acquire knowledge, and especially
mechanical knowledge, because that is one
great means Of providing the neoessaries Of
life. Trades unions, as now organized, arc
hindrance to the spread of knowledge.
This community is full Of young men who
ought to be learning trades, but they can
Lot do so unless the unions choose to allow
them. Then, again. its effect upon business
competition. Ifthere is anything to which
the progress Of civilization owes . great
debt, it is the right Of one man to do better
than another, if be can-the right of com
petition. The tendency Of monopoly is to
make us pay higher prices for our goods
the tendency Of competition is to lower
prices In the next place, this system is
destitute Of moral principle. An old rhyme
says:
OF all my fathers house, 7 love myself the best
Ii can get my wish, the devil take the rest.
1t is struggle, not for the general inter
est, but for the interest of self In the Inst
place, this system is self-destructive.
wish to remind workingmen Of the words Of
Mr.. Sylvis, just before his death, that after
all this system of trades unions, when ar
raigned against the powers which are to be
attacked, is utterly abortive. " Unless, +"
he said, "you address yourselves to the
important problems of finance, Of the tariff,
OF taxation, ETC., you are surely beaten. I"
The result has been shown to be, wherever
it has been fairly tried, that the unions have
succumbed finally to the capitalists when
ever they have attempted to coerce them by
strikes: Workingmen cannot afford to put
themselves IN wrong position. They can
not afford to assume the position of assail-
ing those poorer than themselves. Until
the workingmen shake off their narrow,
clannish. un- American system, there can be
no real progress. When we meet upon the
platform of exact and equal rights when
we meet In position that is morally defen-
slble, asserting the rights Of the whole
people, we are bound to win, because there
IS no power tkat can stand against
kho Ia