The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1876-01-15
CHICAGO, Jan IA, II

editor says, Is = stAhuaEu H"''''iiyt
AMI that Mr. Thornton has proved nun
self the almost passionate champion n tnr
workinemen. have been an almost
constant reader Of the Tribune for years.
ana have time after time been Disguised
nth its labor articles, but more especially
during the last twelve OF ntteeu months
SINCE our ex-nNyer assumed the fditor>hip
81 tina, paper All usr ~ harsh expires
SONS however. iur the TribU, has m're
than once honored me with the publication
u some letters ga the labur question:.
II wrote the enclosed letter @ the Ifio-
an, showing the course # Trade MONS
il the Upper Glasses u England tur reu-
,aries, and hoa the tyranny 81 TIE money
ocracy al that country caused V'rklngmen
o. combine for the purpose q protecting
their own interests sgAinst nc enc "a'h-
ments 81 a band # III" most dan aAtIe
sooundrelS that ever cursed the cart with
their existence. Allow me % her aid.
tia: except the workngIpen VI this couu-
try grid OF their union srIno" aud make
perfect, u more perfect, their present or-
carnations. they viii To- ~ the same s,r-
vile position A. was our S4Arn brethren "f
eng ago.
4 requested the Tribune editor that #
ne did not publish my letter to return Il.
/ also wrote my address on che back and
out sufficient postage On it for (" insure
its return, but | have not heard Or seen
anything IF il since | delivered II IN hls
office. vas somewhat doubtful of its
publication, - that journal ha- u late be
come partisan and entirely one slded- The
letter IS ~ follows
10 ID. Editor u tbe Chi.sSo I.ibane
SIR Asa reader OF your influential
journal for many years, ! am fully con
vlnced and you will excuse me IN saying
.hst YOU are not friendly 10 trades unions
among the working classes.
Ia your late issue you say WI. Thorn
toms book on ~ nor. Is a standard au-
.hority.a rhornton) has proved
himself tsslpnate champion 81
,ae WORK. ..c. / have some know
t~lke d the pciSoffc+ hi iilo AA'''A IMAM.
pom" here and in Great Britain, but !
must confess my total ignorance q tins
nAans name appearing On the = labor
champion list. am und have been
rnenber If a trades union for many years
ia the old country and here also, ana l
jpin you III denouncIug sdch foolish acts
as you say occurred At Manchester and
Bolton. England
However ! must protest against JIades
anions IN general beng charged With like
otfenses You certainly do not, Ia The ar
ticle mentioned, directly accuse them IF
such. but the whole tenor u TINS and
other atticles seems NJ me leveled against
them As for hod-carrIers being restricted
hY their union from carrying more than
eight bricks Al Il time to the thIrl floor,
etc, | only wish sone u these n work
and wage" writers would try that number
Tor DAY, if they did. am satisfied they
would he the first to cry ont enough.
One thing | notice II the press IN general
they seldom dtnounce the trades unions
If the upper classes, bur are ever ready TO
roar out in hot vengeance against the
Workingmeu The unions III the Old
Cuuntry are known u their members. and
the workinglnen 81 this country are walk
ing with rapid strides in making theirs
equally as perfect. mons of working
men are only in their infancy in the
memory Of many men living at the pres
ent day. Unions Of the upper classes are
as old As their tyranny. About the year
1925. workmen in England were hrst per
united Il form a trades union believe
1t vas that mountebauk, John Arthur
Rosbuck, nov Member Of Parliament for
49, I'LL t. - hat cd
IN defending the Dorsetshire .sborers
charged with being being members Of
trades UNION. found guilty, and TRANSPORTED
for the same. submit you cannot point
- any acts Of The workingmens umops 80
base Or barbarous as that Of the upper
classes" Their damnable tyranny Was
received by and with the approval Of the
king, who pocketed percentage Of what
VAS ground from the workingmen.
We have time aud again been told that
unionism was contrary to political economy;
but one OF the greatest political thinkers,
John Stuart Mill, held thft' without them
workingman would be compelled to sell
his labor for less than it's value; and 1t was
to avoid that result that unionism was
formed. Workingmen know full well that
individually thew have no chance of justice
being done them in the present state of
society, and that To have fair remuners
ton for their labor, they must unite 70
obtain t. regret the necessity Of trades
unions, but being necessary, advocate
them. If employees we're honest, We would
NOT want Gnions; hut they are not honest,
hence the necessity Of men combining
Combinations among wnrkmen were orig
lnally rs benefit societies; bur the tyranny
4 ham IN an
the trades union phase ii their existence.
In 1861 I'll. tailors Of London were on
strike, and the English press, Lords and
Commauers, Mayor and ex-Mayors, reared
like asses about workingmen running the
industries of the country. despising and
disregarding the time honored Institutions
YOU knou. &c OF course sensible men
laughed to hear these scala~ags talk ia
such way about men battling for their
rights, but the press, with few exceptions,
we're denouncing the conduct IF the tSIlors
Ia the most unmeasured terms. just then
a " time-hnnured'' magazine (Cassell's)
published historical sketch Of upper class
trades unions. IN which it said The his
tory Of workmens trades unions. properly
50 called is very short. The advantages
Of them, whatever they may be, are but Of
yesterday 1t is far otherwise with upper
class trades unions They are historical
they are bound up intimately with the
past history ri the country, and have eX-
crcised during lOUg periods most mn
portant influence ON both capital aud
labor"
The custom ~ the age favored the plan
of eolabifnfisa, in the employers, and the
kinks took advantage of the CUSTOM to eN-
tort large sums from those who sought ~
he Incorporated. There Was, IN addition
to the. particular monopolies, general
cou,binstion OF all trades to keep down the
wages of the workmen. One result Of Il
was the statute Of Edward the Third, com