The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1873-09-27
THE COOPERs.

(From the Cooper international Journal.)
TEN good oil Dbl. c0oDers wanted. None
but members with clear cards need apply
to ]. Frost, Riceville, Crawford Co., Pa.
In one of Palmers's shops, in Brooklyn,
there are some fifty men who eat and sleep
in the shop-never leave it. 1t is hardly
reasonable to suppose that these men are
afraid to be seen outside that shop. We do
not think they are. But Palmer is afraid
to let them out, lest they desert or be Sc
duced away by the Union men. They are
practically in a state Of slavery. No man
can go into the shop but the boss and his
minions, and no man who is in, can come
out without permission. Should one Of
them desire to visit the city, a policeman
goes with him and brings him back. Wher
these slaves were first penned up, they
were escorted in droves to an Uptown ho-
tel for their meals. The shop is quite close
to one of the ferries, and Just about the
time time the slaves would be got into line,
with squad Of police on each side Of them,
large number of people would be going
on and coming off the ferry, to whom these
white slaves were an object Of much curl
osity. Every one would question his neigh
Dor, and a regular din Of interrogatories
would be buzzing in the air. whats the
matter r. "What did these men do
''For what crime are they arrested r
they convicts r. "What are they n "Who
are theyr "Who did they rob 7" "Nho
did they murder 7" These are sample Of
the many questions asked, and still the
poor, slavish whelps stood it all. They
were content to be looked upon as cOnvicts,
thieves or even murderers, so long as they
were paid three dollars per day. Finally,
the landlord of the hotel where the slaves
were fed, like so many horses, began to
discover that his house was falling into dis
repute, and he told Palmer that he would
not feed his id prison gang any longer.
This occasioned great confusion and tribu-
lation for few days, and the boys say it
put them in mind Of the army, to see the
kettles of soup and coffee that were lugged
three times each day into that shop. But
this difficulty was eventually overcome,
and now the gang have their grub" cook
ed in the shop. So they work, eat and
sleep in the same building something IN
heard Of even in penitentiaries. We be-
heve Chinese workman are not cooped up
or guarded as are these men, and yet there
is no slavery in America Surely not
"How long, 0 Lord, how long -
TWENTY-FIVE good Union Coopers can
obtain employment at Frankfort, Ky.
IT is really surprising that some of our
members from, from outside Unions, should
tramp to New York, notwithstanding they
have been repeatedly warned to keep away
from that locality. Although there are
over fifty men unemployed in the city, still
tramps come rushing and .roopng 70 the
place, as if it were a coopers' paradise
Many Of these so-called Union men Sc
cured beruhs there, while nearly hundred
men, who were born in that city, or have
made it their home for years, were forced
out and had to seek work in other places
If the New York Unions had, after due no.
tice Of the strike had been given, refused
to receive every member bearing a card
from an outside Union, they would be fully
justified in 50 doing.