The Yellowstone journal., 1894-06-06
"Wednesday. June 6. 1894.
A SHEEP sHEARiNG COMBINE.


The United Shearers Mutual Union is
the title of an organization which we
are informed was formed at Billings a
few days ago. As its name somewhat
remotely indicates. il is an organization
Of sheep shearers. formed for the pur-
pose of maintaining if not advancing
the price of shearing. and is proposed to
be extended to state and even = ma
tional organization, with state and ma
tional governing lodges. The Billings
citizens who have laid the corner stone
of this pretentious structure. seem. in
their excessive anxiety to explain their
purpose. to have somewhat misinter-
preted the exising conditions. The
statement of principles, which is too
lengthy and verbose for reproduction
here, begins by deploring the unsettled
and depressed condition of the country
which has forced labor Ito fall back on
the first law of nature-self- -preserva-
ton" A second paragraph briefly but
pointedly refers to the fact that all
classes Of labor have protective organi-
zatio i except sheep shearers. Then fol-
lows few paragraphs commendatory of
the sheep shearing art, and OF the sheep
shearers themselves. who are made out
to be very clever fellows, who want moth
ing but chance to do good work at
living wages" which quotation they
have adopted as motto, and thereupon
proceed to resolve as follows:
We realize the dullnes. of trade, and the fact
that market values have declined in almost
every line of production, but there are excep-
tions the price of wool is slowly advancing
and there IL no plausible reason for a radical
change in the Tuice of shearing.
Assuming that the honorable company
of shearers who adopted the above reso-
luton are not joking. we present it to
our readers as one of the most remark
able expressions of opinion ever publicly
expressed. Taken seriously it must be
interpreted as setting up valid excuse
this they admit dullness of trade and
marked decline in almost every line of
production, but there are exceptions"
There is silver lining to this dark and
portentious cloud. and the honorable
sheep shearers find it in the fact that
-'the price of wool is slowly advancing"
and thereupon conclude that there is
no plausible reason for radical change
in the price of shearing." and having
reached this conclusion, they proceed to
bind themselves and all whom they can
control not to shear anybody's sheep for
less than cents with board or Sl5 cents
without board. Good work at living
wages is their motto, and yet the best of
them will mutilate poor sheep so that
a novice looking on will faint at the bru-
tai sight and at the same time knock
out from s6 to 80 day. They must live
high. who call these living wages" The
business Of sheep shearing is one of
emergency in the west where large bands
exist, and the clip Of an empire must all
go to market al once, and for this reason
principally the woolgrowers have paid
the excessively large wages without
much grumbling. when the business was
prosperous, but after the terrible disas-
ter of last year, the sheepmen Of this
county got together. and with no better
prospect Of the future. discussed the
various features Of the business. and de
cided among other things that. IN view
Of the existing conditions. the autocrat
of the shears seught this season to be |
satisfied with rate that would permit |
him TO make from - to 81. and thus af- /
ford his meek and lowly employer a |
small salvage of expenses that were
pretty sure to eat him up anyhow. But |
lest the poor sheepman should by dint |
of economy and hard work get on his |
feet again, the United Shearers Mutual
Union of Billings and elsewhere propose
to see, that so far as they are concerned,
his sheep can go under the sheriff's ham,
mer before they will consent to abate
one cent of their exorbitant demands.
and they encourage him to meet their
by assuring him that although
else in the country is fat.
wool is advancing" There are few
labor organizations that are conducted
On lines Of equity and justice to all, but
his sheep shearers abortion appears to
b about the worst Of all II each COM
aunity would get together and shear
sach others sheep as they raise" houses
md barns in the farming sections down
,ast, there would be but a small field for
he United Shearers Mutual Union of