The Labor enquirer., 1883-03-10

and the enormous profits derived by
capitalists from the ill-paid labor of their.
toilers. The following are extracts, and
we regret our space will not allow us to
give the speech in full: -
'In thinking over this question have
been led to the conclusion that strikes
must certainly be promoted by manu-
facturers; that they resort to methods
to compel their men to strike, in order
that the prices Of their manufactures
may again rise, not to the point Of COM
petition with foreign productions, but to
the higher point of competition with
home productions. 4 man who has got
5000 operatives under him has been
known to close his establishment and
turn out the operatives to shorten the
production of particular quality Of
goods. Why shorten it? In order that
the price in the market may. rise to the
point where the protection given by
specific rates of duty may be elevated
above the price for which the came
article can be bought jn foreign coUn-
tries.
"Give a man an opportunity to make
money out Of another, guaranteed to.
him by the law, and he is more or less
than man if he does not makeit. The
fault is in the legislation that this body
has created in this country, and was
fruitful Of bIoodshed in consequence Of
the violence Of men who combine to-
/ gethpr to win and keep their bread for
the supply Of their families Such
troubles are due tp the neglect or Gu
pidity of men WHOSE special interests
" are represented upon this floor. Where
men are disposed to DO right and have
the opportunity to be well fed and to be
comfortable, where they are not vicious
but patriotic. we must know that the
fault is in the labor system.
"Nou Shut up your factories and turn
out your operatives Turn them out,
/ let them get a living as best they can.
. What becomes Of those disappointed
men? The closing Of the factory does
not feed their families. There is no
bread, mcatnor anything else, that comes
to them from a closed factory They
are skilled in that line Of business and
have no opportunity Of entering upon
another. They are not Qualified, many
/ Of them, even for the commonest tabors
Of life. such as digging the earth. They
must stop worl, because the factory stops
work, and when they stop work they
must starve. These men, irritated
disappointed; and Wronged, resort tC
! their little saving in their Labor Union
organizations, live upon those at starya-
ton rates as long as they hold out, and
then what occurs? Here comes another
set Of people. From where? From
pauperdom. What did they come for
Totake the places of men who refuse tc
work at low wages. Where did they
come from? From Italy, Germany
England, Great Britain, Russia. Why
do they come? Because ,hey find, as is
said, d chance to labor here for better
wages than they get over yonder. Why
Will they not come? Any man will
come to get better price for his labor,
What occurs then? The same thing
that occurred IN the strike in Jersey
+. City and in New York last summer.
"The railway operatives formed them
! selves INTO q compact> strike and de-
manded that their work should not be
taken from them. What was theresuIt?
The railroads could not be run. What
was the effect upon commerce? An im-
men~o accumulation of merchandise
landed in New York not only from ships,
but from railroads. What then took
placo2 There were threats Of calling
out the militia, The police were lmpo-
tent to control this mass Of men. There
were also threats to cali out the regular
army Of the United States What or-
corrod in the Northwestern part Of New
York state, in Pennsylvania, In Indiana.
Ohio, and Illinois in 1877? Sir. the army
/ Of the United States was called out for
| the purpose Of compelling men to yield
up their opposition to those coming in
and working in their places. You have
got all paunerdom to resort to with your
capital to get labor. Ii comes free. You
cannot tax it, You can run it in and
supply the place of the men who strike