Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1886-11-16

they evidently thought they would exact
increased pay from their employers, and
this not for themselves, but to support
their Union with its list of salaried and
nou-working members, and TO meet the
continual demands made upon them
for repeated assessments to support
strikes in other parts of the country. Does
any sane man suppose that the members
of an Assembly will pay assessments year
after year out of their earnings to support
the strikes of other workers, without
finally coming 10 the conclusion that they
must do little striking for themselves
for increased pay, in order to get back the
money they have thus paid out, either
from their employers, or. if thrown into
idleness, from other workers whom they
have helped In strikes elsewhere?
This is plain statement OF the tenoen-
CIV. And by this il may be seen not only
why Trades Unions in and OF themselves
promote discomfort among wage earners,
but why the professional agitator has such
an evil influence over working men and
can so easily beguile them into rulnous
and foolish strikes. 1t is this that keeps
up strikes East, West, North and South,
and that continually dislurbs the busi-
ness interests of the whole country, cost
ing laboring men, in the aggregate, millions
upon millions of dollars annually, in loss
of wages anil positive waste IN idleness,
and Gripping business men themselves,
and thus rendering employers less able to
pay reasonable and living wages.
While Trades Unions may have their
uses and NAV under wise control promote
much good, they tend under baG manage
ment and existing conditions to promote
the costly strike; so runious to business,
so injurious to laboring men themselves.
and so demoralizing in every way
to employers and workers, especially
to the latter. And in recent years these
strikes are supplemented in almost every
desperate case by what has become known
as the boycott, which is not only as I'M
American in origin, inpurpOse and IN spirit,
as it is I'M Christian and barbarOus in its
attempted enforcement.
In this case the printers were the aS-
gresSOrs. They demanded increased pay.
This demand came upon the heels OF a
period Of distress in this very city, be-
cause of previous and prolonged strike
| that led to the enforced idleneSs Of many
hundreds of men, and this for an unusu-
ally prolonged period. From this these
newspapers suffered, perhaps, quite as
seriously as any other outside interest IN
Wheeling perhaps more seriously. This
demand came, too, at a time when the
cost of living is actually and considerably
lower than it has been in days gone by.
| 1t was made, too, when the pay OF printers
| in newspaper offices in other cities OF the
same population and importance Of Wheel
ing, Is no more than is paid by
our Wheeling newspapers, and in some
cases the pay is even less than here.
The public should not, and will not, lose
sight of the fact, that these printers de-
manded an increase OF pay and went out
on strike for that, and not because OF q
! threatened reduction Of wages. In this
connection | desire to ask this plain and
| important question: Are employees alone
! to determine the rate Of wages which em-
plOyers must pay them : Are they to de
! termine this in and of themselves in their
| Trades Unions, and then proceed to de-
maud the increase fixed upon, apd II that
increase is not granted, proceed to strike,
and if the strike proves failure as it did
with the printers, then proceed to enforce
these claims by reinforcing the strike
with the boycott, and then proceed to
bull-dOze the whole body of the people
into taking sides, if possible, in what may
be q needless and unjust quarrel, and one
which they themselves without just cause
have provoked? Ifthis is to he the pro-
cess, by which the rate OF wages is to be
determined, we beg any rational man
to ask himself: how long the
business enterprises OF the country will be
able to stand it, and how long there will
he any business left strong enough TO en-
dure the strain Of the burden that will be
thus imposed upon it? If this is the policy
that is 10 govern business in the future,
then look out for dull times, for general
idleness, and for all the evil consequences
that are sure 10 follow in the wake of a
general business depression!
We must not forget that in this case the
striking printers were the aggresSOrS, and
to-day are the only ones who are keeping
up the row. Yet they-Or at least, their
aidcrs and abettOrs--are daily aSSailing
their late employers rs though these were
most inhuman monsters; are making, at
cOmpanied by a professional bOycOtter,
a house to house canvass to lnlure their
business; are trying to array one class OF
our citizens against another class; are To-
menting, or trying to tOment, ILL
feeling between old neighbOrs and
friends; are criminally and wickedly con-
spiring to iniure business establishments
from which they have drawn their living
A. Il, II al
good rs they, and who belong to the same
race, have taken the places they needlessly
deserted, and are honestly employed in
making a living. Nay more they are by their
rashness and folly driven to acts of viO-
lence against little newsboys, against
other printers and against other labOring
men, because they do not sympathize
with them in their act Of supreme and
criminal folly. In one word, they are
trying to embrOil the whole community
an entire city-an extended vicinage-in
disorder and hate and violence because
thirty or forty printers left cases at
which they were earning good wages, and
IN equal number of printers, every whit
rs worthy rs they, have taken their places
and are satisfied with the wages paid them.
The boycott, thus evolved, is not only u
conspiracy to injure business; is not only a
violation of well established and long rec
ognized principles of Jaw; but is blow at
the common good, and against which,
therefore, every good citizen ought to array
himself-in fact in plain terms against
which every good citizen must array him
self, if we are to preserve among Us the least
semblance Of that personal liberty for
which the fathers bled and died, and
which has made this Republic the glory
and pride Of our people for more than u
century.
Whatever may, or may not, be done in
the future to improve the condition OF the
labOring man, it is clear to me that sooner
or later the whole body of the people will
have To arise in their moral might and
strength. and make an end OF this crimi-
nal folly OF BOycottinG. 1t
is in the power of the
people to do it, and they can do it, if
they but will, aud that without invoking
even the aid of the law As the boycott
is impotent and is sure to prove a boom