The wageworker. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1904-????, 1904-05-20
A TRIUMPHAL MARCH
LA5OR'S GREAT ADVANCE DESPITE
ATTACK AND OPPRESSION.

How the Right to Organize Has Been
tiOn-Men Jailed For Daring to
Meet to Consider Wages.
From the statute of laborers. pass
ed in 1851. and the statute of appren-
ticcs, passed in 1863 and repealed as
late as 1915, no fewer than thirty ex-
press statutes were passed in England
down to 1925 which. among other
things. made the association of work
tnglnen criminal
The very circumstance that so much
legislation intended to be suppressive
was deemed necessary may well indi-
cate that the processes began early by
which England was to become the
mother Of labor unions. Whc = the
thirty statutes of suppression were
written in vain in those year. long
past there were at the close o. 1902
more than 100000 organized worsing-
men in 1.1S3 unions.
1t is claimed that the union member
ship in the United States largely ex
cecds that OF the United Kingdom
now. In proportion to population.
more thoroughly organized.
Following the English speaking ma
lions in the number. membership and
Importance OF their labor organiZa-
tons come Germany. 100000 members;
France. nearly 100000; Austria. more
than $4,000; Denmark, nearly 10000;
Hungary. over $4,000; Sweden, about
GO.0O0; Norway, $4,000; Switzerland,
about $4,000; Belgium, between 10000
and 10000: Spain. more than 41,OOO.
The figures given are gathered from
the book Methods of Industrial
Peace" by DR.. Nicholas Paine Gilman,
just issued by Houghton. Mifflin & Co.
DR.. Gilman has aimed to treat the
subject of industrial peace more COM
prehensively than other writers have
done and to make up in part for what
he considers "a surprising lack of
books" on this vital matter. He traces
in brief detail the history Of combina-
ton among laboring men and gives an
interesting reference to the times pre-
ccding the unions, when masters were
usually their own helpers. In such
times in the duchy Of Magdeburg. for
instance, there were year 1854 27,O5O
masters to 4,2S5 assistants ard appren-
tices.
At present in this country labor is
better organized thon capital. 1t is
DIR. Gilmans philosophical view that
an adjustment of the balance in or
ganization must be one of the methods
of providing for the permanent set
Ting Of difficulties-for securing the
reasonable and fruitful conduct of
collective bargaining"
borrowing a figure of speech, the
author says. GAS long as one side is
as well disciplined as regular army
and the other more like home guard
there will probably be no permanent
adjustment Of the difficulties between
them"
The differentiation laws were sup
posed to affect employers as well as
employed, but 1.-THE law had very
poor vision for employers acting to-
gether. and employers were never
fined, much less imprisoned"
As late as 1917 ten delegates of the
calico printers of Bolton were jailed
for meeting to consider the question
of wages.
In 1912 the central committee OF the
Scottish weavers went to prison for
directing strike to secure wages
fixed by justice Of the peace and re-
fused by employers.
1t Is well, indeed, that we are far
away from such misuses of power and
the law.
For our own country DR.. Gilman con-
fronts us with the story Of meeting
IN Boston in 1882 at which merchants
and shipowners subscribed $4,000
fund to fight the movement for ten
hour day. Horace Mann, Robert Ran
tout, James G. Carter and Wendell
Phillips sided with the workpeople.
Mr.. Rantoul defended the jOurneymen
bootmakers in an important case which
was decided for them in 1912 and final
~ established the right of workingmen
to combine.
'"Trade uniOnism may have great
future before it," says DIR. Gilman aft
er devoting chapters to the various as
poets of industrial peace and war.
strikes. lockouts. arbitration. concilia-
ton. etc. Il would fain see that fu-
ture marked by deep sense of respon-
sibility for large power and by a tenn
pcratc employment of it for the good
OF all lasses."-New York World.
Farm Labor In Demand.
To, Hmm tod hot IN, cfu f<c,