Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1888-03-31
A REVOLUTIONARY DEMAND.

and Quincy r. II. has attracted such
widespread attention and has been
so fully reported in the daily papers
that we need not give detailed ac-
count of it at this place. But there
is one feature about this strike which
is of especial Importance and instruct
| lVeness.
The Brotherhood of Locomotive
Engineers, which conducts this
strike, has long been the pet of the
capitalists. Not. of course, ON ac-
count of its solid organization, but
because of its conservatiyeness. The
Brotherhood had gained for its mem
bers tolerably decent wages, which
there seemed to be no disposition on
the part of the railroad companies
70 interfere with. What little diff
culties arose between the men and
the companies, were generally ami
cably settled. Thus the Brother
hood men had come to believe that
strikes or boycotts were unnecessary
and they often publicly so stated.
They believed themselves to be out
side of that great labor movement,
which represents continuous strug
gle between capital and labor, be-
cause their relations with capital
were, for the time being, satisfactory.
They did not think that they would
ever need any active sympathy
from other labor organizations and
did not extend any to them. They
did not 90 into sympathetic strikes
nor did they concern themselves about
boycotts, or any of the struggles of
organized labor outside of their own
brotherhood.
Not recognizing the conflict be-
tween capital and labor, blind to
the class-interest which binds to-
gether all wage-workers as against
the capitalist class, they, of course,
could not understand the necessity
of labor politics and remained loyal
the old parties.
For all this conservatism ard ex-
clusiveness the Brotherhood has often
been held up by the cap talist press
as an example to other organizations;
and the Brotherhood officials have
frequently allowed themselves to be
used by the press for the purpose of
attacking in the form of interviews
labor organizations that were engaged
in serious struggles.
But they did not neglect their own
organization for all that. The
Brotherhood became stronger every
year and Is now one Of the most solid
labor organizations in the country.
And now, conscious of their organ
lied strength, these conservative peo-
pie, who would under no circum-
stances utter or resolve anything
that might Sound revolutionary, have
made demand which in its effect is
truly revolutionary They demand
equd pay for all engineers. This
demand may be called revolution
AIRY one, because the extension and
more general Introduction of the sys-
TEN of equal pay most effectively aids
IN the bringing about of more
equitable system of production and
distribution.
What abuses the classification
method of pay permits and invites,
no one knows better than the furni-
ture workers. With this method
the bosses find it easy to keep down
wages and to squeeze out of every man
the greatest possible amount of work.
The lower paid man finds it al in
centive to work harder so as to ad,
vance to the higher rate, and the
better paid man feels obliged to KEEP
always ahead of the other so that he
may retain his higher rate.
Thus one worker is continual,
screwing up the other, which is q
constant source OF dlsharmonv and
dissension. We know there is nc
need for such system; with a prop
er division of labor the workman car
be placed so that every one can turn
out an average amount and quality
of work. But the bosses prefer the
classification system for the yer,
reasout that it creates jealousy and
disharmony between the workmen
which often cripple their organiza
ton. In attacking this system, tn,
Brotherhood strikes the capitalists