The Labor enquirer., 1884-08-16
Interesting Labor News from
All Over the Country.
Discomfort and Agitation Increas-
ing Everywhere.
Prospects Of Bold, Bully Ben Grow
ing Brighter and Brighter.
Robbers Taking the Alarm.
New York City.
by Associated Labor Press. /

New YORK. August 1.-THE brick
layers have entered upon the fourth
week of their struggle for nine hours,
and are as determined as at first. There
is every prospect that the bosses will be
compelled to|give in very shortly. Every
day the past week, an advertisement has
appeared in all the daily papers, sup
posed to be read by the "workingmen, I"
for thousand bricklayers at 81 day
protection guaranteed. Twas up at the
headquarters of the bosses, one day at
the latter end of the week, and saw
seven or eight very dirty, scabby fellows
apply for jobs, most of them not being
able to speak American" One of the
bosses, whom l met there, was very
much exercised over the conduct of the
unionists, who had advanced the price of
labor 10 per cent. .'Our capital" and
"our interests" we're the burden of his
tale. 4They will only have another
hour to spend in liquor saloons" said
this humanitarian. These fellows are SO
very considerate, you know, of the inter
ests of the workmen and their families I,
The other unions are looking on the
struggle with a good deal of interest,
knowing that if the lbricklayers are de-
feated, it will be defeat of the short
hour movement, and that it will be a
long time before it can again be resusci-
tated. The plasterers,- who have been
working under the nine hour rule, know
that, if their brethren are defeated now,
their time will come later on. When
they obtained their demand there was
no Master Builders association. Finan-
cial and moral sympathy are being ten
Idered by sister unions, and are very
gratefully received. =
There are two unions here from which
there are secessionists. l would rot
mention this fact, but to impress on all
unionists the necessity. There is nothing
so dangerous to our organization as the
efforts of few men to "rule or ruin
They very often accomplish the latter
Let us have healthy opposition inside
of our unions but, by everything you
hold dear, do not secede... F.
The state workingmen's assembly
convenes to-day at Utica The purpose
of it is to review the labor measures
adopted by the last legislature; take
cognizance of their opponents, and make
arrangements to defeat them at the forth
coming election, and decide what meas
ures are to be- pressed at the next legisla-
ture. l was gwen to understand by
President George Blair that the presi-
Dental question will not come up, and
that child labor will receive the atten-
ton it merits. - ~ -.. f. i
A cargo of contract immigrants were
landed yesterday at Castle Garden, con-
signed, like 80 much merchandise, to
Padrones., They have contracted to pay
$40 more than their passage money.
When will all this cease? The wise SEN
ators laid the bill on the shelf that.
would have at least restricted this out
rageous system. .:-
By the time this reaches your readers
the campaign will be opened. You have
of course, seen the letter General Butler
has sent to Editor Dana. 1t has. caused
greater sensation than anything since
the Chicago conventions, and all the
papers on both sides are pitching into
Ben. They're both afraid of him; but
always say he will only hurt the other
fellow. We shall see.
+. H, JOHN SwINToN's PAPER.