The sun., 1895-02-05
LABOR ORGANIZATION AND COZ
ERNMENT
The Atteu,pt to Throw Down the Law
Illustrated In brooklyn.

| EhN ~ ENhs
| The Atteu.pt 60 Throw nowa the Law
| Illustrated In Brooklyn.
To THE EDITOR or TIE SuN-Sir The ques-
| tion (which Laborer ?" nt the head OF your
answer to a correspondent who wishes 10 know
II the military s used 10 protect the aborer,
| " Of the kind to ask many who seem to think, In
| general way, that the only people who deserve
protection are those who are organized in n
labor union. They forget that our ancestors or
ganlzed TO throw Off ali oppressive yokes over n
hundred years ago. and that we are all born
members Of that organization, the most impor-
tant, successful. and sacred In the history Of the
world. When the whole civil force Of q large
city, headed by the Mayor, take the position that
this organization. In which Washington and JEFF
ferson were leaders, IL of minor i'm portance com
pared with those of recent date led by such men
as Debs and Connolly, gotten up for n purpose
which at best Is open to serious consideration ns
to Its advisablity, and the whole history of
which may be summed up in the word failure.
II is about time to awaken thinking people II
there are any.
have watched the progress of organized labor
In all parts of tho world where II exists for many
years before 1t was ever tried to any extent here:
ana, throwing temporary advantages of certain
classes into the scale for general result II has
always been failure. and the most dismal failure
when the organization of all classes Of labor
under one head has been the nearest to accom-
plishment. New Zealand, in 1890. is whero I
saw the situation nearest to that to which or
Ranized labor processes to aim. All kinds of
labor were bound together. 80 that II a shipmas-
ter quarrelled with his tailor or shoemaker
about a ht there was danger OF his steve ores or
even his sailors being called out next morning,
Tho whole colony was like one OF our border
States In 81. Every one was suspicious that he
was In the presence of enemy; interest In tho
general welfare OF the colony, which had been
marked when had been there on former
voyages had entirely given place to the hatred Of
classes and desire each to see the other ruined;
and liberty to man, woman. or child was un-
known. When the crash came as come IL must
when society is in this condition. the effect was
dreadful Companies and individuals employing
labor were either ruined or so badly lamed that
TO 20 on to any extent was impossible; and while
whole communities were thrown out of work.
the necessaries of life went to so high price as
to be mostly out OF the reach of even the few
who could get work.
History being full OF this sort of thing the
most arbitrary must admit that man should at
least have the privilege OF deciding for himself
whether to Join an organization or not; and here
we have those whose duty it is to protect even |
men condemned to die for murder. from those
who would offer them violence coolly leaving |
to the tender mercies Of a mob. or at best de- |
Tending against their will, pcaoeable m en- whose |
only offence is that they have not seen fit |
to Join an organization nearly the whole Ais |
tory OF which is failure. even when to the con- |
cedod privilege Of its members to leave their |
work without notice has been added license to |
bully and main all who would take their places
l am glad to see you stalk alone. If need be- in
denouncing it, rather than howl with pack of
senseless wolves.
Many talk vaguely about concession. which
seems to imply middle ground between man
aging ones own affairs ard allowing some one
else to manage them. Will some one point 1t
out definitely. before asking an employer of la
Dor to takei 1t? defy any one to do it, and why
Will people be so absurd Ms to urge any one to
take position they cannot point out? No one
Will claim that even the manager of one of those
vast aggregations Of capital termed "monopo-
les" ought to give over the management enti
y. II there is any middle ground capable of
giving permanent footing. let some one point
t out. II not, why urge any one to move on,
when. like Poor Joe, ia Bleak House." he has
nowheres to move on to ?"
am also weary OF the talk about labor Great
ng the employers wealth. Those who hold this
heory begin their reckoning at the stage where
he factory, ship, or railroad is built. all help
ess until men are secured to run them. This is
wrong. Factories, ships, and railroads are not
reated and presented to the favored few The
eckonng must commence where tho capitalist
tands with his hard-earned money in his pocket
20 matter whether he his father earned it
lis title to it is equally good Who Is the de-
endent party. then, himself or the hundreds Of
whom Its investment will nut in a |
osition to earn livelihood?
The voice of the situation. even II individuals
o not speak, says plainly: DO not hoard
our money for your own use and leave others
ot 80 fortunate to starve. Build factory and ,
i've employment and wages" He builds fac
Dry. and the employed shift their ground and
SIX: What can you do with it without us?
live US our own terms, take a subordinate DO
ition, and we will work" Which party in
his, the actual situation, has taken advantage
the others credulity and broken faith? II
hey go Off and leave him. it is hard. but il is
neir legal right. IL they stay and destroy his
roperty and main and kill those who attempt !
work for him, why should not their offence be :
'garded as criminal, aggravated by a breach OF
nth on their part, rather than disorderly, JUS
fed to a great extent by oppression?
am no monopolist, only an old sailor out l
ship. JOHN H. POTTER,
BOSTON, Feb 3. Lisbon Falls, Me.