The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1877-07-28
discouutenance strikes and riots, aud do
their best 10 uphold law and order,
The Strike and the LabOring Glasses.


The N I. EorlR plainly illustrates the
folly and injustice Of the strike TO the labor
ing classes themselves, by the following SEN
sibe articles
"'Ihe strikers on the railways, who have
thrown the business Of half the country into
confusion and inflicted incalcnlable distress
upon hundreds ofthousands Of people engag-
ed in all sorts OF occupations, do not profess
to be striking at all in the general cause Of
labor. Such a profession would indeed be
absurd, for they have nothing 10 say in favor
ef restoring war prices anywhere outside of
their own business. In fact they complain
bitterly Of the tradespeople who will not CON
sent TO reductions in dealing with themselves.
IL is worth while, therefore, 10 consider how
large proportion of the laboring force Of the
country is represented by this element which,
acting solely in its own interest, is exposing
all the rest of the laboring force Of the coun.
try TO loss and Inconvenience. By the census
OF 1870 the employees Of all the railways in
the country, exclusive of clerks and officials,
numbered l54,027 men. In the nine States
which have so far been more or less affected
by the pending strikes they numbered IS, 534.
These are the States of Maryland, West Vir-
ginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, New
Jersey, Illinois, Indiana and Missouri. The
day.laborers in those nine States then amour
ted to 56S, Ala men. IL we add to the day.
laborers the canalmen, the draymen and the
laborers employed in various trades, we find
this number swelled to 654, S96. If, there
fore, all the railway employees in the nine
States mentioned were now out on strike
every man of them would be inaicting trou.
bles and losses upon nearly eight other work
ing men as respectable as himself in order to
accomplish purpose of his own. And this
without taking iuto the account skilled arti
Sans and mechanics, men employed in abat-
toirs and by express and steamboat eompan-
les, stevedores and others connected with the
shipping interests, all of whom are necessarily
and untavorably affected by the protracted
blockade of the great arteries of internal COM
munication. Upon moderate estimate,
| giving to each man Of these various classes an
average Of four persons dependent upon him,
we have grand total Of at least 5000, 900
1 persons in the nine States mentioned whose
bread is interiered with every day that this
strike lasts, in order to accomplish the pur.
poses not even of 1854 railway employees
for the strike in the nine States mentioned is
| by no means general, unless perhaps in West
Firginia-but Of really less than half that
number. To sum the case up plainly, then,
the interest Of the respectable laboring classes
of the nine States now invaded by the railway
| strike in seeing it ended is to the interest OF
the railway men who are actually engaged in
the strike in keeping it up as are 100000
persons TO A, 262, or, giving four dependents
10 each striker, TO 22l ,Sia persons, II this
is not sacrificing the community to class,
what can deserve to be SO described2