The Labor enquirer., 1884-12-13
WEEKLY LONDON LET7ER.
Labovv StuTsg IN Nusdtsds Of Tkeusaads
Tie Lfs-Byood Of Tnadss Unions Reias
Sappsd- -Ths c'uftsn Dstsnsinsdt to fS1k
for tksir Rights At Evsaines II LONDON
Aichasf DdHtf sscoming q Pewer IN
Great Brtnin- Lasug Mems.
special oorrespondenoe d The Enauirer.

Special Correspondence Of The Enquirer.
LONDON, Nov. 80.
The depression in trade" is getting
gradually worse or rather, rapidly
worse. The industrial laborers are
starving in hundreds Of thousands. The
savings of the work-people, which in
Britain are invested in the government
postofiice savings bank, have been al
most entirely withdrawn; the trades
unions are paying out eleven and a-half
pence from every. shillingthey draw in.
These two facts, which represent an
army Of similar facts, clearly show that
the best class of wnrkmen will soon be
on the streets. Their little savings are
almost entirely exhausted, and their
trades unions are nearly as poor asthem-1
selves. The few (relatively) men who
are at work will be levied in heavier
sum to support those who are idle; and
as it is almost certain that the number OF
those in employment will soon be de-
creased the complete insolvency Of the
trades unions is probably not far off.
~
1t is impossible to overlook the lesson
which this forces upon US, and as it is
applicable to American as well as Brit
ish workmen, I may be allowed to di-
gress little from the purpose OF these
paragraphs.
We see that trades unions are unable
to protect even the cream of the workers
from the Iapacity of capitalism. The
reason is, because the workers make all
wealth, they hand it over entirely to the
capitalist class, and then combine to get
as much of it back as they can; or, in
other words, the capitalist class selzes
the wealth produced by the workers and
in return gives them a mere pittance,
which is just enough, or often less than
enough, to keep. life in their bodies.
Then the workers combine to raise this
pittance, to keep up or raise the standard
of their wages. The capitalist class OBJ
jects to trades unions because they hold
that the workers are the complete slaves
of capitalism, and that it is inimical to
the full sway Of their domination if the
workers show any signs whatever of
recognizing the class antagonism which
must exist as long as one class makes
the wealth and another class steals it.
The capitalist is quite consistent. He is
social thief, and if we cannot praise
his morality we can at least plainly see
the consistency of his position when he
objects to any organization which inter
feres with his system of plundering.
but the Socialist also objects to trades
| unions but for reason which is quite
the opposite of that urged or (some-
times1 enforced by the capitalist. %
~ f.
| l, as Socialist, care very little about
getting back as much as possible from
the capitalist. The right place to begin
is to refuse to give the wealth made by
laborers over to a class of loafers. Let
us determinedly refuse to submit to this
wholesale plunder, and then all need for
getting back as much as possible will be
at an end.
~
The Crofters in the north and north
east of Scotland have at last taken up
arms against the landlord class. The
Government has sent an armed force to
"enforce the law" This means to fore
IDLY back up the robbery OF the land
lords. This view of the matter has
been taken by the Crofters; they think
that if tyranny uses force to aid its de-
crees, then force must be used to over
come tyranny. The Crofters have, there
fore, declared their determination to
fight for, or if need be to die for the
land upon which they were born. This
rebellion of the Croftdrs is an armed re-
volt against the landlord class, and !
sincerely wish they may have success.
~ r.
1t NAV be useful to explain the posi-
ton of the Crofters to Americans who
may not fully understand the situation.
The Crofters occupy and cultivate small
crofts, i. g. small farms. Their living is
gained in some places mostly by fishing;
in others by sheep breeding. The rents
of the crofts are so high as often to
4 swallow up all the product OF the land,
and most of the produce from the sea.
Thus, in. Scotland the landlord practi-
calIy owns the ocean as we'll as the land
These Crofters are big, strong men. in
spite of their miserable life. They
have 10 suffer starvation, like the indus
trial laborer, but at least they are not
forced to breath the impure air and live
in the poisonus environments in which
the industrial laborer is born and bred.
Consequently, they have enough manli'
ness to revolt against the tyrauts who
steal the produce of their toll
.A ~
4 1t is worth noticing That the industrial
workers have been so depressed and de-
graded that to them revolt never sug-
gests itself The poor of London are
really much worse off than the Scottish
Crofters, and it is high time that they
| followed the example set them by the