The workingman's advocate., 1873-12-13


the sore.
The International Union has, at Con
ventions, issued proclamations of amnesty
for these unfair men, and have recommend
ed the local unions To annull their fines
and withdraw their charges, but the good
effects from these has been So small rs "a
bc scarcely Some of the unions
would question the right or authority OF
the International Union to issue these
proclamations, and denounced them as
edicts others rejected them, while still
others were entirely Indiher ~.
That these amnesty pruclamatl0ns were
we'll meant. and would have led to good
results if carried out in the spirit their
authors intended, we fully believe, and
we know of but one union who did 50 in
earnest; and the members then admitted
(hitherto considered unfair mem, have
beer since, and are now among the most
useful and hOnored members of the union
to which they belong But instances like
this were rare, and, as a rule, the local
unions have never made any serious effort
to organize the unfair men into their
unions. That the work Of organizing the
trade is the duty Tor should be the duty,
!,
isa principle which we have always believed
in and contended for, but as long as local
unions themselves retain their prejudices
and restrain their International officers in
their sphere of action in this direction, We
have little to hope for in the way Of a
thorough organ'zation.
I'm this unorganized condition, with
threv-fourths or more of the trade under
iinos or charges to the MONS, we have
adopted a strike policy and framed laws to
support them, and nave, IN this way, spent
thousands Of dollars for what To en-
large the held Of operations for the unfair
men and contract our own Certainly
not yet read the reports and they are
monotonous by frequent repetition
y Strike, a failure shop filled with unfair
men. And yet if it was proposed to pay
one-tcn Ii Of the money expended on use
less strikes, 10 the international officers, or
any other person, to visit every section Of
the country where there are seven cigar
makers. and organize them into unions,
the howl that would be raised in the way
If resolutions of censure and denunciation
II extravaganza, would be sufficient to con
sign the proposers to oblivion.
1t Was this hort-sighed policy, III the
beginning II eur organization, that has
crippled IT to-day Other organizations of
labor have made the same mistakes at their
commencement, and have learned wisdom
hy experience, but We continue to run IN
the same well-won rut or groove, and
learn nothing from the lesson Of the past
These words may fall strange on your ears,
Us coming from our pen, but we write facts
that cannot be controverted.
Nf re had N, powcr and the ability, re
,rorB ,rodifote an these bqgone ideas ouf of
o,p. Iltioi,s, and make the members ki,0,r and
<,s Hrt there traS a recoittioa toking place II,
oi,f tla{,. dlud hot II thar deo, III not
keep U 0icItcf wih II, H,'r m'i>i he S'rcp'
onf W cri,t@lccD
What wc need, and need badly, IS
thorough organization. but this cannot he
done until the local unions themselves take
It iu hands and cast aside their preiudices.
Under the present system your lnterna-
uonal officers are pONerless, and until 1t Is
changed we must continue to see our strikes
end in the same disastrous manner as here
tufore, ny decreasing the number Of square
shops, and the consequent increase Of shops
called unfair To such an extent has this
ruinous system been carried, that many Of
our smaller unions have been obliged to
suspend, beca Ise they were no square shops
left IN which they, as union men, could
work The same rule holds good III many
of our larger unions. After strike they
generally find their field of labor contract
ed and the shops invariably filled with mn
fair men; the members cannot all hnd en-
ployment in the shops that are left to them,
aud after being on strike they have the al
tentative presented them Of either going
tp work rs All unfair man or remaining out
of employment.
We need not enquire which alternative
is usually taken, nor is there any necessity
t. ask ourselves, why there are SO many
unfair men in our trade We make the
assertion fearlessly, that this striking sys-
TEN, without efficient organization, lies at
the very root of all our woes; and if con
tinued in, under existing conditions, must
inevitably lead TO the disruption and entire
annihiation Of the International and local
unions our first efforts should be to make
our local unions so efficient and thorough
i'll their organization. so that there may be
no unfair man within the limits of their
jurisdiction. This, we think, can be done
with proper effort, and when once we have
reached this object, we shall have provided
for strikes by making them impossible.
Employers will prefer arbitration to clos
ing their shops We have numerous in
stances where, III strike, the union
deemed it essential to their success, to adj
init 70 membership all the unfair men free
s IL.
their places, and we know also where un-
fair men, coming from other places, have
been supplied with cards and funds to
leave again.
If, therefore, it is necess ssary To do this
in times Of trouble in order to insure sue
cess, is it not wisdom for us to do so wher
We have no difficulties, and by that means
prevent themi Let us not be understood as
advocating that local unions should admit
every applicant free Of charge. That is a
matter We have nothing to do with, but We
insist and maintain that the system prac-
ticed in most of our unions Of high initia-
tion fees and exhorbitant fines, is not cal
culated to increase our membership, or or
ganize our trade, and the sooner local
unions see and understand this, the better
il will be for them and all o. us.
We desire briefly to notice one Of the
objections raised against the Constitution,
and while We cheerfully yield all due diff
ference to the opinions others may eiter-
tain, We shall none the less strenuously
maintain our own. 1t is claimed that this
Constitution will prove demoralizing to To-
cal unions, and detrimental to the best in
I
not already demoralized we might believe
in the truth Of the assertion, but at pres
ent, we think, any change we can make
must be for the better. But let us leave
assertions and go into facts. or rather let
us try the assertions by the facts. BY the
adoption Of this Constitution the local
unions reserve to themselves the right to
work with non-union men, if, in their judg-
ment, it is deemed necessary. IL the mem
bers Of any union think that by doing so
II