Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-03-27

1t was not my purpose to leave the
impression on the minds OF your read
ers that all Of the lawyers and doctors
in this city were opposed to labor or
CARNATIONS and the means they used to
redress their wrongs. TIC the contrary.
we have some good, warm friends
among the members Of both profess
sions, but it is q well.known fact that
some of the bitterest and most unc ON
promising enemies we have TO deal with
are Of this class, and it was to their in
consistency / wished to call attention.
lam glad, however, to learn that they are
not opposed to workingmen receiving
good wages, and hope whenever a con-
test arises between an employer and his
employees in which the question Of
fair wages or low wages is involved
they will make good the assertion Of
J." a.. Be" by arraying themselves
on the side Of the employees instead Of
the employer.
"a. b. c." says that mistake the
meaning of the word boycott"
The word as applied by organized labor
means the withdrawal Of patronage
from some Objectionable person or firm
and their customers To fully explain
my understanding of the word | will
give an illustration Of a labor boycott
Suppose that OF the twenty-three
printing establishments in this city
twenty-five should agree to pay the
scale Of prices Of the Typographical
Union and to abide by its rules and
regulations for the government Of
union offices, but Brown, the proprie-
tor of the twenty-third establish
ment, seeing a fine opportunity to
make money at the expense Of
those who are willing to pay their en-
ployees fair wages, refuses to enter into
said agreement. The printers recog-
nize the fact that it will be utterly i'm
possible for the proprietors OF the union
offices to compete with Brown, and
that either Brown must be forced into
this agreement or they will be forced
to come down to the prices paid by
Brown and conform to his rules and
regulations. They endeavor to con-
vince Brown of the injustice he is doing
them and persuade him to place
himself on an equal footing with
the other employing printers, but
Brown is determined to take
this unfair advantage of the pro-
prietors of union Offices, and all they
can do then is to make it Improbable
for Brown to take this stand against
fair labor. To accomplish this it is
necessary to use the only weapon the
workiDgmen have to protect them
selves-the " boycott and to make it
thoroughly elIectual it is not only ne
cessary to apply it to Brown, but also
to his customers. They do not say
that Jones shall not patronlze Brown,
but they do say that if Jones will per-
sist in patronizing Brown they will not
patronize Jones, and certainly they
have as much right to say they will no:
patronize Jones as Jones has to say he
will patronize Brown. 1t is entirely
optional with Jones to say whether it is
more profitable for him to patronize
Brown and lose the patronage Of the
workingmen or to withdraw his patron
age from Brown and hold the working
mems patronage.
To reduce the matter to a simple
business proposition the question for
Jones to consider is this Is my
patronage Of Brown worth more to me
than is the custom the workinglnen?"
This is the main question pure and SIM
pie, and the only one that every bust
ness.man has to consider when con-
fronted by the "terrible" and tout
rageous " boycott.
Organized labor in this city numbers
about twelve acknowledgement on
the grand principle that ian injury to
one is the concern Of all''-and will
any sane man contend for a moment
that these twelve thousand men should
stand by and see the wages of l25 of
their number reduced by the obstinacy
and selfishness OF one man or firm
when they have it in their power to
prevent it by the use of their patron
age? Does justice or reason demand
such a sacrifice at their hands: And
how can any one have the heart to
blame them if they use their patronage
in every way possible to make it effect.
i've?
This is my understanding Of the boy
colt as applied by organized labor, and
if | were to undertake to describe the
manner in which it is applied by various
other classes | would leave but little
room in your paper for anything else.
In fact, boycotting is no new thing; it
has existed in one form or another from
time immemorial, and the man who has
not at some time during his life boy
cotted some one for a real or imaginary
injury is curiosity worthy Of place
in Barnum's Great Show.
EXCELSIOR.