The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-10
THE ~UNIONIST'S ID
Reply 10 DIR. Funk's Thoughts on the Print.
ers' strike,

To THE EDITOR OF THE SuN-Sir: DR..
Funk, In his letter on unions. starts of by
saying: AS the printers strike has now
about failed, and then goes on to try to
extract a lesson or two from its history.
] would like to know where he obtained his
information concerning the so-called failure,
] presume it was from the Typothete's head
quarters. Why didn't he go to the h~eadquar-
tiers Of No, Q as well, and get from the officers
there the other side of the story? They
would have told him that whereas in January
l.l5o out of a membership of over 200 Ia
goodly number being on the out Of work
list and who were on the list previous to the
lockout) signed the roll. less than 900 are
signing 1t now.
Then he tells why the battle was lost. IT
was because the leaders Of the strike allowed
the bosses to make the public belle We that the
fight was not for an eight hour working day,
but for the closed shopl This is a misrepre-
sentation to say the least. The bosses. tried
their best to convince the public, but the fact
that more than two-thirds of the shops are
running eight hours and have more of the
public's work than they really need proves
that the attempt to deceive was a flasco.
For the benefit Of the public / wish to say
that the international Typographical Union
asked for nothing but the eight hour working
day. The question of the closed shop had
been settled by the two organizations some
time previous. The bosses resurrected it
and made it their battle cry, for they told us
they had no objection to the eight hour work.
ing day, Some Of them declared it was the
best thing that had ever happened when We
asked for the nine-hour day-they thought
it would drive them all to the poorhouse;
but instead, il gave them a plea for raising
their prices that had not existed before. They
did not go over the hill to the poorhouse"
then. and | would ask DR.. Funk how MANY
of those who granted the eight hours have
had to go?
As have said. the bosses did not so much
object to the shorter day-Quite a number
of them believed it had to come, and in the
interviews. before and since the lockout,
1t; but they would not put up any
longer with the closed shop-just fancy, they
were not allowed, a voice in the government
OF their tablishments! Why. they could
not hire whom they p~leased-they could not
even teach their sons in their own oflcesl
! here are quite a number of bosses who have
sons associated In business with them. Where
sids t osioeS young on e men me- learn the trade; in out
Dr., Funk cannot name a single emplover
Who does not run his shop as he p~leases. All
the union asks is that his employees shall be
its members. If any, man does not make
good" he is very quickly discharged: the boss
is not compelled to keep him a minute longer
OF the office because he is a union man
am OF opinion, that if the union had a little
nO U ~ say aoont the running OF the shops
vshtsse OF the boss. The union. being made
up OF thoroughly practical men. would be
methods SO, often existing in the General aIS rnSs
Of 9flices. VIZ; the continual cry No sorts"
badly lighted composing rooms. and last.
OF sorts means lost time hunting themNa
iaT greater expense than cost of type: badly
ffiShtea composing rooms mean an extra cost
might be cut out II one or two more men Were
on the payroll-the day wag Q of whom
y Ssta = ~ ~ ~ - - l4aau the mItAi1fRI IsAa 4 haiis
Inc worlds population is ever on the in
Sin and something, must be lone toward
work for the growing, working arm vioT R5aaee
dnoing the hours of labor OF those now en-
ploHed would-as the output must neces-
room for some Of the unemployed Wb din .
would a just minded employer rather do /.
would get a return. or as charity to supnort
the institute ions TO which the unemniovnd
would have to be sent2 p'oSeu
mule that has a way Of planting it's hoe eiS n "a
to instruct If not to, adorn.' 1t seems n f 70
Ge that bath the TEpothete mnle,-the open N
not to adorn, " and the voltage poweer "N ~
bstq r asel rs t% aa as great e. they thouehtthSy
any anyway a. sNp Either W oid ti aGs these these Tree
heads, or immature country boys, whose eyes
q tSo been m dazzl e BY 81 per week as against
Il ''' SON o.il w NhFPlUIlk. We don't yn MT
me sorehea ds-they We're always opponents
70 liberty, and fraternity: but il OUR pickets
we're stu allowed to approach the oonntrv
aus ana demonstrate TO them the benaats
81 trade, unions, for most of them AVE nevor
mad 2 chance of belonging to one~we hav va
quite a number alreadyEI feel
positive that the majority of those "stiiI
yuarded ignorant ones would rather 90 |
oack, TO their So with redeemed honor than
CONTINUE TO draw s2l with a faint upon n u"
Ut. tunk is quite, right in asserting that
rade organizations have been a tremendnnss
Torkmen. and they might become inssr ol
nents OF terrible evil IL they did teach ne
SorklnRman that loyalty TO his emnIoynner
ioes not matter, and that loyalty to the ,inioppp
3 everything, No sane workin Rman wNn"iidI
deliberately put loyalty to union before lovsIttuu
o employer-they know which siSe 3hity
bread is bpttered the former Wouldn,t
provide Tor him If he, wilfully and without
.ust cause DESTROYED his position with Tho
after; but principle and loyalty are two
separate things. "e '"o
think the best way to conclude is IN ouota
y, Funk's closing. para graph in its ont iretwe'
~ Is hlgh time TINT the employer and tho
strike hands. turn their hacks on n
elhsh greed and show n better wny az sorvicno
me TO another. ct us all prove that tIe
iolden Rule applied to business is TO 40 m aka
money as 10 make money for the other fell
NEW RocHRLLF. April 5.
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