Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1886-06-25

Jersey Legislature imposed a tax of ego
a month. Loud now were the outcries of
the Yankee merchants. The Connecticut
Legislature, if it heard. took no action.
But the business men of New London.
whence most of the boats went out. were
none the less greatly incensed. They
had weapon at their command with
which they would strike back, and they
believed that its blow would be felt
! \ "bOycOtt" was declared a league
was formed and paper was passed about
which bound the SignerS. their wives
| their daughters and their hired men to
| send into New York neither eggs nor
bacon, nor fircwood, nor anything what
soever, and not to purchase from New
York their calicoes and muslins. their
threads and needles. their silks and rib
bons. nor to furnish to any craft bound
to the offending State any sort of lading
for one year from the Goth of July. l7S7.
The agreement was faithfully kept. but
before the year specified in the agreement
had passed ten States ratified the Consti-
tuition and New York was forever de-
prived of the power to tax her neighbors.
Years passed and there arose class of
people known as Abolitionsts. The
merchants of the Southern States kept
list of these people and "boycotted"
them as vigorously and persistently as
they were able, and it was not until the
reply of Henry G.. Bowen, ~ sell my
goods, not my principles, became the
creed of the North that this mercantile
boycott was raised
After the war came the period of re-
construction, with its black Legislatures
and white leagues arrayed in deadly hos
tility. The white leagues conquered; the
black Legislatures vanished. But it was
not the tcrrors of the white leagues that
drove the men known as carpet baggers
from the South. 1t was the ptiess So
cial ostracsnl-or boycotting-to which
their families were subjected.
Our Jewish citizens have demonstrated
the power of boycotting when supported
by rightful principle. An acciden-
tai millionaire believed himself strong
enough to insult their race. He refused
them admission to his hotel The He
brewS declared boycott and flung him
from his palace-store and drove him out
of the great business he had inherited.
BOycotting is sometimes wiSe-often-
err foolish-policy but, wise or other
wise. it Is not "ull-American.'
Then follow two very foolish letters
one from United States Senator Warner
Miller of New York and the other from
United States senator Henry l.. Dawes
of Massachusetts. But though Mr.
Miller knows nothing about the boycott.
the subject ON which he processes to
write, the last paragraph of his letter
deals with the eight-hour principle, and
on this he seems to have some ideas. He
says:
The relations between capital and
labor cannot be adjusted or regulated by
/. law or by force. They are pure mat
ter of business and are regulated by
commercial condition. The manufacturing
Industries of this country have not made
any money for at least two years. and
: are simply kept up in order to hold the
markets and give employment to labor.
The demand for reduction of the hours
of work cannot, therefore. succeed. be-
cause the conditions of the business will
not permit of it. The employer cannot
! afford to Increase the cost of production
10y leS>cning the hours of labor. If it i,
insisted upon. one of two results must
follow. Either wages must be reduced
or the market price of products must be
increased. and whichever way it goes
the men who are engaged in the move
mcnt must suffer. They must submit t,
= Il reduction of their income, or pav NOR,
for what they buy. and if prices are in
creased foreign compctition will come i'm
believe in the riyht-hour rule. IN
nearly every form of labor it will be an
. advantage. and il i, sure to bcconc cen
eral in time. but if cannot he brought
about bv force. IT must come naturally
= and under conditions that will permit OF
it, adoption without iniurv TO the capital.
lists or the workingmcn. The hour, of
/. labor in this country have been gradually
reduced from fourteen TO ten 6v the in
PRODUCTION of labor-saviup machinery.
, which has made if possible for one man
to accomplish rs much in ten hours as n
, whole family used to accomplish in four,
teen. The hour, of labor have NOT only
been reduced 30 l-} per cent bur the COM
, fort and welfare of the people has been
increased 800 per cent. / believe that the
. limit of labor can and will be reduced
still more. bur il cannot he done AGAINST
absolute conditions. and the use of force
is futile"
Tben comes tba fo,lou.;,o oh,o Io..or