The workingman's advocate., 1872-10-19


We as workingmen, win be benefited by
such reform in matters of State, ms the
Lobor party suggests, but it would benefit
them ss it would benefit all classes Of our
people, and not particularly as trades
unionists The political field is the high
er of the two, because the success of that
will surely obviate the necessity for the
unions, but that is the hardest thing in tho
world to make every one understand We
have excellent trades unionists, who are
warm democrats and Jealous republicans,
who will not surrender their opinions and
who are ever ready to point with suspi-
cion to every movement on our part
towards the formation of political organi-
zations. They have much to learn, and
it can never be unders o d until
they reflect for themselves which they
will not do as long as their prejudices rule
their actions. The only way we can be
successful with our local and national trades
unions is by excluding politics from them
In many Of our unions, it is an offence
punishable with n fine to introduce any
question involving politics in the remotest
ul usto those who are unacquainted, but to
the initiated il will appear Just, because
they know how disastrous the admission of
such thing would be- Take for instance
tho Workingman's Union of this city,
trades people here, and may add all over
the country, which embraced at one time
all the organized trades unions in this
city, which has performed more good acts
for our benefit than any other trades So
ciety in thiscountry, controlling at times the
Common Council, and others in authority,
but as soon as the delegates undertook to
discuss the propriety Of controlling cleo
tions and the management of caucuses,
the trades dropped out one after another,
until it is now only nominally what it was
its influence is gone. Of course it has its
offset i'll the number of excellent men it
has weaned away from tho two parties and
undertaken the formation Of political
party, but that could have been done out
side, and thus the trades union could have
been preserved also.
What we need more than any thing else,
is education. / mean a rational education,
and for this reason the trades and poll itical
fields should be- kept separate. We all
know that ignorance is the offspring Of pOv-
erty. | was obliged to work when | was
ten years old, and never had any school
advantages others are like me, who are
iliiIerate and are too apt to
look too others for advice instead Of
thinking for themselves. The only thing
we can comprehend, is that we are solely
oppressed and poorly paid that there is a
great difference in people, for some are
rich and live extravagantly well, while
many have hardly sufficient to keep life in
them We know this, but that is all We
know. Few Of us ever stop to think if it Is
right or wrong, and many do not under
stand it is an effect, and there il a cause.
And this being fact, how absurd it would
appear for us TO attempt the removal of the
cause before We understand the effect as We
should. II we ask our friends to attend
meeting for the purpose Of discussing the
effect Of giving away land, or the issuing
of National Banks, OF the importation Of
cheap labor, they look at you in blank
amazement and wonder. What businessthey
have with such weighty subjects ! They do
not see how near it touches their interests /;
but if you invite thom to attend meeting
Of trades people to consider All increase of
pay or the reduction Of hours, they readily
consent, for that's easy to understand, and
once they become interested they begin to
think, and with thought comes reflection,
and by that the man is fitted for higher
action. look upon the trades union
somewhat in the light of primary school,
for it is i'll them we learn to think, to sacri-
flee and to lose our prejudices. but, "
some one will say, that will not hold
good in the case Of national body, But
it does though FOR our local unions would
not appropriate their funds for its support
if it was not trades body.
In my opinion the National Labor Union
had good commencement, but 1t WAS not
sufficiently protected to make it enduring.
Elements were permitted to creep in that
had no business there. Men were permit
ted to occupy seats who had but one hobby,
and that hobby they asserted contained
the panacea for all our woes. Take for
instance such men as and
who know absolutely nothing about the
workings Of a trades union how can they
be expected to legislate for a trades union /!
But they will do it however, and they
imagine they understand II much better
than We do. They tell US the money sYs-
TEN is the cause Of the whole trouble, and
all are fools who have not sense enough 10
understand the thing as they do. TIE re-
suit is, As it was at CinclassskA they become
disgusted with the trad6 uniOnistss and
the trades unionssts became ~disgusted
with, chem The two elements can never
yet a1ong in trades convention. knees
when We were at Cincinnati that the
amendment to the constitution would de-
kstroy the organization
4 / protested against those amendments,
a. knew the effect they wovld have, but
no argument would stay them otf-there
was . determination manifest for their
adoption which ] never did understand.
The idea Ut taxing all State and National
organizations ten cents tor each member.
Why, the State Trades Assembly, Of N. ",
under that rule would have to pay about
ten thousand dollars annually. The Cigar
Makers, the Bricklayers, Coopers, Typos,
and the other national trades would be tax
ed from one to five thousand dollars, which
they could not stand, and for which there
appeared no good reason why they should.
Since that day no National or State trades
organization has been represented by auth
orlty.
L am Tree To admit that L may have my
hobby, like everv one else, and that is OF
ganization. l would know our strength
and location before any thing else, for l
hold that upon that depends all the rest.
If We have but fifty Thousand organized
trades unionssts, let US find that out, and
know where they are We viii then have q
base upon which to build.
Let us have convention Of the officers
of National and State Trades Association,
and each give in correct list Of member
ship and date Of organization, locally and
nationally, with the price and hours Of
labor of each. Then would advocate the
establishment Of headquarters and the
support Of a President and Secretary 70
prosecute the work Of organizing local
unions over the country. do not mean
the qFgsnlyatiaa Il csrpenters and bFick-
a IN, Ma