New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1874-05-07
The Folly. Syr;snmy, and Wick.
CdnesS Oi Labor Unions.

COncsS GA LABOR UNtODS.
On more than one occasion we have at
tempted to convince workingmen of the
absolute injury to their interests of the labor
unions of the country, and also their oppres-
sions and tyrannical course toward fellow
workmen, as we'll as TO their employers. The
history Of these rganizatlons-generally
managed, not by industrious workmen them.
selves, but by unprincipled demagogues, who
control them for their own Observation-Disclosures
abundant proofalmost every day of their mis-
chievous influence upon every industrial inter-
est of the country. But we have seen no more
striking illustrations of the runous conse-
quenccs to themselves and the country than
in an account given bya correspondent of the
New York Times of the operations of this
organization at Johnstown, Pennsylvania.
At this place the Cambria Iron Works are
situated. They are the most extensive and
the finest iron works in the whole country,
employing on an average seven thousand
hands yearly. Mr.. Morrell, formerly men,
Der Of Congress from Pennsylvania, is the
manager of these works, AMI has ever pur-
sued most liberal policy towards his en-
plOyes, after retaining them at a positive
loss. That has been especially true since
the panic last fall. But that did not satisfy
the miserable demagogues who live from the
earnings of the unions and control their
movements. 1t has been the rule of the
company for twenty years not to employ
union men, though twice, in that time, men,
bers of Plttsburg unions have got hold of the
men and induced them to strike. But in
each case the men abandoned the unions and
returned to their work at the old rates. Last
winter the union men from Pittsburg again
visited Johnstown, and again persuaded the
men to join, as on previous occasions. Trou-
BILE has quickly followed, and the works are
closed. The men were satisfied with the
hours of work and their wages. They were
what they pledged themselves to abide by
when they commenced work with the COM
pany. And there was no need of their be-
longing to union to prate about their rights,
for there is a cooperative plan in operation
at the works which is more advantage to
them than any benefits the union could
confer.
In order to avoid trouble among the men
in regard to wages, Mr.. Morrcl, years ago,
offered to agree on a basis and let wages
rise or fall from that basis according to the
selling price Of rails as quoted in the market
reports. A large number of the employees,
4 1oI,
to the conclusion that the proposed arrange
ment was a very fair one for all parties and
accepted it. Those who preferred to go on
in the old way, taking their chances of good
and bad wages, were allowed to do so with
out the slightest pressure being brought to
bear upon them to accept the sliding scale.
Among those who accepted the sliding scale
were the mincrs-the very men who origi-
mated the present trouble. The plan has
worked admirably, more especially to the
advantage Of the employees for, during the
last few years, iron has been steadily rising
in price, the mems wages rising in like pro-
portion.
The consequence is that the thrifty ones
have become very prosperous, are owners of
houses, and have money in the banks. But
when the panic Of last fall came and iron
fell rapidly and heavily, the men were not
so well pleased with the arrangement, though,
of course, they had to keep to it. Mr.. Nor
rell has kept his large works running steadily
all through the winter solely for the benefit
of his vast body of work people. Every one
knows that orders for rails on any scale are
few and far between, and that the company
must have been working at loss all the
while. Their yards are stacked all over with
immense piles Of iron and steel rails, ingots
Of steel and pig-iron millions of dollars
worth. And yet to-day there is little or no
market for rails: On the lst of March last
Mr.. Morrell fancied he saw an improvement,
which, after all, turned out to be only mo-
mentary squirt, and he, unsolicited by the
men, raised their wages. To his surprise
and establishment, the coal-miners informed
him that he had not raised theirs sufficiently,
and they demanded five cents more per ton
out to the men their error-an error which
they have since acknowledged.
The result was a strike, and Mr.. Morrell
shut down, and hundreds and thousands of
men found themselves out Of employment
through the folly of listening to and being
controlled bya set Of union demagOgues from
Pittsburgh. They were receiving good
wages, though they were employed at great
loss to the company. Numbers Of them were
really opposed to any strike or trouble, un-
Outstanding that they had been kept at work
for their own benefit rather than that of the
company. But the union bullied them into
it and out Of bread for their families. No
human being is benefited but the men who
are paid by the union to do just such work
as that at Johntown.
The Civil War in Arkansas.