The Labor enquirer., 1886-07-10
The BARBER.
He Discusses the Labor Cues
ton From His Trade
Standpoint.
Does Not Believe the Sunday
Closing Movement of Much
Benefit.
BARRIERS Should Remember That the
True Solution Of the Labor
Problem is Federation.

\
, In common with other wage workers
the BARRIERS are of late waking up from
their slumbers. The appeal of the bar
bers to the dear public of Denver. (pub-
. lished in your valuable paper of May %
last asking and begging for day o.
rest, will, think, admit of argument.
While l favor cl sing on Sunday, l ques'
ton the practical benefit, both from g
financial and labor standpoint.
BARRIERS are compelled to play second
fiddle to the great pu lie, and an expe
rience of twenty-five wears goes to show
that closing all day On Sunday will cause
a loss of one eighth of the total receipts
of each barber shop. From a labor
standpoint It's better to reduce the
hours of labor on Saturday and all week
days, and agltate politically to secure a
law closing all shops at u o'clock on
Sundays-such law is in practice in
California-and to introduce the Cali
fornia rule of giving one. half day each
week or full day every two weeks to
journeymen, as recompense for Sun l.
day, and with no loss in wages.
The barber's profession has many
drawbacks. He works an average of
fourteen hours day, generally in
poorly ventilated rooms, the atmosphere
filled with tobacco smoke, and often in
haling the poisonous breath of diseased
persons the cha racter of the work tries
mans temper when old age creeps
desirable as a journeYMan, his eyes re
| fuse to do service, and his nerves be-
come unsteady.
BARRIERS should remember that their
hours of labor are enforced by the
hours of their patrons; and when the
hours of wage workers in general are re-
duced, BARRIERS will be enabled to reduce
their hours correspondingly.-nor will
any trade regulation, boycott system or
begging "the dear public" be of perma-
nent benefit. These temporary fits of
reform have been tried by US in Califor-
nia-whch state was at one time the
paradise Of BARRIERS. Organization is the
first step, and should. include EMPLOYERS
and employees. The practice of separate
unions is ridiculous; since both have An
interest in common monopoly is out OF
the question.
The competitive system is what must
give place to Cooperation.
The BARRIERS Protective union of Cali
fornia, although small in numbers, is the
best organized body in America and
does more good in proportion to its size
than any trades union existing. 1t has
membership of 143 members; a sick
fund of $4,000; pays $40 sick benefit
weekly; on the death of member a
81 assessment covers funeral expenses
(which, if the $500 BARRIERS IN Califor-
MIA sll belonged to the union would be
e1ual to the life insurance of the A. o.
L. W.; it furnishes employment free to
all BARRIERS assists them to reach every
part of the Pacific states; furnishes in
formation free as to all business chances
prices of work aud wages. The initia
ton fee is S. Its members are divided
into two classes active and associate
members. The latter paw 25 cents
monthly dues; the former 81. The
union had influence enough in 1880 t.
pass a Sunday law closing all shops at |.
M: making it fine of $50 for viola
ton of the law. This should be done By
our Colorado brothers. The creates
triumph achieved by the union was the
abolishing of the ballot box. OuI
candidates are elected by ayes and naye
and claim that all labor organizations
should adopt this democratic rule. The
black balls are standing menace to th'
unity of wage workers.
Our union, fnuing it impossible to in
crease our memb yrship despite the bene
ftsour union offers s-organizet Jefferson
assembly, K. of l.; beginning with Is;
members for starter. 1t matters no
whether BARRIERS belong to the union O.
to the X. of L. so long as they are organ
lied. Isolated unions are out of date
We require, in common with all wag
workers, a chain of organizations frol
the Atlantic to the Pacific, to inform u
collectively on the condition of trade
to protect us collectively Gn the Lattl
Il for bread from starvation rates of wage
and work. When recently rates of far
were down from east to west hundred
of BARRIERS landed in Frisco and ofere
to work at any rate of wages. Had the
. known tnat there was no demand fc
workers, they would have stayed {
home or gone to some place where ther
were reasonable prospects of earning
+ decent living.
Again, BARRIERS, until lately, have onl
8 studied the labor question from
/ crooked standpoint. Some imagine
l. that all they had to do was to wor
y cheap in order to have prosperous bus
y ness. THIS error ls making room fl
more practical ideas. Capital Is teacl
- ing US a bitter lesson. BARRIERS, In az
% vocating the cause of labor, will ad
great strength to our forces When