New-York tribune., 1895-12-17
TVE LOCKED-OTT T1IORS.

THE LOCKED-OiT T1fLOhS.
7, is rarely easy to get a, the rights Of a labor
,ortrovorsv Roth sides are too generally wrong
for public opinion to be unreservcdly committed
Rut the contest between the garment workers
and the contractors now going on In 'hs city
secms plainly IN exception TO the rule III Is not
q strike 1t is lockout. Ii Is the deliberate
hreokinc Of an agreement by the employers,
with tn, time carefully chosen when the work
r,on hovc winter rs well as idlencss to contend
with in the hope Of restoring the old task sys-
tom and All the swcatshop evils, against which
fine tailors have been struggling with some sue
coss Every effort on the part of ph!lanthropists
and LEGISLATORS TO do away with the unhealthful
and demoraliz!ng conditions under which the
r,onuf,c,ure of clothing is carried on has met
with uniform opposition from the middlcnen,
,vho stand between the workers ana ther mar
Lct The recent legislative investigation. in
snite Of considerable amount OF perjury on the
mart Of task-mascrs. revealed labor systems
in the sweashops almost inconceNaoiy hear'-
loss starvation wages unjust hnes under rules
made expressly for the purpose, Dy one pretet
or another of dcpriving the worker or even ms
oIotted pittance for his work; long hours labor
in rooms unfit for human occupation, deter
roined evasion Of the laws made to prevent the
srrood of disease and the employment of child
labor and the frequent failure to pay wages
.o,,,r,,r wore q few of the evils brought to
light. Yet these Oppressors are not Oh 'he great
conitalist class 50 much complained OF by iapor
oeitators They belong for the most part TO the
same class ard race as those they employ ana
often among their workers nave their own
fathers brothers and sisters. Their oppression
is not the scfshness of soullcss corporations.
With hcartless Indifference to suferingS which
,bcv themselves understand, they coin the blood
of their own people"
In 1894 the garment workers entered into an
oorccmcnt with the contractors. under which
they secured their wages regularly worked by
,h, ,vnol; instead of under the task system. and
through their chairmen in the shops exercised
some control of the conditions surrounding them
The legislative committee found that they have
much improved the heathfulncss of the shops.
Last July the contractors refused to renew The
agreement and strike followed. in which the
toilors were successful after an entirely peaceful
and vell-conducted contest in which they hau
mblic sympathy The mddlcmen gave bonds
faithfully 10 observe the conditions scttich on.
All zoos smoothly until December and winter
weather when lack Of work means coid rs wen
as hunger. Then without any new excuse 'he
contractors fatty repudiate their agreement
They will pay wages when 1t SUITS thelr con-
vcncnce They will allow no representatives,
Of the men to interfere with their overcroWu-
inc their shops or their doing anything else.
They tell thciI employees that instead OF having
a set period of work they are TO have task
and that 'if they do not accomplish the alio't@
.d,v. vorl, in ten hours they will finish 1t in
.such time az hey can. This means return
to all the worst evils Of the sWcatshopS Inc
contractors talk about running their own buSi-
ness without being dictated TO by their en-
Moves. There would he more reason to give
their plea consideration If, when running things
all their own way, they had shown the slight
est disDostion to regard either the statute or
the moral law.
The garment workers are among the most
m.serably conditioned Of regular laborers. Iher
fight has been not for biz wages, nor for an
elsht-hour day, nor for anything but chance
70 do their work in places fiji for human beings
TO work in. to have their pay when they earn
il and TO do a days labor like other men. ana
not be driven like slaves to their tasks They
have kept faithfully to their agreements. ana
their EMPLOYERS have wanonly broken theirs.
No talk about lack of profits Will justify such
a breach Of faith, and it is to be hoped that the
tailors. as they have done before, will be strong
enough to maintain their position. SO long as
they are law-abiding they will have public SYM
pathy. They should be particularly careful to
preserve the peace. Empty stomachs in cold
weather are likely to produce i'll tempers, and in
the interest of the locked-out men the leaders
should take precautions against their followers
being melted to outbreaks 1t is cruel time
for lockout but nothing will help the workers
so much In their trouble as resistance when re-
spects law and order.