Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1890-08-02
THE CL0AKMAKERS
WONDERFUL HEROlSM IN THE
DEPTHS OF MISERY.

lhelr N0Dle Struggle ana treat VIC
tOry-The First Agreement-Pub.
lie Opinion and Newspaper Devil
try--The Jewish Labor Question
In America.
The glorious victory of the Cloak
makers Union over the Cloak Manu-
facturers' Association, which was fore
gone conclusion one week previous to
the happy termination of the struggle,
was at the time of its announcement as
unexpected by many of the friends of
organized labor as 1t was shocking to
the capitalistic world.
The fact is that ever since the first
agreement which was signed by the
manufacturers and the Cutters Union
and accepted by Prof. Garside, who
represented the operatives, was unani-
mously and Indignantly rejected by the
latter themselves, matters were consid-
erably mixed up. The brave strikers
were 80 sadly misunderstood; the tide
of public sympathy and, what is more,
of contributions, had so suddenly turned
from them; the very press, to the hearty
support of which their triumph would
have been attributed had it occurred be-
fore the first conference between the
manufacturers and the unions had
taken place, had entered upon such
course of systematic Misrepresentation,
that some of their most earnest and
best informed friends could not but fear
the final result.
This first agreement, which was
labyrinth of legal verbosity, and in
which not single point could be dis.
covered that was unambiguously favor
able to the workers, was strangely
enough persistently withheld from the
latter for more than two days; so that
they were at loss to make out its
contents between the reports of the
daily papers and the more alluring but
contradictory statements and interpre-
tatons of Prof. Garside. Had this
agreement been translated and read to
them before the manufacturers and the
cutters had signed it and before Prof.
Garside in his capacity of representative
had openly expressed his appro val of it,
the manufacturers would most assur-
edly have granted every demand of the
operatives on the same day, as they
were subsequently forced to do; for the
very fact of their taking the initiative
in calling conference for the purpose of
settling the fight which they themselves
had begun, was plain evidence of their
willingness tomake some material conces
sions. As it was the strike was declared
off before the men had any idea of the
terms of the settlement, merely because
their representative, who was not author
ized to sign the contract without previ-
ously submitting it to his union, had de-
clared in its favor.
Thus the impression was produced
and spread far and wide that the opera,
tives had violated their own agreement
and they were branded as ignorant,
obstinate Socialists who did not know
what they were about when they vainly
insisted upon seeing an authentic copy
of the contract.
At last such copy was procured, by
it was too late; public opinion WI
already against them. In vain did Il
strikers endeavor to explain the misu
derstanding; the press had resum
its diabolical policy. 1t turned q did
ear and continued to attack them, fill
up column with calumnious repo
Manager Barondes, who but days be
had been extolled as paragon of virtueJ
suddenly became BOSS Barondes" and
"a rabid Anarchist of the most OBJ
noxious kind" while the Cloakmakers
Union was set down as a dangerous
band of conspirators and firebrands, nm
til finally Inspector Byrnes was heard
from.
Under such circumstances and in view
Of the inexperience of the men whose
organization has not yet celebrated its
first anniversary; considering, further
more, that these poor men were lett
without support when the long period
of privation had begun to be keenly felt,
it was indeed natural to fear that many
of the strikers, demoralized by the sud-
den change in the attitude of the public,
would succumh to the impression spread
by the papers that the strike was q
hopeless failure and would desert the
union.
If this was what the manufacturers
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