The Labor enquirer., 1884-10-25
TO STRIKERS.
An Address Issued by the San
Francisco Central Conn
mittee |. w. A.
There are Depths to the Social and
Industrial Question You
Must Tathom.
TO STRIKERS.

To workmen on strike, or those who ar
about to strike for more pay or shorte
| hours, or to workmen rho feel discontentel
with their present situation and who wisl
to better it:
FRIENDS AND COMRADES:
We have word or so to say to you
and we premise it by announcing our
selves as your friends and rendering tt
you our aid in any struggle you may un
dertake to better your condition. Bu
being real friends we deem it our duty
in thus rendering cur assistance to point
out to you what course of action is mos
liable TO be of actual benefit to you, anG
to warn you against such attempts as
from the very nature of things musi
prove futile, having no other effect than
disappointment arising from wasted eff
fort and energy. But first let us an
nounce to you why we are, your friends
and give the reason why we offer to you
our aid. We are workingmenand women
who having tried over and over again
the various courses of action which you
are about to enter upon, have profited by
the hitter experience they have brought
and we would warn you that you may
be saved the trial and trouble that we
have undergone. We offer you our aid
because We have gone deep enough. into
the labor question to realize that without
unity and fraternity among the workers
themselves not even the smallest thing
can be done. We in thus offering our
aid fulfill our duty to- you, brothers, and
we thus stretch out to you the hand Of
fellowship, pledging our simple words
and faith that our feelings shall not
change in peace or war, in strike or on
the barricade.
You are either striking for higher
wages, let us say, or about so to strike.
If in your minds this strike is but TO ac-
complish your point of an advance of
wages, then your attempt is futile, use
less, and you had better remain as you
are you will be better off IN the end,
having saved both time and money.
But If on the contrary you design this
strike as a step toward a final and def
mite solution of the great labor question,
if you would makeit the means of teach
ing the worker the absolute necessity of
combination and of unity, if having Sc
cured the adoption of Solidarity you will
build upon this superstructure Of Edu-
cation, if you will learn why you are
poor and what is the scientific remedy
for that poverty-if your strike Is step
ping stone to all this, then we are with
you heart and hand! Then, brothers,
our arms, our brains, our purses, our
labor night and day is yours, subj ct to
your demand!
But to return, If, as is more probable,
you only see Tor think you see) in front
of you only small advance in wages, a
small hetterment of your own condition,
a little personal advantage arising from
the strike, then we feel that it is duty
that we owe to our class and to you to
show you in plain words that you are
pursuing phantom, that even the sue
cess you desire (even if your demands
be granted) cannot be obtained, that you
are blindly beating with bare hands
against granite wall, and that the only
result of your struggle will be to infiict
upon yourself greater misery and more
terrible degradation.
Suppose you are an iron molder, re-
ceivlng. when working, So per day. You
are threatened with reduction of wages
or you desire better pay. Suppose that
in your foundry there are 100 other mol
ders who will join you in the strike
without exception. You make your de
mand. 1t is refused. The employer Ii
compelled to refuse it because he is com
peting with other iron foundries in the
same city who produce cheaper because
they pay their slaves less. Producing
cheaper they control the market, anC
your employer has to cut your wages
down to their level or stop work. If he
granted your demand and set you tt
work the product of the foundry would
find no market, and he would be bank
rupted and you would be thrown on th'
streets. But let us 60 farther. Let us ad
NIT (which Is hardly possible) not onl!
that every foundry in this city, in thi
state, in the whole country join witt
you, that every man is union man"
that there are no "scabs," that ever!
molder will insist upon receiving IS
day or will refuse to work. What thel
would be the result in the end? For
short time we admit there could be seel
a great benefit in your condition. Blu
soon the employers would become un
easy, the public would demand cheape
goods. New competitors would start ~
with cheap apprentices to compete wit
you. Then your employers would CON
bine and give you the choice, universe
stoppage of work or universal reductio
of wages. Either this or the new firm
would compete yours out of the marke
To aid these new firms new and effectiv
machinery would be invented and eve
child labor would be employed. So lon
as this system of competition last
where every workers hand is again'
4 the throat of every other toiler, Just