The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1875-01-30
COOPERATION

| power that threatened them with eternal
poverty and toll. The first thing that sug-
gested itself was combination concert Of
action, believing that if they could unite
and make common cause against common
enemy. they could throw off the yoke that
bound them to the golden car
The result was the organization Of what
is known as Trade Unions These
we're organized for self defence they are
| purely protective In their character their
mission is to prevent the encroachments Of
capital-to resist oppression. The moment
Trade Unions we're organized, there began
war between employer and employee,
| and this war has become more bitter and
determined with each passing year.
| A spirit of antsgonism was at once
aroused. Capitalists became fearful of
losing the privileges they had 50 long en-
loved, and looked upon all efforts Of the
workiugmen to control their labor, AS an
unjustifiable interference with their vest
ed rights" On the other hand, working
men, by bold and determined effort, gained
many important advantages, and became
fully alive to the schemes Of capital. and
the dangers by which they we're contlnu-
ally surrounded, and firm resolve was
made never to submit, but t. continue the
tight Thus the employers and ~urA men
have become divided INTO two distinct and
warning classes each armed with every
instrument Of defense or otfense they can
command ready t. Pounce upon each
other at every favorable opportunity
Each side has come to look upon the other
as a common enemy. and proceeds to act
accordingly.
This condition Of things has resulted in
! an almost universal organ zation y; capi-
t a against labor. and labor against capital,
and still the war goes on, and must 20 IN
50 long ss workingmen seek no other
means Of self defense but such rs are found
IN " Trade Unions. Deplorable indeed
would be the condition Of the workingn-n
of this nation, If Trade Unions should
cease to exist. But We give 1t as our set
tied conviction, that the Trade mon
movement has been pushed To- its fprthest
extremity We d. not mean - say that
every trade has done all that can he done
ia that direction. for some have done no
thing. while others have done but little
What we mean to say is that the very
best organized Trade Unions have
reached the limit " their power. and from
this time forward the war between them
and their employers viii SIMPLY ~ On with
success for one OF the other, acco oling to
circumstances In dull times, when work
is scarce, and many men out Of employ
ment. the employers seek To reduce wages.
put on boys, and do many other things
contrary To the rules Of the Il mon A
strike ensues, and IN nine cases ont Of ten
the strikers are defeated, after immense
losses and much suffering On the return
Of good times the II mon seeks to regain
It's ltisL EIbNliu anu NAii''iNC tNs ihAtH. All
other strike comes, which, if properly man
aged. is sure to succeed, with perhaps
heavy loss to both sides and thus the fight
goes %, and ever must g On. unless a
change of tactics be adopted, -
The object q the labor movement is the
Complete emancipation OF labor from the
slavery imposed upon it by the tyranny Of
capital That this end never can be reach
ed through the agency Of trade unions,
as originally organized, and as at present
\ conducted, is admitted BY all thinking
men. In the very nature of things this
must be so, because we can see no time
| in the future when this war between capt
tai and " trade unions" will have an end
| when this antagonism will cease-and
when the gulf that divides them will be
filled up, or brldged over. OF course, a
vast amount Of good has been and is being
done by trade unions, and We must
cherish them, and stick 10 them as the
wrecked mariner clings to the last plank.
But, if through them We can find the
agency that will give US complete and per
manent deliverance from our oppressors,
it is our duty as wise men, to work out
| such result
II workingwen had no other recourse
if there was no other way to prevent our
complete enslavement, then, Of course, we
would have to make up our minds to &C
cept the situation, and fight it out on that
line. But if there is way by which the
war can be ended, and we receive the re-
wards of our toll, We are unwise men
incapable Of self-government, if we do not
adopt it.
We believe this can be done we believe
the whole labor problem is one that can be
very easily solved, and whenever the work
ingmen Of our country set themselves to
work in earnest Ia thing they have never
yet done) We will soon reach the desired
end. The next step in the trade unions
movement, and one that it seems to ms
should grow out Of it spontaneously, is
COOPERATION. J We do not mean the CO.
operation of numbers for the purpose of
forcing an advance Of wages, or enforcing
the laws and rules We may adopt in our
trade unions" for that we are already
doing, but q cooperation "f labor and
money, for the purpose Of doing business
for ourselves.
We have been toiling all our lives for
somebody else-we nave been putting mil
lions of little streams Of wealth in mo-
ton, all of which have been running into
few pockets. After a life time of hard
work and continual struggle to keep our