The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1882-09-06
TRADES UNIONISM.
How It Was Perverted by Some Of It's Up
holders In Cheyenne.
The Experience OF the Leader with Mer
Whose Mission II is TO Run Their
Employers Business.

When the people Of Cheyenne heard,
LEADER Office had struck, they no
doubt generally adopted the view then
expressed by our contemporary, the
Sun, that " it was a matter of private
business, Jan affair like the engage
ment of a new gang Of cowboys by a
stockman or a new set of clerks by a
s~torekeeper dissatisfied with his sales
men. That was not entirely u W
opinion, but it was thought well to wait
a little while until the strikers and their
friends had done us all the mischief
they were bent upon, and then give the
public the full story of our experience
with a few fanatics who misrepresent
and dishonor trades-snionism in Chey-
enne.
That part of the community who
have heard the strikers appeal for sym
patty and listened to their alleged rea-
sons for striking, namely, u employ
ment of non-union men and a reduction
of wages, will perhaps lose their faith
in the entire truth of the strikers story
when we publicly pledge our word that
no man was employed by us who was
opposed to the union; that no man was
put to work at wages below the scale
provided by the printers union; that
no anti union men had ever been COM
m%unicated with by us with a view to
their employment; that we had repeat
eddy assured the union men in our en-
ploy that we intended TO continue pay
ing them their union scale of wages,
and that, finally, every man in u en-
ploy to day is receiving the same rate
Of wages as has been paid IN Cheyenne
for years to union printers.
Then arises the query with the read
er, What was the strike about?
Now that our work is being done sat
isfactorily by a new force, and sufficient
time has gone by to permit of the tell
ing of our story without the possibility
of any suspicion being raised that what
we say is said in the heat of II fight or
under the sting of defeat, We'll set
about stating the merits of the strike as
we view them:
On taking hold of the LEADER estab-
lishment, on July l, we found the ma
terial of the printing office to be, in n
word, n wreck, and tho wOrkmen, who
had themselves previously controlled
and managed that department, were
ready for any freak OF INSTRUMENTATION.
Moreover, trades-unionism was inter
preted by their leader rs a motive for an
active crusade for their rights, while to
the questions of duty and fidelity nc
especial attention was given. No move
ment of the owners of the office could
be made involving wage1, the engaging
, of hands, contracting with apprenti-
ces, or the measurement of piece-work
without consulting the President of the
union, a typesetter in the office. The
junior member of the firm, on going tc
work, was catechised as to his status
with the union, where he came from,
what his intentions were, &C., &c. AT
: { l"hlh, bObl LlullbClO MNlC ACP0hItblg
asked as to their intentions towards
the trades union, and their answers were
uniformly that they intended TO contin.
ne paying trades-union rates and en-,
ploying members Of the union. Rumors
having gained currency one week that
they were about to discharge all hands
and employ others, o union, the pres,
ident of the union was permitted to
draw upon his wages in advance to the
sum of $50, to allay his agitation.
The foreman of the office having re-
signed, and the jobber's place being va
cant, the union president was a persist
ent applicant to fill one of the vacan-
cies. As be had been discharged once
from the foremanship, and his qualif-
cations as n jobber were not what were
desired, his applications were refused.
A relative of n Of the firm, a young
man thoroughly conversant with his
business, and, moreover, OF the highest
personal character, was engaged to
come to Cheyenne to fill the place of
jobber Mt the union rate of wages. On
his arrival 1t was decided by the firm to
place him in the foremanship of the
newspaper office, and to give him the
wages the union demanded for the stu
alton, four dollars more than for the
jobber's place. The morning after his
arrival in the city, he came to the office
early, and the business manager direct
ed him to go into the news room to
work rs foreman. As he was busy at
the moment, the business manager
thought it unnecessary to talk then
about wages, unionism and such mat
tiers. He was expecting no rupture
with the union and believed that a good
understanding had been arrived at in
consequence of the repeated explaua-
tions the firm had made as TO their in
tentions toward the union. Had it &C.
Cured to him that thu introduction of
the new foreman was likely to cause
trouble on the score Of his not yet being
an actual member of the union. he prob
ably would have dismissed the thought
in the belief that the men would.hardly
suspect him to be guilty Of such m act
of folly as trying to displace the union
employees with n single workman. No
sooner had the newcomer taken off his
coat to 60 to work thar the union pres
ident piled him with questions. Among