The Labor enquirer., 1884-01-19
SHUTDOWN TRICK. / I
Greed's Means and Ways of
Making and Keeping
Slaves.
The Shut Down and Cut Down
Trick, Enforced by Shut
Up Threats.

Wage Laborers are Servants and
Subjects in Law and
Practice.
In looking over industrial reports from
various parts of the country there seems
to be widespread shutting down. Of
production. Thousands of workingmen
are already out Of employment, and the
condition contingent upon the shut down
is generally that upon the resumption Of
operations heavy cut down of wages is
to be exacted. In many instances the
proposed cut down was announced in
advance, in order to induce the opera
tives to strike and thus create pretext
for the shut down. Between cut down
and shut down, the upper and lower
millstones of capitalistic tyranny, labor
is now being ground into submission.
lately asked manufacturer why he
proposed to shut down, and he politely
and goodnaturedly invited me to mind
my own business by telling me that if I
would shut up.he would vouchsafe to tell
me why he proposed to shut down. /
have not got quite ready yet to shut up
on these great questions of justice and
equity, and until there is general shut
down on ink, paper and personal liberty
/ propose to keep hammering away upon
the hard heads and harder consciences
of tyrants both great and small. Oh,
what a glorious day 1T will be for the
devils; own, dear workingmen, when
these great bosses can not only make
everybody shut down but also make
evey ybody shut up. But let us look into
shut down business little.
The whole fact of the matter is that
while we are politically republic we
are industriously an absolute monarchy.
"Vive la Republique p shouts the French
workingman on his way to the Lyons
silk factory, but the moment he enters
the door of the workshop he enters an
absolute monarchy as despotic as that
welded by Louis XIV. The American
workingman is no better off. He shouts
and filings his hat high in the air at some
mention of "our glorious institutions" on
the public rostrum, but the next morning
when he closes the door of an American
factory behind him he leaves "this glo-
rious republic outside and does not see
it again till he goes home from his. day Of
toll to find the next months rent bill on
the table ~. s
So long as these great industrial bosses
Gown" and control the land, the cur
rency, and the prime instruments of
wealth, of course they can shut down
whenever suits their despotic purposes,
and all they need have say to you or
me who protests is to shut up. Of course
we do not propose to shut up, but we
might as we'll shut up if we fail to see
and attack the omnipotent point wherein
they are made boss Of the situation. If
I had stood on no higher plane in the
labor question than some Of these poor
trades union fellows who are so Mortified
at "communistic ideas" and simply ask
for "a fair days pay for fair days work"
the manufacturer above mentioned would
have had too great a contempt for me to
want me to shut up. The reason why he
wanted me to shut up and why he would
shut me up by force if he had the power
is because he knows that know the
secret of lis power to persecute working
people, and am constantly airing that
secret before the victims -am trying to
cut loose the main string that, keeps the
cat in the bag. IL is on this same princi-
pie that Gladstone is playing with might
and main the shut-up game on the Irish
World in Great Britain. The most
savage, anarchistic, atheistic, nihilistic
and revolutionary papers have free circu-
lation, while the British Empire lays
siege to this journal with zeal almost
akin to desperation. Why? Simply
because in the providence of things it
has come to publish to the poor tenants
of Ireland the real meat upon which
Landlordism feeds and to ask the victims
to take that meat out of the monsters
grip. The mere circulation of this saving
idea among the rent-paying slaves OF
Ireland carries greater terror in itseli
than whole army of shifting parliamen.
tarians or regiments of soldiery. Hence
the Irish World must be shut out in
order to be shut up, else landlordism
would sooner or later be doomed as with
a thunderbolt. +
But the manufacturers maintain that
they are compelled to shut down for 8
time about the beginning of the new
year, in order to take account of stock
and see where they stand. This may al
be true, but, my workingman friend, dc
NOT forget that the manufacturers opera
tives are the most important part of tina
stock which he proposes TO take an &C
count Of The great employing bosses
will know better swhere they stand
after hunger has worked upon the stom
achs of their employees for few weeks
In many cases they will undoubtedl.
stand SO well that the 10 per cent cut
| lawn Will s1nnlament the shutednHn q,