Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1886-04-29
THE FUTURE OF LABOR.
rv. rowderly in the North American Revie,
for May.

T.v Povderly in the North American Review
| for May.
The prospect for the ntnre of the lahorng
man in America is brighter to day than Il
| ever was, notwithstanding the seemingly
" strained relations " at present existing be-
| tween employer and employe.
That we are passing through an epidemic
| Of strikes, lockouts and hoycotts IL true, but
the fact must not be lost sight of that were il
| not for the growing power Of organization
| we should have great many more strikes To
| content with than We have had for the first
| three months or the present year.
| The growth OF organization for the past ten
| years has been steady and healthy. 1t is
| only where organization is in its infancy that
| serious troubles such as strikes and lockouts
| exist The causes from which strikes and
lockouts spring are to be found in all parts of
the country, but the methods Of dealing with
the troubles "a they arise are different In
| places where no organizations of labor exist
| or where the seeds of organization have Just
| been planted, disputing parties are apt to De.
| come involved in strikes. The reasons ad-
vancod in support OF that proposition are rs
| follows: Until recently very few working.
men cared to express their oplonlnn IN public
| on the subject of labor, for the reason'that
| they were almost certain Of an Immediate
| dismissal from the services Ot the man
| or company they worked for. il it became
| known that they in any way favored
| the association Of the workingmen for
mutual protection. With such senii-
ment existing in the breasts of work
ingmen thev could not be expected to feel
very kindly toward the employer who so
| jealously watched their every movement and
| who by his actions, made them feel that they
| were regarded rather as sertS than treemen.
| While.the real bone and sinew of the land
remained in enforced silence, except where
it could lie heard through the medium of the
press and rostrum through chosen leaders,
another class of men who seldom worked
| would insist on representing labor aud in
making glowing speeches on the rights and
wrongs OF man would urge the abolition of
| property" or the "equal division otwealth";
such speakers very often suggesting that n
| good thing to do would he to chang capitalists
to lamp posts" The employer OF labor who
| listened to such speeches telt that in sup
| pressing organization among his wOrkmeu he
was performing laudshle act. Yet he was
| by that means proving himself to be the most
| powerful ally the anarchist could wish for
He caused his employees To feel that he took
no interest in them other than to get as many
= hours of toll out of them for as few shill.
> | ings as possible, The consequence was
that the employer, who was him
> self responsible for the smOthering OF
= | the honest expression of opinion on
| the part Of labor, became possessed ofthe idea
| that the raw head and bloody bones Gu rbstone
l orator was the real representative of labor
! and determined to exercise more vigilance
| "help" out OF the labor society. The speaker
| who hinted at or advocated the destruction
| OF property or the hanging of capitalists to
| lamp-pOsts was shrewd enough 10 speak very
{ | kindly, and in a knowing manner, of labor
| associations, giving out the impression that
he held membership in one or more of them.
| WOrkingmen who were denied the right to
5 organize very frequently went to hear Mr.
2 | Scientific lecture on the best means of
, | handling dynamite. And when the speaker
| portrayed the wrongs of labor, the thought
ul workman could readily trace a resem-
| blance between the employer painted by the
lecturer and the man he himself worked for.
| Workmen employed by those who frowned
Z | on labor organizations became sullcn and
= morose ; they saw in every action OF the
superintendent another innovation on their
; rights, and they finally determined
to throw off the yoke of oppres-
! sion, organize and assert their man
hood. The actions of the superintendent, or
boss, very often tended to widen the breach
between employer and emplnve. When the
organization did come il found bitter feel
ing existing on both sides, and before study
ing the laws OF the society they joined, or be-
coming conversant with its rules or regula.
I | tiOns regarding the settlement of disputes or
grievances, the wOrkmen determined TO wipe
9 | out OF existence the whole system of petty ty.
p | rannes that had been practiced on them for
years. Not being drilled in organization and
feeling that the employer would not treat
T | with them, the only remedy suggesting itself
was the strike. And, on the other hand, the
employer, who felt that every move OF his
workmen in organization would be directed
| against his interests, determined to take time
, | by the fOrelOck and turn them out on the
street. Thus We find the organization in its
| infancy face to face with a strike or lockout.
This condition affairs existed in a great
many places throughout the United States in
, the beginning OF the present year. Absorbed
in the task OF getting large dividends, the
employer seldom inquired of his superin-
| tenuent how he managed the business in
| fru N K ar l, traa tni ha
| employees. In thousands of places through
out the United States az many superintend-
| ents, foreman or petty bosses are Interested
in stores, corner groceries or saloons. In
many places the employe is told plainly that
he must deal at the store, or get his liquor
from the saloon in which his boss has an in
terest in others he is given TO understand
| that he must deal in these stores or saloons,
or forfeit his situation. Laws have been
| passed in some states against the keeping of
company stores, but the stores are kept never
theless, and workmen are made to feel that
| they must pstronize them.
In many cases the owners of mills, factor
les or mines are not aware OF the existence of
such institutions as the "pluck me"-the
| name applied to the company stOre-but they
stand so lar away from their employees that
| they cannot hear the murmur of complaint
| aud If whisper OF il ever does reach their
| ears 1t comes through the boss who is not
| only Interested in the store, but in keeping
its existence a secret from his employer
of injustice to workmen, for their existence
tends 10 widen the breach between employer
and employe 1t may seem that / am deal
| ing with insignificant things in this paper,
| but when the statement il made that seven
| out of every ten superintendents or bosses are
| interested in the management, and derive
| profit from the operation of stores which en-
| ployes are forced to patronize, | make All
| assertion which can be proved. la coun-
| try where every man, no matter how hum
BILE, is taught from his infancy that he stands
the equal OF all other men, II il but natural
for citizen who is given to understand that
he must patronize certain store, or that he
cannot join certain society, To feel restive
and, where so much il promised and so little
obtained, men are apt TO lose faith IN a law
making system which obliges the work man
himself to become complainant and prosecu-
tor in cases where the laws are violated TO
his detriment If he prosecutes he is dis
charged. If he does not prosecute for infrac-
tons OF law but simply complains, he is told
TO invoke The ma iesty of the law in his own
behalf In this way law is disregarded il
becomes dead letter men lose hope in law
and w-makers.
The constant itching and irritation caused
by the indifference of the employer TO their
welfare, and the injustice practiced on them
by petty bosses, go on until the men feel that
the only remedy is through the strike. In
this way men who belong to no organization
are launched into strikes
| Workingmen, as rule, are not educated
l hA trfl IL