The record-union., 1894-08-22
specIal to the REcoRp-UNIoN.

annual meeting OF the ManuIactuTeTS
Association took place this afternoon.
There was a large attendance of the
members at the rooms of the Board of
Trade.
President Henry I. Davis read an
interesting address. He called attention
to the fact that this was the third anni-
versary of the association, and that dur
ing its short existence it has wrested the
shipping from the control of the Sailors
Union and has reformed the whole Dusi-
ness of shipping and handling sailors.
Sailors are now rendered absolutely in
dependent.
Another great reform. worked by the
Shipowners' Association, has been the
abolition of advance notes. This substi-
tuition the Shipowners' Association has
found and put into operation 1t simply
compels the sailor, upon his return from
his voyage, to pay his bills or go upon
the blacklist. The sailor usually pays
This system has been exceedingly salts
factory in ali its workings. 1t has wiped
out one-half the corruption heretofore
prevailing on the waterfront. BY II the
sailor is at once protected from being
cheated and prevented from cheating III
his turn.
MT. DAVIS, COUllUuluRf SdiUs LUG Bou-
eral success of this association can best
be understood by the light OF the fact that
among the industries of San Francisco
there remains but single trades union
which imposes its rules upon its trade.
That Union is the Typographical Union.
The reason why this union still cont1n-
ues to dictate terms is because the en-
ploying printers have never ombined to
resist its demands. 1t has been eX-
tremely careful about making unreason-
able demands. 1t has thus escaped the
blunder which the other organizations
have committed-of goading employers
to combine against them. So long as 1t
maintains this conservative and mod
rate attitude 1T will retain control OF It's
trade and the respect of the community.
1.-The contrast of the Typographical
Union to the other unions Of the city is a
striking object lesson. 1t illustrates the
Irresistible power of an organization of
employers. such as this one, against
trades unions when they are unreason-
able, and Its lack of power to harm them
when they are moderate. This associa-
ton is not meant to destroy trades
unions, but merely to hold them in
check, and so long as the unions hold
themselves in check this association can
not disturb them. nor does it wish to do
so.
''It remained for the recent railroad
strike, however, to show the power of
organized employers against unreasOn-
able unions so plainly that every one who
runs may read. Here was case where
unions deliberately resorted to unlawful
means to enforce an unjust and absurd
demand. For a time particularly here
in California 1t seemed as though practi-
cally the entire community supported the
strikers. The public displayed an aston
ishing inability TO appreciate the true
issue involved, and permitted its general
prejudice against the railroad to totally
warp its judgment.
"Nevertheless the great strike was
quick and complete failure, and all the
unions involved have been virtually dis
organized and their power taken away.
In striking contrast TO the American Rail
way Union was the course of the Brother
hoods of Locomotive Engineers and of
Conductors, who calmly kept their heads,
refused to join IN the general folly and
came out of the troublesome times
stronger than ever.
'tPerhaps the cause of the conservative
attitude OF the Brotherboods of Locono-
tive Engineers and of Conductors and of
the Typographical Union is that the rank
and file Of their membership may be
more intelligent than the rank and file of
other unions. If unions were always
composed OF intelligent men the indus
tries of this country would have nothing
to fear from them. The lamentable but
unacceptable fact remains, however, that
they are not so composed in the majority
of cases, and it is because of the exist
ence of the majority of unintelligen5
trade unionists that this association must
be kept up.
'In all that has been written and said
about the great railroad strike or, to
speak more correctly, the railroad boy
colt, the really essential feature of it
seems to have been overlooked or for
fEha affamnf tho ario
Railway Union was not so much an at
tempt to aid the cause of the striking
Pullman employees as it was an effort to
set up an Independent government in
these United States of America. The
people seem TO have forgotten that a con-
troll of the transportation of the country
is virtually control of the country itself.
and that, If the officers of the American
Railway Union could have controlled the
railroads they would have been masters
of the country through which the rail-
road ran. 1t would have been govern
ment within government. and the in
ner government would have been the
powerful one.
1T is matter of the greatest surprise
TO me that the American people during
this strike, and particularly the people OF
California, failed to appreciate the appall-
ing nature of the revolution that lay in
this attempt of the American Railway
potism on earth would be more complete
than would the rule of this union over
the industries of the land. 1t is fortu-
nate for the American people that the
Federal Government saw the true mean
ing of the situation and squarely faced
the issue. The great danger of the rail-
road strike has passed away, but its les
son remains. The losses caused by it must
have been enormous, and the worst Suf-
ferers have, as usual, been the working
men.
.'There is no possible way to prevent
strikes and hoycotts except through
power. Ii trades unions were reasonable
strikes and boycotts would not occur, but
reason is the one quality trades unions
possess the least OF. There are notable
exceptions, but the vast bodies of the
unions are governed by the emotions of
their members. and emotion is not rea-
son. Prosperity depends upon peace and
peace depends upon the power to pre-
serve 1t. Com mbinations of employers are
the only safeguards of the country against
the excesses of trades unions. When a
trades union knows that it has to meet
power as we'll organized as Its own it will
stop to reason before it declares strike or
boycott, and ii is safe TO say that when
reason and not emotion decides whether
a strike or boycott is to be begun
or not, the number of strikes and of boy
cotts will be exceedingly small.
"a part from the fact that il was wrong,
the sudden collapse of the the great rail-
road strike was due to one fact, and to
one fact only-the law was vigorously en-
forced. Once the Federal power stepped
into the breach, and it was seen that the
Federal power was in earnest, the strike
collapsed like house of cards. It's sole
chance of success lay with the ability of
the strikers to violate the law with i'm
punity, and the moment that chance was