The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1873-04-26
The Objects Of Trades Unions.

Society, read the following able paper on
Trades Societies their necessity, objects
and usefulness Trade Councils
necessity and utility" at the recent Con
gress at Leeds
1t would be impossible for me to deal
very fully with each section as named
above, in one paper, 50 ! must, therefore,
content myself with cursory glance.
Their necessity Union is principle, the
worth Of which is 50 universally recognized
and its power So widely acknowledged, that
it may appear to some a superhuous duty
to impress upon the minds of such the ne
cessity for trades unions but it Is a fact,
nevertheless, that there are many, alas, too
many, who require, even in this land OF
ours. information upon a subject SO very
important to their interests and so condu-
Give to their welfare The principal rea-
son why trade societies are necessary, IS
because capital refuses to share with labor
its due proportion Of the benefit resulting
from universal progress. The wonderful
vast growth Of wealth gives increased pow
er to the possessors Of 1t and II labor had
not learned. or learning had not put IN
practice the art Of combination, the latter
must have been reduced to condition
| bordering on absolute serfdom. We, IN
| the great struggle for life, only get what
we are strong enough to claim, the weak
est ALWAYS 90 the wall and whenever
there is a class willing to be enslaved, we
always find another class ready to enslave
| it. Within the past two years the efficacy
Of combination has become so apparent
that nearly every workingman who finds
himself without the pale Of his trades
union cannot escape the convection that he
is recreant t. the duty he owes to himself
as well az his co-laborers, to whose efforts,
he is solely indebted for an advance IN all
that adds to his social enjoyment
Some people hold the idea that II work
ingman wishes to raise himself above his
present unsatisfactory condition, he must
push well, get to love money, care little
how he acquires it, and care nothing at all
for the welfare of his brother workman, and
then he may succeed. But We are glad to
say the working men see the folly and
mranness of such counsel Ms this. Vernon
Washington says: 1T is altogether
false method to begin with the individual
as such-to begin with the so-called mdl-
yidual rights instead Of social duties
The absoluteness of such alleged rights, As
fora man t. work as long as he pleases,
make his own bargain i'll all cases, do what
he likes with his own. &c, Is comparatively
a new claim in the world. 1t has done
GOOD I'm undoing unreasonable bonds, and
and may have more good work of that kind
IA do But. after the experience Of the
last fifty wears We ought to know that to
reasonable social obligations, any one OF
these rights" ought to humble itself and
confess that it is no right at all All pa
triotism. all social order and well being
depend On this and one mann good Of a
trades union is, that it does require every
member to consider that first, and his own
I profit second John Stuart Mill says II
/ confess | am not charmed with the idea Of
/ life held ont by those wh" think that the
normal state Of human beings Is that Of
1 struggling to get on that the trampllng,
crushing. elbowing and treadng on each
others heels, which form the type ex-
/ existing. is the most desirable lot Of human
kind. OF anything but the disrgreeable
symptoms If one Of the phases Of industrial
progress That the energies Of mankind
should he kept III employment by the
struggle for riches, as they once were by
the struggle IF war, until the better minds
succeeded in educating the others into bet
ter things is undoubtedly more desirable
than that they should rust and stagnate
In the meantime those who do not accept
the present very early state OF human I'M
provement as its ultimate types may be
excused for being comparatively ndlffer-
ent to the kind Of economical progress
which excites the congratulations of ordl-
nary politicians The mere increase OF
production and accumulating, for the safety
Of national independence, 1t is essential that
A country should not fall much behind its
neiphbors in these things. But IN them
selves they are Of little Importance, 81
long az either the increase of population,
or ANYTHING else, prevents the mass Of the
people reaping any part OF the DeneIl
NJ them. There are some who tell us
that we can get fair remuneration
for our labor without the and Of
trades unions. They ask US to walt until
there Is !. demand in the market for ouT
class of labor, and as the demand increases
so in a corresponding ratio will our wages
increase Now, we assert that notwlth'
standing the air Of plauslbllity thas sucf
statements wear, such is not the case; sad
: experience has taught us this. we say
however great the demand for our labor
and however limited the supply, we still
find reluctance on the part Of employers
to raise wages, unless compelled to do g
by the combined efforts of the men. In
fact. we have but little chance of obtain
, ing an increase of wages single handed
The following is a case which came undel
the writer's notice. A few months since
< ,safr m h,
employ OF an extensive manufacturer, anC
, who we're working considerably below thu
: average rate Of wages gwen for their clas
Of work, held a meeting to discuss tn
wages question, and to appoint deputa
, ton to wait on their employer in order q
solicit an advance. On the following da,
t the deputation went to the Office to La.
[ their claims before hun, and As soon a
they had made known the object OF thel
mission, he would not even argue the mat
/ ter, but discharged them at once. An'
e this act of tyranny was done to preven
any more coming to him, and to frlghte
; those in his employ into submission, as n
D knew well the men were not members Q
e any trade society, and therefore helpless
d This is one Of the many proofs that work
I men cannot obtain their Just rights wlthou
combination Another proof Of the fellac
/, of the before mentioned theory, is tn
r condition of the agricultural labOrer, whic
: has been brought 80 prominently befor
i the public within the past few months
V We find, with reference to this class {
men. that between 1871 and 184l, tn
r population Of Great Britain increased b
s nearly seven millions, and the agricultul
: alist diminished by 3OO,OOO Seven mil
o ion more mouths to feed, and 300, 90
!, fewer hands to feed them. The disprC
$ portion has continued to increase sinC
n then; each succeeding census adds to tn
r fearful sum, each following decade swell
/, ~, d-aadf,,l total Ernm 1851 Ia 1S-