Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1875-05-14
Strikes,

comes from St. Adams. Charles Il. Robin.
son, printer who has worked in the STAN
stead Journal Office as foreman, and in Mont
pelier, Morrisville, and Hydepark, giving, so
far as we ever learned, good satisfaction,
went to st. Adams few weeks ago to work
in the Messenger Office. He was induced
by the other printers there, who were mem
bers of the Union, and advised by his en-
ployer for the sake of harmony, to join the
Typographical Union. Just at this time
the Union was planning strike, and a day
or two later strike was ordered. Robin.
son struck with the rest but soon concluded
that it would pay better to work than to lie
idle, and that he had right to work for
whom he chose and OF such wages as he and
his employer might agree upon, and return
ed to work. Thereupon "rat circular +"
was issuedby the Typographical Union to the
printers of the state, in which Robinson was
denounced as dishonorable, and as having
" foul and dirty " record, which was plain
libel. We are personally acquainted with
Robinson, worked under him as an appren-
tice when he was foreman in the Journal
Office, and cannot say that our respect and
esteem for him as fellow.workman was
very great, SO that we do not think we are
likely to be Influenced 10 his favor by ac-
quaintanceship, but in this matter he is so
clearly in the right, and has taken such a
bold and manly stand for personal independ-
ence as opposed to the monopoly Of a com.
bination that he has our fullest sympathy.
He has commenced an action for libel against
the secretary of the Union, and we see no
reason why he may not expect a favorable
verdict. This case will be looked for with
interest at the next term of the Franklin
County court.
Robinson has issued q counter-circular to
the " rat circular of the Union, of which
the following is portion:
There were four apprentices in the office,
anu NutlF 0Ol DtlHR Int0lOt1S vi OHlOU,
continued work. Within an hour tho pro-
prietOr had found and put at work nom
union compositor and in tho afternoon he
had two more ut the case. That evening he
got out his paper half an hour earlier than
usual, and some minutes ahead of the i'd
verttser, and so completely had the strike
tizzled that he did not even mention It. The
next day he had three more compositors mt
work and by this time it must have been ap-
parent TO The most obtuse of vision that the
strike had accomplished no other purpose
than to throw us out of good places and
make us appear ridiculous in the eyes of the
world. Meanwhile l had been rejecting
upon my duty. l desired 10 be true to my as
sociates, but it was clear that could no lon
ger benefit them by standing out. l had not
been party to the proceedings preliminary
to the adoption of the scale; the strike came
upon me rs surprise and was against nty
judgment and inclination; my situation and
prospects were entirely satisfactory; the
obligation to my employer, which had VIC.
lated. was both legal and moral and could
be enforced at law, while my obligation to
the Union was only one of constraint. Rea-
soning thus, it did not take me long to see
my duty and decide my course. Seeing my
employer and learning from him that could
return to my place at the same wages. IL |
was willing to work in u non-union office.
went back the next day, and have never
seen InOhent siuco 10 regret my course.
Others have done likewise, but entirely with
out my knowledge or connivance. be-
lieve the general sentiment among them Is,
not only that they are reasonably paid, but
that any attempt to compel an advance by a
sudden suspension of work is dishonorablc
to good printers and ought to be condemned
by both precept and example.
1t is for the foregoing reasons that MIR.
Bradley, either privately or officially. or
both, has given me a foul and dirty record"
and in order that | may know whether a
trades-uniOn is above the law, or whether |
can make my own contracts aud regulate
my own industry without being held up to
disgrace and debarred from gaining n live
lhood wherever kmay desire to go, | have
taken an action of libel against Mr.. Bradley.
for the next term of Franklin County court,
and shall hope to there find out whether or
not did right in refusing. rs he says, "a bet
ter situation in another office" in order that
| might honorably fulfill my obligations
here.
Our sympathies are ever with the poor
man and the laborer, and we believe one Of
the inalienable rights guaranteed to Amer
lean citizens by our constitution and by the
principles on which it is based is the right
of all men to buy where they can buy the
cheapest and sell where they can get the
best price, whether the article sold be goods or
labor, and no body Of men can have a moral
right to fix the terms on which an individual
may labor. Workmen have a right to strike,
so far as that means to refuse TO work for
what they do not consider q fair equivalent,
or where terms and rules exist which arc OBJ
noxious to them, but when they assume to
dictate to an employer whom he may or may
not employ or to an employee on what terms
he may or may not labor, and to enforce
their dictates by coercion, the iroa hand Of
the law should interpose against this as
against any other tyranny or oppressive mo.
nopoly. Trades unions SO far as their eff
forts are directed to improving the condi-
ton Of the members pecuniarily, socially, in-
tellectually, or morally, by reasonable means
arc praiseworthy institutions, and when they
conclude they are not receiving sufficient pay
they are right in refusing longer to work for
such pay, but when they undertake to CON-
pei an employer to give them more than he
thinks right, by influencing other workmen
to keep away, they place themselves on a
par with the highway robber and when
they try to force workman to lie idle when
he might be earning fair pay they are COM
hitting crime against society and also try
ing to deprive an individual of his rights.
In these times when 80 much is said
about monopolies which defy competition
and render it futile, the cOercive feature Of
strike will not bear very close inspection
in the light of personal liberty which VIC
claim as the birthright of every American.
Signing Notes.