Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1899-01-15
BRITISH TRADES UNIONS NO LONG.
ER SUPREME.
THEY WENT A STEP TOO FAR
EMPLOYERS ARE NOW ORGANIZING
TO GUST THEM.
Will Fight Workmen With Their Own
Weapons, Standing by Each 9th
er In Case OF Strfkes-CoIo-
mel GOurand nnd His
Audacity.

LONDON. Jan. 1.-THE power Of trades
unions is gone. SO far Great Britain
Is concerned. The British employers are
forming a gigantic combination to fight the
workmen with their own weapons. The
Engineering Federation, which proved so
powerful in the recent strike, has invited
employers in all the trades to crush the
tyranny of trades unionism. One object
of the combination is to secure legislation
| favorable to the employers.
The Railroad Review asserts that one
| firm has placed $4,000 at the disposal of
the organizations parliamentary commit
tee, though how it could be expended legiti-
mately does not appear. If such thing
happened in America. it would be called
a corruption fund
The second object of the organization is
to secure for employers freedom to make
contracts with individuals, instead of with
the unions. The employers pledge them
selves to negotiate directly with strikers.
but to deal through the committee of the
organization.
The backbone of the scheme is found in
an arrangement by which any firm fight
ing a strike will receive indemnity equal to
Its average profits.
Even the Daily Chronicle the working
| mans organ. warns the labor leaders that
they have been carrying matters in little
too highhanded manner. and admits what
everyone knows. that the standard days
work fixed by the unions is below the ca
pacity of the average man. The unions
will not permit their members to exceed
the standard. and also asset the rights of
workmen to take holidays whenever they
please. regardless of their employers in
terests. and protect them for so doing. The
employers complain that they cannot in
duce idle men to work, even at the high
wages which DrOSnarfv Warrants
The Chronicle admits that there are many
| workmen living on the union funds who
could get employment If they chose.
The American Society here is taking ex-
traordinary measures to check the great
| notoriety attained by Colonel George
Gourand. who, of his own motion. assumed
| the leadership of the American wing Of the
| Anglo-American movement in London. Col
! onel Gourand first came forward on the
occasion of the arrival of General Lord
Kitchener. of Khartoum. in England. The
colonel went to Dover to greet him, and
| is the most conspicuous figure in the kinet-
! oscope pictures of the event shown in the
| music halls. a-.
| Since then he has deluged the papers
with letters. writing always in the name
| Of the United States army or Of the Amer
leans In London, signing a string of titles
| to his name of which the first was zone
| time assistant inspector general of artil-
| lery on the staff Of General Sherman"
! He pledged the Americans to contribute
| $500 to the fund for the erection Of the
| Gordon memorial college at Khartoum,
| and issued a circular with glaring. head
lines, requesting contributions to found an
education chair of science" The coloners
latest appeal is for money for the English
men who enlisted in the United States
| army, helped to defeat Spain, and were
| afterwards discharged. of whom he says
| there were many. This was taken up by
some of the papers as corroborating the
assertion of Mr.. Cunningham-Graham that
| the best fighting In the Spanish war was
done by Englishmen.
The whole business has made the Lon
don Americans laughing stock. and the
| executive committee of the American So
| ciety has issued letter to editors and
others, declaring the colonel has no war
rant to speak for anyone but himself.
Ex-Congressman Bourke Cochran is pas
senger on the American line steamer Paris.
| which sailed for New York from South
ampton to-day. He may re-enter politics
on the issue of imperialism" The for
! mer congressman said he felt strongly on
| the subject adding that this was a stage
| in the nations history at which no citizen
who had convictions was justified in hold
| ing aloof from the conflict. But he did
| not think an interview was the proper
medium for declaring himself, and he
would take other means to do SO in the
| near future.
John W. Bookwalter, of Ohio. whose
views on Russia were published in dis
patch from here to the Associated Press
under date of December z. is returning to