Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1886-08-01

logical attack upon the boycott, and
will, no doubt, if that gentleman is
an independent thinker;
"7he century, for June cdtorially con
cedes the legality of what il is pleased to
style "dreCt boycotting" and admits that
it cannot be suppressed by law, IN free
country, but asserts that laws should he
passed to prohibit indirect bOycotting,
"The editor illustrates the distinction
substantially as follows: If a particular
make or brand of stoves be hOyCOtted,
the people have Il perfect right to refrain
from purchasing such stoves, whether
their reason for doing 50 be good or bad,
and this he calls direct boycotting; but
he says, if the people boycott dealer for
selling those stoves, this is indirect boy
cotting and ought to he suppressed. The
fallacy Of this position must appear at a
glance. A is Il manufacturer, and h Il
dcalerin manufactured articles. Accord
ing to the CcrttiuYS logic, the people may
boycott As factory and its products
wherever found. but have no right to
boycott BIS store except by refusing to
buy A'smanuiactures there. This would
make the rights Of b superior to those Of
A, under the law, and assumes that h
has "A better right to patronage than A
ton il a matter Of business, and must
ultimately he settled, not by legal coer-
clon, but upon business principles. If \
and b want patronage they must SO con
duct their business rs to suit their Gus
toners.
at is silly for men to offend or oppose
the interests of their customers, and then
appeal othc law to protect them from
loss of patronage,
"Dr. Hammond, in the ForUm for June,
takes substantially this view Of the mat
ter, and, while bitterly dcnounCing the
laborcrs boycott admits that it cannot
he suppressed by law, and recommends a
| counter-boycott, which will strike the
purses Of the poor, as the only remedy.
The philantllropic old man iorgcts that
| capital has ever maintained a mrrCenary
| ami relentless boycott against the labor
ing classics, a boycott that has secured
| the paupcr labor markets Of the world lof
| material with which to crush the Amer
| can Iaborer; IA boycott that has hlighted
millions of happy homes; that has driven
millions of the wives and children of me.
| chanics and laborers through the pawn
! shops to beggary; that has filled the high
| ways with tramls, the streets with har-
| lots, and the prisons with the victims Of
| poverty.
"Thc lahorers' boycott is in fact, the
| very countcr-boycott which the gentle
surgeon recommends, and it has come
none too soon for the country salvation.
| II can afford, at best, but a temporary
relief from the evils that already bear SO
heavily upon the masses Of our people,
but its training will be valuable; it will
serve to give the people n more enlight-
ened view Of their rights, and make them
tirmer in maintaining them.
"Mr, Enos closing cry Is: Let us have
peace This is ever the cry Of him who
| has more than his due. But peace pre-.
| supposes justice, and the enlightened mul
titude reply: Give us justice, sir, and
you may then have peace
After all, the fact of the matter is
that those who oppose boycottlnl
per- sc do it only from class Interest
or ignorant prejudice. There AT
many disagrccabIc duties in life, bu
they must be done to make life wortl
living. Boycotting may come UNI
der this category, but we are Of tn,
opinion that it may sometime be ap
piled only to those whom society Il
Il whole, condemns; but then, socic
ty must first become much NOR
civilized