Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1878-06-01
STRIKES " FIR INCE.
Substitution of Women for the
Strikers,

Gus: but the Partisan comp0stOrs have been
on the strike Tor more than fortnight, and
new papers and books appear as usual The
reason of this is that in France trades unions
have never been allowed to take any de velop-
ment: The ,eeompositors of Paris have their
union, Dill lt mas no connection with the
urlonS OF provincial cities. The case is the
same as regards all the other trades Ii a union
IN faIls sought to enter into partnership, even
In the provinces, it would become in the eyes
OF the law. "secret society,"" it would
be dissolved, and its officers would find
succeed under such circumstances K
union in one city may send emissaries to the
WOrkmen In another begging them to join in
Sir1ke, out, as IT cannot use coercion, its re-
guests Will only be hearkened to convenient.
Inc provincial cOmpOstOrs, who earned less
than their brethren in Paris, have been COM
Ing up in gangs 10 take the places of the latter,
ployment in the capital when they abandon
the quarrel with the masters. The printers
have also resolved to employ women largely
result of the cOmpOsitOrs' strike. 1t is found
Il at women do not quarrel readily with their
bread and butter, and that in all the light
men. wel-wfshers to the h cause Which 1o Miss
Emily Faithful has so spiritedly undertaken
In England may possibly, in another ten years
time, nave the gratltcatiOn of seeing the work
III most OF the printing offices OF Paris dOae
by women.
1t may seem hard upon workman who is
trying to enforce what he, considers jus
claim When a brother workman comes and
undersells him in the labor market; but it is
quite as hard upon the masters when all the
workmen of trade go upon strike because
tented. AT Versailles the other day the com
positorS of large printing establishment
came and told their master that, although
personally sa iSfied with their wages, they had
decided to strike, out of comradeShp for their
friends in Paris. The master replied that he
would prefer to give them the increase in
wages, put In doing so he warned them that
he must raise his charges, and that this might
lead to a diminutiOn in custom, seeing that
the publishers of the Seine and Seine ct Disc.
who ind printers charges too dear alrea iy,
printed at Arras. and Mtlun. The com
pOSitOrS were not much touched by this
argument; but, few days later, hearing tn It
t IN mas er had refused to engage number
OF provincial WOrkmen who had offered them
selves at low rate. their good feelings we've
stlrr' q, and they renounced of their own ac-
cord the increase which they had begun to
that they have made good bargain-certain
ly a better than if they had forced their
ma ter rd to IS stop his works Strikes and lock
putes which would generally settle them
selv II no middlemen interfered between
masters and men. In these days of eager
competition IL Is absurd to suppose that labor
nYthlng is gained by temporarily forcing it Hp
above its value. Such inf1tti0ns of wages
natni ally tend to fails, which to the workmen
ruth will commend itself to the French
W rking classes before they are put in
possession OF of the liberties for combining
hhd striking which Eng!ishmen enjoy. For
icing endowed with these liberties, for even
Liberal Republicans are 10th to ad vocate them
lest they should arouse thatte Question
sOclale, behind which so many dangers are
Ieit TO be lurking. SO afraid are cautious men
lf allowing even the thin end of the said @. $.
70 be introduced. that they will not hear of
a owing cooperation for charitable purposes.
An association for relieving cripDles at Rouen
LHSt not have any kinship with a similar es-
q bl7hment at Nantes or elsewhere. Institu-
ruie, and which have branch offices in differ
q places, are all under the special control of
government and generally flourish on State
y ants: When you talk to a Frenchman of
e cletleS like the FOreSterS and the Odd Eel. |
n"S, Which rec On their members by the hun |
III ed thousand, he answers that such colossal |
associations would be impossible in France
causes, and try wild experiments in the
way of communism. AS to trade unions,
.he Conservative party think that the law
has has already si gone too far in allowing the
WOr kmen following the same trade in one par
'lcuIar city, or commune, to combine. When
ever these gentlemen have been in power they
lave queled strikes by the effectual but ulti-
The work of the strikers. When. in 1865. the
IOurneymen hatters of Paris struck, an order
d the day, was read in all the barracks of
forth that soldiers who were hat makers By
,rade might have leave to go and work, on
ma dl1l9n OF accepting the pay offered by the
posa in order to get 3a ffS aHtm4Red at the pro
hat same year, 1868, there was strike among
the Partisan cab-drlyerS, and again soldiers
We're pressed into service: this time in such
large numbers that the strike came to an end
in less than week. We have called this a
ruinous process, however, because it sOws ILL
will between the army and the working class
es. and the fruit of such enmity appears in
civil wars.
in the repression of French strikes, and we
cannot help thinking that this part is not
fair one. There was big strike in the Creu
get iron works in 1870, another near st. Etienne
i'll 1873, and now there is one among the min
els OF Decazeville. On all these occasions we
have heard of wholesale arrests being made on
the charge of picketing. Men who had not
but who had simply been found
pleading the cause of the strikers, were
charged with riOrng, whilst others who were
strangers to the district, and who had come to
do little agitating in an amateur capacity,
were adjudged guilty of the more heinOuS Of
Tense of political conspiracy. A French strike
somehow always gets mixed up with politics.
Be the strikers never so careful, their ring
leaders almost invariably end by getting into
gaol, and judges often add to the penal
ties OF imprisonment deprivation OF civil
ard political rights, along with police super
mind any French strike which has resulted in
a complete victory for the strikers. Govern
mt mt takes alarm at the first signs of cOmbina-
ton, and the masters being backed by the
whole strength Of the administrative mechan-
icism, naturally decline to make concessions
Some French strikes have ended oddly. 1t
was partial strike among some cafe walters
of Paris that induced the late Nj. Duval to en-
ploy women as mattresses in the numerous
cheap eating houses which he established, and
his successors have kept up the custom The
cafe walters have threatened to strike more
than once since then, and always on that vexed
question of pOurbOire, or tax upon the Gus
toner, which masters have been anxious to
abolish. Some years ago, it is said, number
OF PariSianS who were habitual freuuenters
of cafes, resolved to take the matter into
their own hands, and formed a league
whose members bound themselves to Give
nothing to the walters over and above the cost
o. refreshments, A member of the Ieague.
going to his cafe, FASTENED to inform his favor.
lite waiter of the resolution he had taken.
POcketing the change which had been brought
him after payment of his cup of coffee, he said
sadly but firmly, "Louls, l am sorry that can
not give you the customary pourboire, but
belong TO an association who have determined
to put down that abuse" Louis Was euIIaI to
the occasion. Sir" said he politely, please
yourself about giving or not giving: but as
you are an old patron of this house, NAV in
form you that / also belong to an association
OF walters whose practice it is to SPILL scalding
coffee, by accident over the legs of stingy Gus
TONER'S" The gentleman who had Struck
against an abuse took the hint London
Ners. May Il.