The Labor enquirer., 1883-07-21
DYNAMITE is quoted to-day at Acc.
CRAwFISHING.

Since ever there have been such things
as protective unions of skilled wage
workers or laborers, and occasional de-
mands for higher wages, the press of the
land has always, when such demands
have been made, arrogantly cried out
that if the employees didn't like their
pay they could quit-there were plenty
of hungry unemployed ready to drop
into their places. These great posters,
with which the billboards of hell must
be plastered, cared nothing for the un-
derpaid, dissatisfied operatives 50 long as
the great wheels of industry and COM
merce were not clogged But they are
crawfshing, eating crow now, and the
cause is the fear that the tele-
graph operators all over the country will
strike when there isn't the usual army
of cheaps to step in and keep the instru-
ments ticking.
The associated press reports of Wednes-
day morning contained extracts from
editorials in the leading papers of New
York City, which for miserable whining
would shame a hungry cur. And with
one accord they said the operators had
no right to quit work, whether their re-
quests (or demands, if you hke) were
complied with or not. The Mail and
Express said, "there is a limit to the
natural right of employees to strike"
The idea that the rights of an employe
of any individual or corporation can be
abridged is silly, preposterous and quite
at variance with the ideas of American
freedom and liberty According to such
an idea the tnieving, cut-throat telegraph
monopolists could reduce the wages of
their employees to dollar week, and
the employees would have no right to
vacate their chairs, because the business
of the country, which has been devel-
oped on basis of telegraphy, must be
preserved without interruption.
The Evening Post, another. of the
same kind of cattle, said: 'Now, the
question whether any body of men
ought to be allowed to purpose to infict
loss and inconvenience on the public is
one of which the growing complexity of
modern society will soon compel a per-
emptory settlement" That's what it
will, Mr.. Post, and the settlement It will
compel will be rather disastrous to the
gouging telegraph and railroad monopo,
lies which have 'inficted loss and incon-
venience on the public" for a score of
years too long already, and ground that
public down to the last notch of starva-
ton wages.
The Commercial Advertiser charges
that Wall street brokers we're offering
money to the operators to strike, so that
they might make job in Western Union
stock, and quietly reminds the brokers
that they are treading on dangerous
ground. Whether they have had any
thing to do with the action of the
operators or not, the money kings of
Wall street can put their villainous heads
together at any time they choose, and
create panic over the land, clog the
wheels of commerce, ETC., and the great
press never says a word about their
right to do so, even if hundred thou
sand families feel the pangs of hunger.
The Herald, meeker than them all,
goes into dissertation upon the justice
of the amount of the increase asked. 1t
figures up that if the request is granted
the first-class operators will receive 45
cents per hour for their work, at which
sum it looks aghast. If they were paid
four times 45 cents per hour they would
not receive their just proportion of the
amount the company obtains from their
services, and, pray, when did 45 cents