New-York tribune., 1877-08-21
words have no place in the argument anu 10
CHARLES WILSON'S CASE.

We never have heard of this Mr.. Charles
Wilson before but now we know that he was
very respectable fireman who Tor seVerai
wears has been at work on tram running
from Port Morris to HObOken. During the
strike he was sent to Hoboken to fire the loco
motive of n fast train, and was dong that ser
vice to the satisfaction OF his employers,
when he received an anonymous notice 10
"cet back WHARF he cam FROM" " You Know,
said the missive, "that you stand In the way
"of the fremen here. Yves won't warne ye
"anv more to leive" This warning being
thrown away upon Charles Wilson, he soon
received another, decorated with the drawing
of cofin and ending: ave tell ye to leve
"now or you will be carrid away" This was
too much for Mr.. Wilson's nerves. He threw
up q good place and Went back to Port Nor
rs, to make living by working half or quar-
ter time, as he could.
Theoretical demonstrations that man mas
right to work as he pleases for what ne
pleases are weak in comparison with one good
solid practical instance like this OF gross des-
potism and cruel injustice If 1T Is agreed that
Mr. Wilson was q member OF the flremens
Brotherhood, the answer Is, that the case
would have been similar if he had never been
initiated He would have been harassed,
nagged, bullied and driven from his work
all the same. In fact, he would not proba-
bly, have been permitted to work any
where or at all. Substantially, then, these
brethren who maintain constant surveillance
over his dongs, who determine when, where
and for what and whom he may work, and
who threaten hls life if he disregards their Ill
spelled anonymous admOnitions, stand to Mr..
Charles Wilson in quite as dOmineering rela-
ton as any employer, however despotic, close
listed and unreasonable, could do. What then
did he gain by joining the Brotherhood? What
was that act but an absolute sef-surrender
and an abandonment of his free agency9
We hear a great deal OF the hardships which
are inflicted by employer upon the employed;
there is not so much said of the cruelty of as
sociations which profess to be benevolent In
their character, but which reduce their MEM
bers to the level Of slaves, taking all their
manhood out of them and making havoc OF
their individuality. The only argument in
favor of such associations is that they help the
many at the expense of the few; but recent
experience has not left this plea leg to stand
upon They do not help the many, but on the
contrary involve the many III one common
catastrophe. Even if they assist the ma
iority, we deny their right to attain this
object at the expense of injustice to every
one besides. But the strikes, if ever the truth
of them can be fully known, will be found to
have done much more mischief to workngmen,
women and children, who would gladly have
stopped them if they could, than to the cor
poratlons, much as these last have suffered
However, we do not propose to discuss strikes
at present. We only want to ask If Charles
Wilson wished 10 fire locomotives at Hob0ken,
why was he not allowed to do so by his
bFethren?"
Tie law on such matters has long been
clear enough and perhaps when it has been
emphasized by q few more judgments from the
Bench, the workingmen will begin to have a
clearer comprehension of it than they now
possess. Judge Van Brunt has just made a
decision in the case of John Williams and 9TH
ers against the Seamen's Boarding House Keep
ers' Benevolent Association. The petitioners
in this case having been expelled from the
Association for shipping seamen at less than
S1S a month, applied to the Supreme Court
for mandamus TO compel their reinstatement.
The Court holds that no benevolent society
can by its bylaws prevent any Of It's mem
bers from working for a living, unless they
attempt to do so in way which involves
moral turpitude, and the mandamus is conse-
quently granted. This covers the operations
of the trades unions exactly, and ought to be
an encouragement to thousands of involuntary
strikers to assert their independence The
unfortunate men have obeyed the orders
of the chiefs of the brotherhoods sOrely
against their will-some because they were
in bodily fear, others because they dreaded
expulsion from their society and the sacrifice
of their pecuniary interests in it. When it is
made clear that the law will protect them
alike from violence and contiscati0n, the tyranny
of the unions will be broken, and those asso-
Citations will be relegated to their proper func