The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1872-08-31
Operative Building Trades Council Of
ST Louis, Mo

-ltIN tI lIit dihNt NnNltll- 10 place
SELVES IN communication with you, III
the form pf a circular, TO urge upon you
the necessity of forming. through your
mons. a Council TO consist Of the most
intelligent and well informed representa-
trve men IN yuur several Unions. Said
Local Councils 10 be IN direct communica-
tuu with similar Councils in other cities,
with y view rs the formation Of a Central
W General Council IN some one place,
whose duty Il shall be to act as the Con
.ress of ia, Building trades for certain
speciht purposes. to hc hereafter mention
rd. provided that We mutually see the ne
cessity OF establishing Local councils SINH
lar "a the uuenuw mn operation in st. Louis,
Missouri
FELLOW WuKkMEN When We consider
the almost disastrous results Of the strikes
ID New York. through the very imperfect
organizations hs 1,tiIe dbSense, We may
saw. m ,r.rY .,,,it59I. calculated 10 MAKE the
uuru.ut successful. Il ought to teach us
thls lesson that It We ever expect e. ac-
yumpllsh anything NJ a useful and perma-
urut character We must he prepared to
take .r,,u uy.,dut,DH beforehand TO secure
>frr,ss. ~ must be willing TO sacrifice
time. comfort and money, for nothing good
has been accomplished without the lavish
expenditure Of each Of those essentials
After a strike ot about ten weeks dura-
tiuu. the great movement has practically
ended Four-hfths Of the men, at least
have abandoned the struggle. and gone
back to work on the old terms. Not to re-
sumo work IN unmolested peace and quiet
but "a De tainted and sneered at by every
self-constiruted respectable journal in the
country, t. hr stigmatlzed as unreasonable
fools, while the employers are treated to a
corresponding amount Of sympathy and
congratulations For WHAT Because
they have succeeded IN delaying for a time
the car Of progress.
The fact 81 our defeat, I'VE say ours, be
cause We regard the battle Of labor against
capital. that has been waged in New York
as the battle Of The Whole natiOn); being
interpreted by portion the public, to
mean that our demands were unreasonable
and unjust. and our non-success the natu-
raj consequence Of attempting to secure
what Ae had no right To ask.
We think the opposite The power that
was brought to bear against us was stronger
than the fore We had to meet it with. But
we consider that it is not quite the place
ia tins circular 70 argue the justice Of our
demands suffice 1t t. say that we can fur
nIsh abundant proof. both as matter Of
fact and philosophy, that more just de-
mand was never made
The employers are encouraged by the
experience Of the past three months, that
they can successfully suppress this labor
movement they are determined to resist
II to the uttermost extremity. To that
IL,
and are exercising towards the lesser EN-
ployers system Of meaner tyranny than
Was ever charged to Trades Unions. In
the position that they have taken, they are
sustained by the capitalists. and nearly the
whole American Press.
We On the other hand are determined
that, III spite Of our past failures, we will
have this reduction in the hours Of our
labor if il takes life time Of agitation to
secure it but to do this We shall have to
change the entire base Of our operations,
10 expand our ideas and enlarge our sym
pathies, make common cause with each
other, and sink local and parsonal aggrand-
isement. In short, let our motto be ONE
FOR ALL AND ALL FOR ONE.
It is very evident that We cannot all en-
Joy this right at the same time. We think
that the only safe course is To- select some
one city OF may be only some one trade,
after the manner of the English Trades
Unions. and then fight it out. determined
to win. But no one city can support the
movement for any length of time, hence
the necessity If enlisting the Decuniary
sympathy II all But to do this we need
council Of the most experienced and best
educated men, who enjoy the confidence Of
the members Of the trades, whose duty it
shall b. to determine, by the most favors-
BILE circumstances, which may be presented
to their minds, the city that has the best
show for success. and when will be the best
time "a commence the campaign. All 9TH
ers remaining entirely aloOf till the ques-
ton in safd city is settled, only atfording
such Pecunlary assistance as may be needed.
Such course as this, we think, cannot
tail 70 secure the reduction Of hours to
every city IN the Union.
We trust this rough outline of Plan
will recommend itself to our fellow work
men.
The reason for urging that this amalga-
nation of interests be confined to the
building trade will be obvious to every
man upon reflection
~ hls' NlSn ~ W Dc ulblAuCbll
stood, that our proposition is, that we make
the reduction Of hours the issue upon
which we mutually work. leaving the ques-
ton Of wages to be fought to suit particu-
lar cases, as We have good grounds for be-
heving that the opposition would he mostly
directed against the reduction Of hours
rather than the rate Of wages AS, for
instance, Steinways, Of New York, gave
ten per cent. advance, but would not listen
to reduction Of time Why Because
the more hours we work limits the number
Of men required. In consequence, no mat
ter what wages are paid, it gives them the
control Of the labor market. But reduce
the hours, irrespective Of wages, and it
gives us the advantage. But the condi-
ton of the Building trade in England "a
country whose institutions we affect to de-
spise) ought to incite us to greater deter
mination than we have hitherto displayed.
The question naturally arises-can we, the
free citizens of a free republic, claiming TO
be the foremost nation of the world, 4" af-
fore 10 let the mother country outstrip US
in so much a. concerns the real prosperity
of the working man
1t ID q well known fact, that for many
wears past the working hours in England
has been from ffty-ive TO ffty-eight per
week, while within the past six months the
hours have been reduced to fifty-one, in
many places, while the disparity in the
rate Of wages is rapidly diminishing, owing
to the persistent efforts of Trades Unions.
These facts, coming as they do from such
source, ought to largely influence US in
our future action.