Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1888-03-31
BOYCOTT NOT DEAD.
BOTH CAPITALISTS AND Ia
BORERS PRACTICE IT.
Capitalist Courts Decide Against Boy
cotting by WOrkmen-Work.
mems Courts Recommend
itLabOr's Weapon
of Defense.

No, Boycott is not dead, the weak
decisions of capitalist courts not
withstanding. Nor would those de-
cisons have had even the little effect
they did have, were there deal less
superstitious veneration for old fogy-
ism among the wage-slaves.
The Cigarmakers' International
Union has been on the field for many
years with plan for boycotting scab
cigar manufacturers by means of the
blue label, and it has had a beneficial
effect for union men. As in all boy
colts declared by labor organizations
the object is not to injure the busi-
ness of anyone, but to better the con-
dition of the members of the organi-
cations.
When the union bakers in New
York requested their fellow citizens
not to purchase bread made by nom
union men, they did it for the pur
pose of giving better chances for en-
ployment of union men, and if the
business of anyone suffered it was
merely incidental. Nevertheless,
Judge Barrett sentenced several
union men to imprisonment for So
liciting the public to boycott scab
products, because it was held that
they had no right to injurc the bus
mess Of anyone. -
Another celebrated case Of capital
ist injustice which gained almost ma
tional notoriety was that of the pros
ecution by lawyers hired by the State
of Connecticut of several members
of Typographical Union, No. AZ, of
New Haven, for the alleged crime Of
conspiracy. The Union had dis
pute with the publishers of fourth
class daily newspaper, the Journal
anil Courier and, as alleged, issued
circulars in which the facts of the
case were Sc. forth, and which
showed that the employment of rats
was detrimental to union men, and
the friends of the Union were re-
quested to boycott the Courier, and
those who aided and abetted it. The
accused members of the Union were
sentenced in the lower court to pay
fine of fifty dollars, with costs.
Appealing their case to the Superior
Court, a jury of property-holders
were induced to render verdict of
guilty in the cases of all but one Of
the accused. An appeal to the Su-
preme Court of Errors availed moth
ing, and the sentence of the lower
court was upheld, with the "costs" "
largely increased. To save its men,
bers from imprisonment the Union
paid the fines, and the expenses for
legal assistance added still further to
the burden imposed upon the Union.
There is no law against boycOttlng,
and the use of the elastic conspiracy
acts only served to create contempt
for the law.
The conspiracy acts are not opera
tive against employers who blacklist
their employees. Not because they
would not apply with equal force un-
der similar Interpretation as in the
cases of the workingmen, but because
the courts are inclined to favor the
employing class
Only within a few days it has come
to light that the Reading Railroad
Company require employees to sever
connection with labor organization,
and in the case of ex-employees re-
quire them to declare that they have
severed their connection with their
trade organization before they can
receive certificate of ability in their
vocation. The New York San calls
this black,isting, and opposes it as
"an interference with personal liber-
ty which cannot be justified"
We believe otherwise, and consist
emily; the employers have the right
to refuse certificate unless such is
stipulated for, and paid for. We