The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1883-07-28
TO BE THOUGHT OF.

shock in business circles felt than
by the sudden stoppage from work
of a large number of telegraph
operators. Indeed, let the present
difficulty be arranged or end as it
,cley, there will remain consequences
Thea to be regretted.
mr. in ms: Sc Telegraph companies should
be abEstor successfully hold out until
other operators can be obtained,not
only great suffering and misfortune
must befall the withdrawing work
men, but directors of not only the
telegraph companies, but VI all
corporations requiring numerous
laborers will be encouraged when
ever they choose,in imposing severe
conditions, either as to price or hours
of labor, upon industrious workmen.
If, through their power of combin
alton the operators shall be able to
force the companies to re-employ-
ment on terms to be fixed by the
employees, such success would
strongly tend to further demands
by similarly organized bodies of
laborers upon their employers.
Admitting that in the present case
the successful party should have
right on it's side-a matter we do
not now propose 10 consider-there
would be no certainty that the
enforcement of a like right would
be the condition on which, IN other
instances, corporations would seek
to impose terms on their laborers,
or laborers base their demands as
the condition of continuing their
employment.
1t is IN condition of affairs rem.
dering such troubles possible, that
the real danger exists; and the
causes of which condition have to
be searched for, before a real remedy
for the evil can be found.
Without assuming to determine
accurately all these causes, it is a
growing belief, that some of the
means sought, as remedies for Ger
tain ills affecting workmen, tend to
produce other ills of even a more
dangerous KIND.
Of such are those organizations Of
laborers by which the freedom OF
the individual workman, as to his
Judgment and personal interest, is
merged into the Judgment and de.
sire of an executive council
As, however, to the extent that,
in Republic, independent action of
each individual is curtailed, even
though it be thro' his own consent,
so much is he less a freeman and
thereby through their organizations
the members render themselves
liable to an oppression of their own
begetting.
Thus it is, that not single member
of the Brotherhood of Photographers
now out of work, has the power o.
taking employment in the only labor
in which he is skilled, it matters moi
how advantageous the offer may be
His Judgment, his personal desire,
are both dependent upon the will o.
others.
On the other hand, such is the
power of the combined Telegraph
companies, on whose inducements
and for whose profits, thousands o
young men and women have aban
doned all other occupation, and by
patient toll, have mastered diflicult
art, and in which alone they ar.
capable of lucrativelabor, that at th,
will of the directories of these com
bined corporations, it may be ofon,
controlling mind therein, the mos
exacting and oppressive terms car
be imposed on these industrious
workmen. And it is evident that il
is just this kind of fear which, to 6
great extent, agitate the working
classes, as to the result of the pres
ent crisis.
We were pleased to receive a cal
last Sunday evening, from j. Y