The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-05-28
WILL THEY sTR1KEs

The Carpenter DO Not ssTurn Out" as
Expected" Look Before You Leap
How strikes Are Encouraged and In
augurated-The Carpenters ON the De-
fensive.
The scheme OF a general strike OF all the carpcn-
tiers has for the present been abandoned. The
causes which have led to this are mainly that those
who are now enjoying the eight-hour contracts Of
last year are satisfied with their lot, ana Q large
portion of those who labor ten hours prefer to en-
dure the evils which now exist rather than fly to
greater ones. Not few see, in the event Of their
quitting work. q whole Summer Of ideness, which
will be ruinous in the extreme. There may be q
few local strikes during this week, and there was
yesterday every evidence manifested In some OF
the shops that INSTRUMENTATION was near at hand.
The trade, however, as q body will not enter the
field against capital, because 1t does not feel it.
sell secure in any such u position. The passive,
rather than aggressive policy which the HERALD
has, in a friendly way, urged the w0rkingmen to
observe under the present condition OF things, can
alone secure the success OF the carpenters Almost
any other class OF tradesmen employed in the city
OF New York could more denantly challenge the OPP
position OF their employers The carpenters speak
ing only for their good, cannot afford to inaugu-
rate general strike this summer. The neighbor-
ing cities are overrun with planning mills and car
penter shops. Builders will cease the erection Of
houses, and the only certain employment for
great part Of the trade will thus disappear The
property owners Will suddenly remember that
there more houses to let than there tenants
to occupy them The real estate men OF Brooklyn
WIN accept the propostons Of their contractors ira to
that there are to-day actually 500 empty houses In
the City of Churches.
THE TIME FOR GENERAL STRIKE IS ILL CHOSEN
II the men are. however, determined to measure
their strength with their employers their failure this
Summer is predicted by many or their most nfuen-
how very little aid they are to receive from the few
political demagogues who now chang around'' the
lobbies OF their public meetings, they have only to
strike. representative who went into the pre-
sent Assembly pledged to the cause OF the work
slightest public interest in several schemes which
have called forth memorials to him from the work
eating the purchase OF the gas works by the city,
IN favor OF rapid transit in the interest OF the
PEOPLE. In the latter question no class OF our cit
zens are more deeply Interested than the working
men. Such man presented himself in the lobby
OF the meeting at Republican Hall on Friday even
ing last and boasted of what he had done for the
sixteenth district. The speakers on that occasion
may not have been wholly dlsinterested Many OF
the places In the gilt Of the city government have
been filed by men who have made political capital
out OF the abOring classes. 1t Ia obvious to the
carpenters that these men have nothing TO lose,
prospective political capital to gain by harangnes
OF this sort. ALI these sentiments come from men
able opportunity offered for the display ofp0licy
the part OF the carpenters and IL Is sincerely to be
nOpeQ tnat tney VIII embrace IL.
THE USE OF FORCE CONDEMNED
The manifesto issued on Friday night did not, IL
would appear, meet with the approval OF great
part of the trade. 1t was regarded partakng
rather too much OF the very features to which the
HERALD objected. Scarcely one week ago the
penters were almost on the eve OF an uprising.
The problem at once resolved itself into contest
which must be engaged in by the ten-hOur men and
be supported by the eight-hOur men, who were to
remain at their masters benches to earn money
with which to defeat their masters cause. The
ten-hour men were forthwith commanded to quit
work. to give up positions which in many instances
they had held Tor years, and TO join interests with
the eight-bour wOrkmen. IL was by no means as
sured to them that their days labor should be
any less in the future. 1t was not assured to
them that they should have q chance to re-
turn even to ten hours work. 1t was not
guaranteed, furthermore. That they would have
any work TO return TO, or that their places
the society. All this was to be asked OF them In
order that the men now working eight hours might
not lose their places and might not be forced to
go back to the old ten hour system. The majority
OF the men have seen a Summers work at stake
and have hestated several times before they lett
their benches. The majority OF the trade will not
strike at this time unless there exists some valid
provocatlon. should the bosses ins Vt that all
the workmen shall return TO ten hours labor per
day the hour Tor general strike will then have ar
rived. At that time and under sucn circumstances
perfect unity OF the trade will be secured, and par
tal II not absolute success assured. In the
divided condition In which the trade finds itself to-
day, the success Of the ten hours men is very
doubtful We repeat 1t, there will not be a general
strike at present.