The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1873-11-15

THE PANIC AND THE LESSON IT
TEACHES.

THE PANIC AND THE LESSON 1T
TEACHES
From every section of the country, from
the East and West, from the North and
south comes the cry of distress. Failures,
ranlcs and discharges have become the or
der NJ the day The furnace has been ex-
tinguished. and the spindle has ceased its
hum Our cities and manufacturing cen
tres are crowded with unemployed men,
women and children long, dreary win
rar Is almost upon as money IS scarce,
business is stagnaEt, bankruptcy threatens
,he mercantile community and absolute
Starvation stares thousands and tens Of
thousands ~ our mechanics IA the face.
such IN short is the unexaggerated, mm-
yiting prospect, which surrounds US on
very hand, and this too in spite " the
most bounteous harvest with which our
highly favored country has ever been
blessed
uder ordinary circumstances it would
be- eminently proper to refer at length to
IKE rrp,S which have produced this disas-
tr1us state Of affairs no matter how FIRE
lueutly and pertinac ously they may have
oeen explained in our columns, but for the
present We forbear, certain that the read
ers vi the ADVOCATE will corroborate the
lied t Is not of these, however, W
nuw propose t. speak. To a man who re-
luires t,co loaves to feed family crying
ipr bread, when he can only provide one
distract truth is ali uninviting theme He
has more interest IN knowing hotr he can
secure the needed loaf, than III studying
the causes which have deprived him Of it.
So III the present instance. While he may
condemn the s,bt1u, whose legitimate and
inevitable results have closed our manufac-
tories and deprived him Of he means of
subsistence his interest centres III know
ing how he can provide for the loved ones
a. home and tide over the present emer-
sency.
From present indications, the coming
winter viii be the most trying which our
mechanics have ever been called to pass
through, and 1t will require all the forti-
rude, manhood, intelligence and forbearance
which they can summon, to enable them 70
.. t,.. ,,-, L,,+ IA, ,-,, .,r ,...U
earned name. 1t behoves them to frown
down All appeals u passion. or recourse
." violence They. Of all men, can least
afford To assume the role Of law breakers.
Reason and common sense must control
their actions No matter what the cause
ut the present stagnatlOn IN trade, the IN
nocent are suffering equally with the guilty;
the legitimate tradesman becomes the VIC
tjn Of the gambler and Spectator, aud in
turn the American mechanic Is compelled
70 bear the brunt Of the unequal contest
Thousands OF employers, from causes be-
yond their control, IRE At present aH0bie "
inert their obligations, however Just or
pressing, and it behoves every sensible man
To- look this matter squarely in the face,
weigh the consequence of rashness, and
f1r the time being, accept the situation, 50
far as circumstances will permit him to do
SIR
Where a reduction of hours or wages is
inevitable, the path of wisdom is the path
of safety Every employer, who acts in
an honorable manner, who finds himself
embarrassed, who realises that the interests
Of labor and capital are, or should be, identi-
cal, and who respects his employers, will
not fail, IN a proper spirit, to acquaint
them with the causes which necessitate
change. A kind word or an honest ex-
preston will accomplish more than a threat
~ assumed indifference and in response
we will vouch that any effort to reason will
W. met halfway Workingmen have as
much common sense, as much aversion to
resorting TO extreme measures, as their
employers, and if a more kindly inter
course was established between them, few
II any differences would occur.
This is one side Of the question, but it
must not be forgotten there Is another
An old adage says, when poverty comes
in at the door, love flies out at the win
dow = and il is equally true that when
starvation comes III at the door forbea,ance
flies out at the window Happen what may
men must and will have food Necessity
knows no law. and more suicidal policy
than that adopted in Cincinnati, by the
powers that he, when her workingmen as
sembled t. discuss the situation in ali il
bearings, athreat to cali cut the militia
cannot be imagiued. 1t is best to let sleep
ing dogs lie Threats or idle bravado are
ugly things To indulge in in the present
emergency. Blot or bread, is cry
that need never be hear0~sa an American
CIV and vet it is well to renis--sber that
~ same causes will produce the sam