The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1884-03-06
THE PRINTERS, UNION.


produce permanent and lasting good
must be properly based; and they are
so based only when their principles
are deeply grounded in the eternal
principles of immUtable justice. A
only for selfish purposes
Is hot properly based; while it claims
advantages it must also be willing to
confer them. A union at war with
every other interest, but more especi.
ally with those upon which it Is oper-
ating, can never succeed. For in
stance, the true interests of printers
and publishers are identical. Then a
printers union for the sole purpose of
warning upon publishers is not only
wrong in principle but wrong in
policy. A printer who is sober, in
dustrious and economical, who re-
ceives 40 cents per thousand ems is in
a way to make more money than
many publishers who have large
investments, who have grave respon-
sibilities, who work night and
day, and who get, as rule, far more
kicks and cuffs than pennies and COM
mendations. This is an unfair divis-
ion. And when the union calls upon
the people to boycott ard prosecute
publishers for such rurpos's $, they not
only defeat their own purposes, but
they injure the ,mmunity in which
they live. A trade union which con-
templates injuring publishers who
serve the people, and the public as well,
cannot claim or expect sympathy and
support only upon the theory that
those they address are ignorant and
dishonest. Take the history of print
ing operations in this state, and how
many instances does it furnish of sue
cess obtained by publishers. On the
contrary, its history is crowded to the
full with the record of their failure,
and the pernicious printers union is
chargeble with it to far greater de-
gree than any, or all, other causes
combined. There is not, nor can there
be, doubt of this truth.
The Galveston News is one
among the few exceptions. 1t has
made a success of its operations. and
it Is not our purpose to inquire into
its modes. Its revenues are sufficient
to enable it to keep composition VI
to As cents, and it does it not for the
benefit of the printer, but that the
unhealthy rate will obtain in smaller
towns, and prevent Austin and other
cities of its class from building uI
good newspapers, which would ulti'
mately cut into its circulation, bust
ness and revenues. Thus it is that the
printers nnion of Austin joins
the News in foistiDg upon the
people a monopoly hurtful
alike to the local press
and the people of the city. In this
way trades unions are very bad things
A trades union which has for its OBJ
jects the elevation of labor, the COM
fort, intelligence and well being NOR
ally of its members, is vast engine
for good; but when it places itself
in the pathway of every other good
interest, it is bad, and the people will
never endorse it.
To illustrate: THE STATESMAN is a
better paper to-day than it ever was,
or ever could have been, under union
domination. Instead of commencing
it for this Improvement, as other good
cit ;zens do, its members are placing
every obstruction they possibly can in
its way. They offer to bride our men
to abandon their work. They offer
only offer, mind you-to pay.the men
to leave town. They endeavor in
every. wayb by bull-dozing, and by
cajolery, to induce them to stop. Even
the little carrief boys, innocent little
fellows, who are not capable of judy
ing between the publishers and this
wicked union, are tempered with. Are
the members of the union, in this sort
of thing, underwriting to serve the
people of AustinN unselhshly Are
they not trying to cripple, destroy and
obstruct one of the most important
of the city? Is this patri-
oticp Is it the work of good, law
abiding 1S,f1l patriotic citizens? We
trow moi. Why do they do it? Sim
ply because we cannot afford and
will not pay forty-five cents for
work that we can have-are having
done equally as well, aye, better, for
371s cents. Are the members of this
union so blind, so reliant upon the
supposed ignorance and unfairness of
the people as to expect them to under
write such conduct as this?
THE STATESMAN made this fight on
principle, as we indicate above, and it
has won, and grandly won it. The
backbone of wicked, unjust and
harmful combination is broken, and
we deserve and will, we doubt not, re-
ceive the commentator of every hon.
est, fair-minded' man who honestly
into the principles unde rly-
ing our action. We refuse to accept
failure and financial ruin that the
union may have it all their own way.
We do not propose to interfere with
them in any way, and we are only de-
termined that they shall not
interfere with US. They an
control every other Office
in the city, if they like, and put the
price up to ninety-five cents. if they
will We shall not interfere. We
shall not place a straw in their way,
but we do say they cannot do it in the
Office. We are masters
of the situation, and ask nothing
from either their personal friendship
or business patronage. We are inde-
pendent of them now, and propose so
to remain in the future.
We write thus much in Difference to
the people who probably do not I'M
derstand clearly the principles in
volved in the matter. We have not
done it before or while the struggle
was pending because we did not want
to influence the fair verdict we felt
confident they would make. and be-
cause it was not necessary as means
to our winning the fight. That is won
now. as we said before. but we
want the good people OF Austin,
to know the grounds upon which