Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1906-01-05

stricting the freedom of contract In the
employment of labor, falls pat with the
strike in the printing trade, which be-
gan with the first of the year. This is
distinctly a strike for the closed shop
That means, of course, labor monopoly
The Typographical Union would make 1t
impossible for any workman outside their
Organization 10 obtain employment. II
would compel all publishers and printers
and newspapers 10 hire only members of
the union. Yet IL is precisely this spirit
of exclusion and tyranny which the court
has Just decided to be repugnant TO our
institutions and laws, and It's translation
into action violative of the Constitution
Of New York.
The law In question was one passed in
1857, under the general head OF Coercion
by Employers" and which forbade the
making of an agreement not 10 belong TO
a labor union the condition precedent Of
employment. Such a statute, the JUS
tees Of the Appellate Division now de-
clare, was beyond the competence Of the
Legislature. The court denies the power
of tho Legislature 70 compel employers
under penalty Of fine and imprisonment
20 employ union men only The free
dom Of contract implies the right Of
every man ito employ whomsoever he
plenses, unless, of course he
makes a contract contrary to public
policy" II is alleged, 30 be sure, that
any kind of impairment of the privileges
or pretensions of labor unions viii lead 10
unrest and disturbance of the public
peacei but the judges neatly dispose of
this by remarking; 1--WE recollect no in
stance in which il has been held that IL
is competent for a Legislature TO restrict
ones constitutional rights upon the
theory that II he be permitted 10 exercise
the same, others will become incensed
thereby, and violate tho law and be-
y guilty Of breach of the peace or create
public disorder
Other questions are involved in the
printers strike, but they are subordi-
nate. One of the demands Is for nine
hours pay for eight hours work That
is a. matter fairly 10 be tried ont be-
tween the union and the employers. IL
is mainly a question whether the trade
viii bear such an increase of wages Tint
higher cost of production woud be in-
volved, is agreed on an hands, The n.y.
biographical Union admits that the eight
hours day would mean an increase In
cost Of 10 per cent. The Typothotae
figure IL at % per cent In either case,
the question is whether the added cost
can be passed on TO the consumer that
forgotten man. whom the labor mon
opolists regard, equally with the tariff
monopoliste, as a stupid and patient
beast of burden, who will stngger along
under any load piled upon his back. But.
ns we say, this dispute about more wages
is one that is 10 be decided by an actual
test of the labor market. The employ
ing printers aver, first that they cannot
afford to pay the higher rates, since they
are necessarily exposed 10 out-of. town
competition; and, second, that they can
OBTAIN with adequate police protection.
all the skilled labor they need 40 exist
ing prices. That "a 30 be determined bv
experiment The union is within its
rights In demanding higher wages the
employers in demanding that men will
ing and anxious 10 work at the rate now
paid be allowed TO do 80. That is ele-
montary.
But behind the money question lies
one Of vital principle The union strikes
for the closed shop. The employers are
fighting for the open shop; which sim.
ply means that they are fighting for the
right 10 own and control their own
property. Under union dictation, the
owner Of printing Office cannot nut his
own son 10 work at the machinery in his
own composing room; cannot hire or dis.
charge his own employees, cannot control
even his own foreman; and has 10 sub.
init to every kind Of petty tyranny and
restriction Of output How these inn.
positions strike n self-respecting Amcri.
can employer may be seen in the plain.
spoken circular addressed TO the com.
positors Of the Hin Publishing Co. bv IL.
president. He himself has risen from
the ranks-is still an honorary member
he states, of the Brotherhood of Loco.
motive Engineers-and feels stronel,
about the closed shop. or any Other
union device which tends TO grade an,
workmen down, not up We quote 4
few of his homely words Of refreshing
sense and candor;
II shall be sorry to sec a man 20 avn,
especially those who have been witt
us from the start. / do not believe that
you can get better jobs or a more appre
ciative old man. But this old man
cannot stand everything. The saving.
Of a life Of hard work are in this con
Germ, and all the fun he can get out of 4
Is TO run it his own way. with duo re-
gard for the rights Of others lie alwav,
has worked more than eight hours day
and always expects to.
If the officers of n labor union nm
this concern, some one else will own it,
won't.
Hereafter the foreman works for tn,
owners, and not for the union.
'cSow, the whole thing SINNERS dow,
10 about this.
''Nou say TO us-Shut down this plan
smother hour per day, pay the sam,
wages that you do now, and place IN,
conduct Of the shop in the hands of oul
union and walking delegate. or we strike
We say to you've insist on on
right TO run our own concern nine hour
per day, run an open shop, and emplo,
whom we please. II that is the issue
50 ahead-we viii fight
Few not directly Affected are axar. q
the oNerweening pretensions and intol
cradle exactions Of the Typographical
onioh- IL aspres 20 be supreme owe
both church and State. Here is an OK
tract from the oath which its member
are required 70 take.
"That my fidelity TO the union and M,
duty to the members thereof shall in n,
sense be interfered with bv anv ale
glance that / may now or hereafter ovr
TO any other organization, social. politi
cal, OF religious, secret or otherwise
IL is not strange that a Catholic prizes
should have read this oath TO his con
gregation and announced that no persoi
subscribing to it could. In his parish
share IN the sacraments ofythe chureh
And every newspaper IN whose Office M
tyranny of the Typographical Union /
set up could testify 10 the way in whicl
u follows up its assumption of divin
right by attempting to enforce the mos