Wilmington daily commercial. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1866-1877, 1872-06-15

we Relieve Somerset, Etc, Etc
Especial Correspondence of the Commercially
PHILADELPHIA. June 18th.
The great excitement here, az it appears to
be nearly everywhere, is the Labor Troubles. 1t
is not 80 much what has beeu as the possibility
OF what may be- done that occasions the uneas
ness. 70 say that the strikers number at pres
ent 5000 wonld be a very liberal computation,
but II that 5000 becomes 250OO within another
week, as the leaders claim it will then the mat
ter becomes very serious indeed. And it is SO.
nous now. The germ and principle of the
movement 10 already manifest, and no one can
tell what it's agitation may bring forth. May a
kind fate forbid that Philadelphia may be the
scene OF those excesses which 30 often attend
Labor Strikes, and which seem even now to be
convusing the city Of New York. 1t is natural
that man, no matter what his work is, should
seek for better wages and less hardship and it
is also natural at the same time that it il unfoI-
tunate that workmen, in striving for added
advantages, should develop selhshness
saddening to lovers Of humanity. The very
first act of the striker is, TO determine that men
who are willing to work shall not work. II the
dissatisfied spoke only for themselves, there
would never be any trouble. But they dictate
to their fellows, and thus commences a beastly
tyranny-a shame and wrong which il is inored-
ible that any respectable members OF a respect
able craft should cOuntenance, And yet, it is
natural. The success of strike depends en-.
tnely upon it's being complete The employer
will never suceumb as long AZ he can get men TO
work at the usual rate, and the parties who have
led the movement, who have staked everything
ON it, aud are ruined il it fails, are rendered
desperate, and stop at no enormity. This is
the great outrage of the strike, that it u.s. in the
great majority Of cases, a greater wrong even
to the worker than to the employer
Hereabouts, the agitation has as yet principally
extended to cabinet making and the cognate
trades of upholstertng, carving, vanishing &c.
To-day news however give strong indications Of
metal workers joining the movement, and those
men have always been noted as the steadiest
| and best paid artisans we have. No man can say
where it will end and find the feeling general
| that we shall yet have stormy and cruel tunes.
| Men out OF work soon get out of money an
association cannot keep armies of mechanics,
| with their families, in food long and following
| the first excitement there speedily comes des-
peration which stops at nothing III the struggle
| to live. This is the experience Of the whole
world in these matters and there il no reason to
suppose that we shall prove an exception to the
| rule.
The headquarters of the strikers are at Turner
| Hall, Bird above Vine st., and there may be seen
all day and the best part OF the night, crowds OF
anxious looking men, half OF whom If their hearts
| could be read would be found inwardly curslng
| the movement. A singular feature OF the case
/ Is that most of the exhorting aud organizing has
been done by agents from other Cities thus show
| ing that there IS deep laid plan for the stimuli
/ taneous proselyting of the entire country Two
/ Germans named Goeth and SCHNEIDER have been
i especially active in the work here Sohindler
/ processes to come from Chicago, but nobody
/ knows where his oOadjutor halls from. IL is
| notable also that 30 far the movement is esse =
| TALLY German in its character, although many
native citizens and other nationalities are con-
cerned in it.
cannot say how the people of Wilmington
| feel upon this great question, nor what may lie
your views, Mr.. Editor l would not unneces-
sarily run counter to either, but have for my
| own part very strong opinions on the subject,
| which no one is bound to accept but which l
| feel that must honestly express. Mark, ii you
please, that do not especially condemn the
| workingman for seeking to make his days labor
| eight hours instead of ten. fear 1t may be a
| mistake for no man ever did anything by try
lug how little he could do, and the shining lights
are those who accomplish more than they bar
gain for, but the main question to my mind
lies deeper than this. IL is in the perncious
antagonism which these agitators seek to create
between capital and labor that the rejecting
person SECS the real danger. Mr.. Damon Y.
kigore told half crazy mob the other night
that the houses on West Walnut street did not
belong to the capitalists who bought and paid for
them, but to the men who built them, and the
shameful Inference was believed, if we may
judge from the cheers that greeted 1t. And that
| this was not mere insane expression Of indi-
vidual opinion, but the key note Of the move
ment, consider a resolution of the Platform
adopted by the Eight Hour League. This reso-
luton declares that labor, producing all wealth
is entitled to all the wealth it creates" Any
school boy should be able to detect the criminal
falacy IN that proposition, yet it was adopted
with enthusiasm by bearded men who may
naturally conclude that the next step in reform
| is to divide up among the labnrers the accumu
latons of wealth which they have aided in heap
ing together. Is this extravagantP say thai
| the fiery appeals of the paid agents and dema
gogues, no less than the cool and collected
| words of the Declaration of Principles admit o
| no other construction.
The lovers of Athletic sports in general and
of boating in particular have beer
in high feather this week in anticipa
ton of the National Regatta" of amateur oars
, men on the Schuykill, announced some tint
since to come off on Thursday and Friday OF
this week. Although graced with such a higi
sounding title there does not appear to be any
thing particularly national about it, there be
ing one club present from Georgia and anothe
from Boston, but all the rest being credited t,
New York and Philadelphia. This however i
not the fault Of the "Schuylkill Navy" which no
| only gave the affair ample publicity but ais
: provided number of handsome prizes a
| Inducements TO visitors. Although clubs from
distance are scarce, however, the Regatta /
: | pronounced Il SUCCESS. The races yesterday
| were for 4-oAred shells, for 6-oared gunwal
barges, and for double sculls. The first rae
was won by the "Couper," Galveston, Ca, al
though the "Vesper," of Yonkers, New York
made the best time The "Yesper" was con
victsd of foul" however, and the Savanna
boat won, greatly to the surprise of everybody
: The six Dared race was won by the lone" o
i Philadelphia, and the double scull by the "Ata
lanta," (bad name for boat club. just now,) q
New York. In this last race the Crescent" clu
of Philadelphia backed water in a way that mut
have made us look rather small in the eyes G
: our visitors. Before the commenced tn
"Crescent" boys pulled about the stream consid
> erably firing themselves out to no purpose, an
had hardly got well under way after time wa
+ called when they fairly gave out and threw u
II the race leaving the "Malta" to pull around th
Is course alone. 1t must have been somewhat hr
initiating to the Navy. The programme of th
d sport this afternoon is very attractive, but hav
" doubts at the present writing OF the result. Jui
" at this minute it is raining cats aud dogs, and
n am particularly thankful that am not out in i
either in a boat otherwise Many Doll
Warden will come to grief at the Park this day
ia or all the admirable plans devised Of lal
years for ''passing round the hat" that organize
H. by Father Gavazzi and the Rev'd ThOmpse
III seems the most perfect The Father" mu
have raked in enough greonbacks in Philade
'd phia alone to build several free Christa
Churches" and understand that it is his lal
n dable intention to keep the thing going just |
long as the public will stand it. When the
70 show signs of wearness then this free christis
will make his temporary abode elsewhere. i
is indefatigable, and well he NAV be with such