The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1872-07-13
THE LESSON woRKINGMEN MUST
Learnt

learn by the bitter experience Of the past
wisdom for the future. and resolve to avoid
if possible the shoals and qulck sands upon
which their hopes and efforts have beer
wrecked
The lesson Of all lessons inculcated il
the absolute need Of THOROUGH oRGANI-
zATION. IR no instance where this hG'
been neglected has success attended Acir
efforts Not only is this the case, but
present indicate ons are, that such failure
will ultimately destroy the efforts Of those
organizations which have temporarily sue
&c, ded in obtaining their demands. The
unity Of interests which pervades every
branch Of industry, has been demonstrated
beyond a peradventure, and furnishes a
lesson from which every workingman
should take warning We cannot imagine
a more suicidal policy than for an unorgan-
strife. Their failure is simply question
Of time What would We think Of COM
mander hurting his undisciplined levies On
| the almost impregnable fortress of the
| foe, and yet this, is III great measure the
/ history Of trades strikes i'll the United
| States Without a dollar in their treas
ury, with the press arrayed against their
interests. always ready and willing to
misrepresent their designs and mislead
! Il
their own ranks, and withal living from hand
to mouth, without even acquaintlng their
fellow-craftsmen throught the county If
their intentions, is it any wonder that they
invariably fall an easy prey to the machin-
ations of Capital The very motto on
which their organizations are based ''iit
unity is strength" is disregarded, while a
reckless folly is displayed, Of which few
lunatics would be guilty
A few years ago, while on visit To the
country, We came across an ant hill, few
feet from which was mammoth spider
A dozen ants were placed within its reach.
and gnbbled Just as easily AS most of the
thoughtless men who embark in our strikes
are gobbled Placing ii in the midst Of
the ants. We left it t. its fate. With what
results In ten minutes We visited its
monument. Ac;uated 10y a common in
stinct and sense IF danger, what score Of
ants couldn't 10 a thousand ants did they
attacked the common enemy, hey worked
III concert and worked with a will, and the
result was in little more than the time it
takes to pen this paragraph, its skeleton
stood " here has antship was placed That
lesson We have never forgotten, amp We
have many times wished since that the
trades unionlsts Of the United States
could have been present at the dissection
Let us take the action Of the employers
Of the Singer Manufacturing o., for an
example Their ambition and determine
ton as far As IN their power laid to lesson
the hours II labor. was certainly laudable
Most Of them doubtless received as other
Wurkmen too generally receive from week
To week, Just enough to keep the wolf
from the door. while their employers. in
addition I" their capital, had stock on
hand sufficient t. supply the market for
three months They could consequently
calculate with almost mathematical precis-
ion, when their employees from sheer neces-
slty, would I've compelled to Stccnn.b, and
could therefore refuse with IMMUNITY their
demands. and events have proven the cor
rectness Of their conclusions Is it any
wonder then. that in such an unequal con
test, capital was the victor Carry the
same folly. the same recklessness. the same
disregard Of inevitable consequences, into
every day life, and two-thirds Of our
business men would become bankrupt in
less than three months
Another and important lesson working
men must learn is. IDENTITY or INTER
EsTs No trade is really Independent Of
another They all form links Of the same
chain; and 1t is selfish, false, and short
sighted policy that nculcates any other
idea The stand-bye for | am holier
than thou principle, is one which should
and which will tind no Judgement in the
breast Of true Labor Reformer. The
same pulsatlons are felt throughout the
entire system. Did space permit we could
cite a thousand instances to prove the
truth Of this statement. One will suffice
Seven years ago the engineers employed on
the Michigan Southern Railroad, running
betN cen Chicago and Toledo, struck against
the unreasonable demand Of President
Phillips. The wipers were discharged,
and their route was heightened. Scabs
took the place Of union men. Engine
after engine was destroyed. The shops at
Adrian were unequal to the demand
Extra time became the rule. Said the
engineers, ''If the machinists will make
common cause with us, We can win in forty
eight hours. But the machinists did no
such thing They couldn't or wouldn't SEE
what right they had to espouse the engi-
neers quarrel, and they didn't. On the
contrary, they worked fifteen and sixteen
hours per day; repaired as best they
could, the havoc Of the botches, and the
consequence was the engineers we're defeat
ed. In less than six months the tables
were reversed The machinists became
the strikers and the victims The engi-
neers, remembering the treatment receiv-
ed, did their own repairing, and when
asked the reason Vhy, replied, ave are
only paying you back in your own coin
When u, asked yo't few months ago, to
help us in our extremity, yeu refused. 1t
is our turn now, we mean you to drink