Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-04-30
braces many millions outside those who
belong to labor organizations"
The Right to Boycott.

The Right to Boycott.
But" said I. do you think the trades
unions have the right to boycott whom they
please?
"Of course they have" replied John
Mitchell. 1.-THE boycott is not confined to
organized labor. 1t is used by every class
of society, by churches. and by all sorts Of
organizations as well as trades unions.
Manufacturers are often boycotted by other
manufacturers and by jobbers and retailers.
The retailers are often boycotted by the
manufacturers. Certain firms are boycotted
by banks and certain banks are boycotted
by the general public. In the business
world men Of all kinds boycott for GER
tam reasons, and why should not the
trades unions do the same? There is no
doubt about the legal right to- boycott. No
one can compel John Smith to buy goods
OF John Brown. No one can compel him to
travel In the same car. sit In the same
church or eat at the same table. / think,
however that the boycott should be open
and above board and that the man to be
boycotted should have the right to be heard
before the boycott is enforced. / don't be-
lieve that the boycott should be intemper-
ate or unjust. l don't think, for instance,
that 1t Is right to dismiss a school teacher
because her father worked during strike
nor to allow the children of union work
men in school to boycott the children of a
nonunfor workman. 1t would oe unjustfi-
able to refuse the last services to a dying
ihdH, whatever MS past record has been,
and l would disapprove of any boycott
which should in any way disturb the burial
of such man."
The Leader Of Ten Thousand Hatters.
Speaking about the hatters' label had
an interesting talk in New York the other
day with John Phillips, the secretary of
the United Hat.ers of North America, who
number 10000, an army as large as that
which xeO0nhop lo6 IN ba
sea- Mr.. Phillips has been secretary of the
knows all about hats and the men who
make them. Referring to the union label
he said:
I'VE give our labels to the union shops
and they are put inside of every union
made hat. Many men will not buy hat
without 1t has our label, and We find that
the label greatly helps the union AS it is
now nearly the whole trade belongs to the
union and some of the factories keep the
closed shop
I'm the first place, Mr.. Phillips. tell me
something about the men engaged In your
trade. Who are they and what kind Of
hats do they maker"
They are mostly Americans" replied the
secretary of the hatters, although there
are some foreigners. There are two hatters'
unions, one has to do with silk hats or
plugs and the other with soft hats and
derbys. These different classes of hats are
generally made in different factories and
each sort has it's own union"
Where are the chief hatmaking centers2"
1 asked.
"They are In the east" replied Mr.. Phil
lips. There are more in New York and
Brooklyn than anywhere else, but you ma
hat factories also in Newark, and Orange.
N. J., and in Philadelphia, Boston, and in
and about Danbury Conn. Danbury lives
off the hatmakers. There was lockout
there some years ago and the retail mer-
chants had to carry the men on their books
or stop business. All their trade came
from the hatters."
How about The west, are there no hats
made there?"
mot many" was the reply. There are
few factories in Chicago and st. Louis,
and quite large one at Wabash. Ind The
Wabash factory was started by a Jew liv-
cry stablekeeper. He makes his hats out
OF the fur of Belgian hares and has hare
farm associated with it to supply the fur.
All the best of the soft hats and derbys
are made out of fur or down OF rabbits,
hares or comics"
Union Hatters and Strikes.
Does your union do good?" asked.
Yes, it Does replied Mr.. Phillips. I'VE
have not had a strike for years, and we
have raised our wages and shortened the
hours. When there is any trouble the en-
ployers come to us. We talk the matter
over together and try to avoid a strike by
making mutual concessions
What advantage is the union to its mem
bers?" asked.
1T is of great advantage" replied Mr..
Phillips. Suppose I am a workman in
union shop, and a union man comes there
and wants a job. When the man comes In
he does not apply to the employer or the
boss, but comes up to one of the men, me,
for instance and lays down his union card.
saying: How is shop?
Even if we have not much work I will
reply: oh, just fair. Do you want to take
a turn?'
81 would not mind he says.
"And thereupon l take his card to the
boss and tell him there is union man
here who would like turn. that is, some
thing to do. If there is any work the boss
gives him a trial, and If he is a good man
he keeps him.
How about apprentices?'
1--WE allow one to every ten men. The APP
prentice works for the first two or three
months for nothing, his earnings going to
the halter who breaks him in. After that
the apprentice receives the regular prices
for piece work, except that 10 per cent is
deducted for the employer on account OF his
being q green hand. A place as an appren-
tice is in as much demand among us as
cadetship at Annapolis or West Point is
among the general public. We want our
own sons or friends to have the places, and
they never go begging"
Non-Union Hatters.
"You say that most Of the hatters use
union men, Mr.. Phillips. 1 happen to know
that the Stetsons do not and have a Dun
lap hat here which bears no union LABEL
you are right about the Stetsons.'' was
the reply. John Stetson won't have
union man in his factory. l went over his
establishment once. / met the old man. and
when l told him was secretary of the Hat
ters' Union he took me over the factory
himself. showing me everything. During
the walk said:
"1 understand, Mr.. Stetson, that you
have determined to never employ a union
man as long you liver
"'That is true was the reply.
But how about when you die?'
oh, I will provide for that, too said
the old man.
After we had finished" Mr.. Phillips con-
tinued. I'VE went back to the office. where
1 smelt some delicious fried oysters being
cooked for the officers luncheon. Mr.. Stet-
son asked me to come in and eat. and in
reply my stomach cried out yes but my
reason said no, and I refused"
"Why did you refuse 1 asked?
why! If you knew men in the
union you would know why. If 1 had
lunched with Stetson I could never have
explained it in the world. They would
have thought had been bought off by the
chief non-unionist of the trade"
But how about the Dunlaps?' 1 asked.
1.-THE Dunlaps employ union labor" re-
rlied Mr. PhillipS "but thew won't Use the