The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1872-09-28

unions coming upon the BGM&0 OF bf9
to play the stars part in its progre1
civilization From this we readily q
the charge that tcads unions are
barbarian il historirally disproved,
on the other hand It il clearly prove g
these much abused institutions died
diately upon :.le advent of barbarisI
remained dead while the world rem y
ahrouded in the gloom Of ignorancd =
that their resurrection was simulta1
with the resurrection of science, art
literature and il it not q matter Of "a
comment, that during the dark ages, =
were no strikes in any part Of Europe
advancing further in this inquiry, II -
matter Of still greater surprise aAd }
ment that even In our day, such
phases a. strikes are not known or heiI1@
among those people, or in those couz<1
where the civiliKing influence Of Chril
ity has never been felt, and where m1&|
ance, superstition and savaRery-an I
negative condition of mind chara1)
the inhahitants3 We would like toI
how the enemies Of trades uniosss ~
As 10 .hap&Aoaiae SlHlR sbMs8Nt H1116fisn
truth, with the oft repeated charge thai
strikes are barbarouS, unchristiAn, uneivil
lied, when it is proven that they are re
sorted to only in Christian and civilized
countries
Both trade unions and strikes are ne
cessity in the present condition Of society
for no matter what may be said to the con
trary, there exists and will exist while tht
world is cursed with the wages system, ''ar
irrepressible conflict between capitalists,
not capital, and labor, or what amounts tC
the same thing, there is an irrepressiblt
desire on the part Of capitalists to cheaper
labor, and an lrrepressible desire and de
termination on the part of labor to prevent
such an unholy cOnsumation. That thin
conflict exists no WeH informed person can
deny 1t has its existence in the cOnstitu-
tlon OF the human mind, it springs from
that consideration and love Of self, that is
predominant characteristic of even the
most degraded Of our species. Colossal
fortunes, have rarely if ever been legiti-
mately made. How have they been made
Is perhaps pertinent question, but the
close observer will always notice, that the
more marble front banks and palatial resi-
dences erected in any city, the more hovel:
and beastly tenements will also be found
in the same city, and in proportion as one
class Of people rise in wealth and affluence, q
larger class will sink into greater power '
and degradation. Ths only conclusion de.
ducible from these observations is that one
class of society grows rich, and in fact
live on the labor Of another class there
fore, is it, that it Is to the interests of the
former class (capitalists,) to cheaper labor
and degrade the latter class, while it is to
the manifest interest of the latter class
(labor) to enhance its value and prevent
the robbery of the other class, hence arises
the irrepressible conflict between the class
es. This conflict was noticed many years
ago, by the more profound statesmen Of
this continent in 1887, J. G. Calhoun,
perhaps the greatest Of American states
men, III the course Of speech in the Sen
ate Of the United States, said ~ hold
then, that there never has yet existed a
wealthy and civilized society in which one
portion Of the community did not, in point
of fact, lire on the labor Of others Broad
and general AZ is this assertion, 1t is fully
borne out by history. Ths isnot the pro
per occasion but if it were, il would not
be difficult to trace the various devices, by
which the wealth Of all civilized communi-
ties has been so unequally divided, and to
show by what means 80 small a share has
been allotted to those, by whose labor il
was produced, and 80 large a share given
to the non-producing class. The devices
are almost innumerable, from the brute
force and gross superstition Of ancient
times to the subtle and artful fiscal contri-
vances of modern"
This single extract, from the written or
spoken opinions Of 50 profound thinker,
Is, we feel confident, q clear and explicit
substantiation Of all we have advanced on
this subject. There is then conflict be-
tween labor and capitalists on the one
hand, for remunerative wages, low taxes
and cheap living, and on the other hand
for cheap labor, high taxes and luxurious,
sumptuary customs, and trade unions are
simply barrier to the rApacity of the
more powerful class (more powerful because
better organized), and the more perfect our
trade unions are the greater the protection
they will afford the class in whose interest
they have been organized and il anything
we have here written will conduce TO bet.
ter and more efficient, thorough organi1a-
ton, among workingmen, we will, in that
fact, find an ample reward for all our toll
and effort. NJ. A. FORAN.