The Labor enquirer., 1886-10-16

1
lerites always kept back something, an
never gave their entire heart to thi
cause. 1t was an attempt to modify es
sentially the principle of private prop
erty, and to change human feeling with
reference to it, while still retaining it
r = \ Again, Fourierism retained
sweeping inequalities, while it con
demned the inequalities of the outside
world. The only successful examples o.
Communism in America have beer
forms of pure Communism in which al
the interests of the members of the body
have been permanently united to the
body"
By the familiar term, organized labor
the trades unions are usually under
stood; but that portion of DIR. Elv's worl
which treats of the growth and present
condition of labor organizations, is, il
brief, the labor history of America, 80
far as it can be told without reference
to Socialism. Organized labor, the au.
thor believes, is labor in its normal con-
dition but for all that, until the capi-
talistic mode reproduction was abolished
American artisans had little need to
combine, and did'not do 30 to any ap-
preciable extent. In the early years of
the last century, the "Caulkers' club"
was power in Boston, but a political
power. "The earliest of labor strike ;"
as the historian McMaster AYERS, took
place in 1902, when the New York
sailors organized for higher wages, par
AIDED, compel led their fellows to leave
the yessels-and were presently
brought up all standing" by the arrest
of their leader under the combination
and conspiracy laws. The New York
Society of Journeymen Shipwrights was
incorporated in the following year and
other isolated association of trades snC-
ceeded it, but these were few in number
previous to 1926 In 1920, two young
Englishmen, George Henry Evans and
Frederick W. Evans (the latter is now
prominent among Mount Lebanon Shak-
ers) landed IN New York City and began
the agitation which proved far reaching
in its effects. "The two brothers pub
llshed the 'Workingman's Advocate
during part of the five years between
1925 and 1880, in New York City, and it
is possible that this was the first appear
anCe Ofa representative of the labor
press in the United States. The Work
ingman's Advocate was succeeded by
the Daily Sentinel and finally by
Young America Their demands,
printed at the head Of Young America
although then radical in the extreme,
were endorsed by 600 papers, and have
in some instances been granted" So
says DR.. Ely. Here are the twelve de :
mahds
l. The right of man to the soil. Vote
yourself farm"
2. Down with monopolies, especially
the United States bank.
3. Freedom of public lands.
I. Homesteads made inalienable.
s. Abolition of all laws for the colleC-
ton of debts
e 4 panaroI no N u rr1 Dt IoU
I. A lien of the laborers upon his own
work for his wages.
s. Abolition of imprisonment for
debt.
9. Equal rights for women with men
in all respects.
10. Abolition of chatteI slavery, and
of wages slavery.
L. Land limitation to 100 acres no
person after the passage of this law to
become possessed of more than that
amount of land. But when land mo-
nopolist died, his heirs were to take each
his legal number of acres, and be COM
PEELED to sell the overptus, using the
proceeds as they please.
u. Mails in the United States to run
on the Sabbath.
The influence of these to young rad lcals
caused the workingmen to assert them
selves everywhere and IN many ways.
The nominee of 'worklDgman's con-
vention" received about 5000 votes for
governor of New York, in 1880. Not
long afterward, the earliest predecessor
of the central labor union-"The Cen
eral Trades Union of the City of New
York"-was organized. The first ma
tlonal union was not permanently
founded until 1852, When the printers
established the International Typograph-
ical Union, at Cincinnati ; but the minds
of men were ready for the new idea, and
'it is stated that twenty-six trades had
national organizations in 1850"
During all these years the struggle for
existence every day intensified, as capi-
talistic pr oduction and monopolistic non
distribution become the rule. The civil
war brought into prominence vast
number of labor problems, and at this
time it first became apparent to very
many American workingmen that these
problems were for them to solve. The
abolition of slavery, as DR.. Ely points
out, had an influence in this direction
for, while it naturally elevated the
minds of those engaged in manual toll, it
at the same time led them and others to
reflect on the condition of free laborers