The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1876-10-28

There is, however, little to be proud OF IN |
the victory obtained, if temporary cessa-
ton Of hostilities can DO called a victory. |
1t would be well to remember, however, |
that the dispute was not strike At all, but |
lockout" The farmers of Exning and |
ether places, believing that Unionism was
a blight and a curse, united themselves,
thus showing an inconsistency only to be
accounted for on the superstition Of the
Bishop Of Manchester that they were 90
ing mad. The demand Of the men for an
advance from thirteen shillings a-week TO
fourteen shillings a-week was not thought
unreasonable by the masters-it was only
the Union of the men to which the Union
Of the masters objected. 1t il well-known
how master after master ut Chevely, Knit
ling, Stetchworth, DILLINGHAM;, Bottisham,
Alderton, and score of other parishes,
locked out their men-whO were not COM
planning simply because farmers in other
districts locked out theirs. The one con-
dition Of working was that the men should
leave the Union. Every effort was made
to induce the masters to deal as honorable
as Just men should deal They were ask
ed TO surrender nothing but angry feeling.
They were called upon to make no sacrifice
III vain, and a remnant Of men have been
obliged to return to work on the old terms.
Can this, however, be called a victory !
Hardly so. Have the farmers stamped
out Unionism Let the National Union,
with its thirty three districts, nine hundred
branches, and 100, 900 members, answer
the question and let the Fsde1 nion,
endorse the answer Have the Ykrfiers
succeeded in preventing rise of wages !
The Time says that the wages of agricul-
tural labourers have risen since the Unious
were formed, but it will not acknowledge
that the Unions have helped to bring about
that advance. On the other hand, the
Unions have something to show as the re-
suit Of their efforts. OF the thousands of
men locked out, above one sixth emigrated,
and similar number migrated TO where
higher wages were to be obtained above
one-third returned to work without giving
up their Union tickets some are still out
of work and the residum of a few humid
reds have left the Union and returned to
work, which is all the ''grand result"
which the masters can claim.
The victory. then, is not much Of a thing,
after all and had it been more decisive
thar it is, would not have been so unsatis-
factory, after all. The dispute in the az
ricultural districts has one feature peculiar
to itself 1t was not merely dispute
about Wages and Unionism. The lamen-
tations Of the agricultural labourers were
protest against an unjust, a wicked, and a
selfish system of land tenure The fight
was against an institution which has long
been oppressive. and the farmers of Eng
land have done more to bring about rad
ical reform in the Land Laws Of England
than the most radical reformers could have
accomplished by years Of agitation.
Here's fine revolution, an'we had the
trick 70 see it.
They have done more than this They
have caused colonies Of hard working ag-
ricultural laborers to be established in
New Zealand, in Australia, and especially
in Canada. These mems hearts must
naturally be filled with the bitterest feel
ings. They will educata their children in
the belief that their native country
starved them out, and the children Of
those men who recently left the Mersey
will likely enough be the very men to send
a terrible reply to those statesmen who
pirate about the Integrity of the empire.
In 1862 Mr.. John Bright saw in his minds
eye that which he expressed IN an elo-
quence and with boldness peculiarly his
own, as ''the vast confederation from the
frozen North in unbroken line to the glow
ing South, and from the wild pillows of
the Atlantic westward tie the calmer waters
| Of the Pacific mainland | see one uaople.
and one language, and 6ne Law, Y2R0ns
faith and over all that wide continent,
Al 3 nd So - a
oppressed of every race and Of every
cline Whether that dream will be re-
allied, or whether it shoAld be realized, it
would be out Of place to mention here.
That the question will be discussed is Ger
tain, and the farmers Of England may take
the JUNCTION to their souls, that they have
greatly helped to bring about that icon
federation" by ausing to be taken from
their native shores those who had suffered
50 much and endured 50 long.
What, then, sometimes appears an in
etfectual strike often proves to be one Of
great effect. 1t must be remembered, too,
that non Unionists often reap to some ex-
tent the advantages Of the Unionists. In
deed, in some instances they enjoy all the
benefits of an advance brought about by
the action Of the Union, end it is for them
to settle with their own consclences the
honesty Of reapIng advantages, to obtain
which they have contributed nothing
When they do not obtain the whole of the
advantages Of a rise, they are pretty sure
to obtain some advance, as when the
STANDARD" of wages has been raised, it
drags after it general increase all round.
1t appears from this that Union workmen
arfa IN ki.al IA
with non I mon men The latter have
done nothing to raise or sustain wages, and
ought not to expect to enjoy the results of
the sacrifices, the moral courage. aud the
contributions of the Unionists Whenever
Un:on work Ren do work with non Union
men it shows that unselishness and gen
erosity-that sinking Of self for others
which are characteristic Of almost all Tn
ions. 1t is worth mentioning, too, that
other trades besides the one ION strike"
are often benefited by an advance in the
wages Of those ION strike" Thus, if the
''puddlers" receive an advance Of wag.,
the hammermen, the rollers, and the la
bourers are pretty certain TO be similarly
treated 1t is thus seen that the material
advantages Of a strike cannot be reckoned
by taking the cost Of the strike and the
gain in wages, and substracting one from
the othel.
1t may be said-and very Justly if
the general ten ency Of Trades Unionism
be to raise wages, then where there are no
Unions wages should be lower than ordi-
nary. This is exactly the case Unfor-
tunately, the non Unionists keep no stats
tics, and it is impossible to ascertain the
exact wages they are paid. 1t is, however,
generally known that the worst paid trades
in the kingdom are those which have no
Unions The evidence of the men them
selves is valuable on this point, because,
unless they felt they received an advantage,
they would leave the Union. What the
men want is high wages for little work,
and, if their Unions could not give those
benefits to them, they would cease to sup