Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1886-08-01
THE RATS STATUS.
THE NON-UNIONIST'S POSI-
TON DEFINED.
Formation Of the International Typo.
graphical Union Breaking Il
Promise-BoycOtt Rats!
The Rats Must Co!
Bad Company.

1t IS to be presumed that most
working people have fair idea of
the status of the rat or scab, tech
nically so-called; yet there may be
some who would be glad of Il little
light upon the subject of ratism; in
deed, we have often been asked to
explain the reason why union men
look with such contempt upon these,
let us hope, abnormal specimens of
humanity.
Let us take for example, the rat
printer; for, what applies to him, or
it, may be understood to apply to
the scab, knobstick, plug, or by what
ever name the honorable workmen
IN their respective crafts may denom-
mate the dishonorable traitors among
them.
Away back in Forty nine, a num-
ber of New York printers, some of
whom are still living, thought it
would be to their interest as well as
to that Of their employers to form a
Union, and several preliminary
meetings having been held, perma-
nent organization was effected in
January, 1850, and called the New
York Printers Union"
Horace Greeley was first president
OF the Union, and his memory is
held in reverence by ali union men
In 1882 the National Typographi-
cal Union was formed, and in 1869,
the Canadian Unions having been
admitted to fellowship, the name
was changed to the International
Typographical Union, which name
it now bears, and under its banner
twenty thousand union men and
women honor the ancient craft to-
day.
When the young printer joins the
union he solemnly promises to obey
its laws and to demand the scale Of
prices fixed by vote of its members.
Surely this should be promise easy
of fultillment. The competition
among proprletors, or their greed for
gain, prompts them to exact as much
work for as little pay as possible,and
the scale Of prices adopted by the
Union is intended to protect the la
borer against the degrading and i'm
poverishing effects of reckless com
petition and grasping greed. 1t
costs labor and thought and money
to conduct union, and one would
think that all who earn their living
by working for wages would deem il
duty to support such an organiza-
tion. Unfortunately, such is not
the case; though it would be unjust
to say that all who are not members
of the union are dishonorable, for
there are many who never had an
opportunity to know OF the workings
OF il union.
But then, there are some who,
having taken upon themselves an
obligation to do all honorable act, and
having gained the confidence of their
brother members, basely betray the
trust, and for the sake of apparent
gain, always deceptive, take sides
with the proft-mongering bosses
against their struggling brothers
These creatures, devoid of honor or
truth, are termed rats, in printers
parlance.
Can honorable men be censured
for displaying certain disgust and
loathing for such creatures. Is
there a RaE or woilan with sense
of honor that can contemplate the
rat with anything but contempt?
And what shall we say of the en-
ployers who hire these people to the
detriment of honest labor, and even
import them into this city to take
the place of union men for the sake
of a slight reduction in the price of
labor. The merchants who adyer-
tise in "rat sheets" are not consery-
ing their own interests, for it is