Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-08-07
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
EDITORIALS BY THE
PEOPLE.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Strikes and Lockouts Prior to 1881.
(By R. Williams of Keb)

OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
Strikes and Lockouts Prior to 1881.
(By R. Williams of Keb)
Editor of Courier: While listening
to labor leader speak here some
time ago he remarked, when he read
the daily reports of strikes it is con-
vincing proof that there is something
radically wrong with our government"
If so we want to see in this letter how
long this wrong has existed for we
fear it never will be righted now, es-
pecially SO long as labor is discomfort
ed which always has been, and the
writer fears always will be, especially
as long as these speakers roam at
large and come at will
On reading history find the first
strike of general note occurred in New
York city in 1903, popularity known as
the sailors strike, but that can be dis
puted for history proves that strikes
existed as far back as 1741, which was
at least 125 years before that speaker
was born. In the year 1885 there was
a series of strikes all over New York
city and state. So much so that the
New York Daily Advertiser came out
in it's issue of June 6, 1885, with the
following editorial under the title
Strikes Are All the Fashion now
That there was combined strike of
journeyman bakers in New York city
in that year seems clear from the fol-
lowing extracts from speeches of coun-
sci at the trial of journeyman cord
wainers of the city of New York in
the year Of 1910, in the course OF that
trial Mr.. Voldin, counsel for the de-
Tense, said:
II have had an opportunity of eX-
aiming the records of criminal pro-
ceedings of tribunals for a number of
years back and I have found an in
formation which was preferred in the
year of 1741 against certain bakers
for combining not to bake bread but
on certain terms, that this indictment
concludes contrary to the form Of stat
utes and it appears there was no judg-
ment rendered upon it,
Mr. Emmett, counsel for prosecu-
tion in referring to this case said"
cit is an information against jour-
neymen bakers for a conspiracy not
to bake till their wages were raised.
On that they were tried and convicted
before the revolution but as the emf
nent counsel says, 1T does not appear
that any sentence was passed upon it,
(Trial of journeymen cordwainers in
the city of New York, reported by
William Sampson on page S3-103)'"
So that is positive proof strikes are no
new thing and If our speakers words
are true there has for number of
years been something radically wrong
with our government.
All these years during the various
administrations and still none of these
reformers ever introduced plan to
remedy the matter. My mind runs
back to the James Buchanan admin
istration, when everybody was on
strike, not for an increase of wages,
but for something to do in order to
earn dollar to buy something to eat.
And still there has been no remedy de-
vised to stop strikes. Will our
speaker now advise me and enlighten
the people of this age? If SO let us
give him seat on the ground floor,
by all means.
l will now skip along to the time of
our speaker for fear he has forgotten
it.
In the year 1880, tabulatetd re-
port of strikes and lockouts for 1880
made by Joseph D. Weeks, is to be
found in the tenth census of the Unit
ed States in volume 90 I impart the
knowledge as to where it can be found
for the information of our speaker.
There were during that year 762
strikes reported divided as follows:
Three hundred and four were found
in Pennsylvania. 1O4 in New York, and
SO in Chicago leaving 261 for the re-
naming states and territories. as
shown by the tenth census of the,
United States.
AS time goes along, for the benefit
of our speaker. I will give history of
strikes that occurred in Chicago dur
ing the years from 1870 up to 1880,
when the miners national organiza-
ton ON. MOI was in the height of it's