The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1910-09-23
MANY YEARS
TO RECOVER
Trade Once Lost Through
Fight on Union Labor
Does Not Return in a
Day or a Week.
portland Labor press.)

When the Bucks stoves were placed
on the unfair list by organized labor
six years ago the "open" shop advo-
Gates laughed. They pointed out that
the best cook stoves and ranges were
used by people who didn't belong to
unions; that union men didn't buy
many stoves, anyway, and that long
before a Bucks stove would wear ont
the union men would forget it.
Then it was pointed out that the
placing of the stoves and ranges on
the unfair list was good advertising
and free. Some earnest well-to do and
rich made haste to order a range and
stove or two just to show that they
didn't believe in boycotts. That helped
some.
The Manufacturers association chip
ped in few thousand to help the good
work of securing long hours and low
wages for working men. The Citizens
Alliance and the anti-Boycott society,
and few others, came forward to help
along the glorious cause.
Someway the times grew a little dull.
Retail hardware dealers did not renew
orders. They ceased to display the
stoves. They took down the advertise
ments, and they threw away others
sent them. Agents went around to eX-
plain to the dealers the great Ameri
can principle involved in the fight for
the "open" shop of the Bucks people.
The dealers pointed out that their trade
lay largely with men who used tools
and worked for living. These men
made uncomplimentary remarks about
the Bucks name being in sight, and it
did not do to offend the foolish fellows.
There were dealers who did not handle
Bucks.
All! A light sprung up in the minds
of the Bucks. They hired some lawyers
and went to court. They changed from
hailing the boycott as a free advertise
ment, costing nothing, to swearing that
it was very costly and damaging ad-
vertisement. Something about that
blamed boycott seemed to hurt. The
lawyers got iniunctions out, and the ir-
responsible courts easily were induced
to put the screws on.
Still the people wouldn't buy the
stoves. They had way of dropping
away from a store that did handle
them. From a position in front the
stoves passed to the rear Then to the
basement and finally to the junk man.
The lawyers kept on lawing. Hundreds
of thousands of dollars We're contribut
ed by millionaires to the lawyers to
fight organized labor But the boycott
never slept.
Every once in while organized labor
and its many friends outside the ranks
hit the Bucks people rap. Sometimes
feeble one. Sometimes hard one.
Sometimes foolish lick. But every
lick and blow, however feeble and use
less, advertised the boycott and pro
duced its cumulative effect.
At last the Bucks people grew tired
They wanted to sell stoves and ranges
They could not do so to any satisfac
tory extent without peace with or
ganized labor. They made peace. Where
no union man was allowed; where it
was sworn no union man ever should
go; where money backed by law did all
it could and all it dared, there today
walks the union workman and union
fellows only work with him.
1t will take a long time to get over
the trouble. The boycott that is al
lowed to continue for years acquires a
momentum that will not slow down in
a few weeks. A quarter of a century
ago famous watch case mandatory
tried out the issue with organized labor.
In three years it capitulated, but for
more than three years after this it re
ceived back watches and had orders
and Australia. Some of its trade it
never recovered. A lurking suspicion
in the minds of working men turned its
product down without a word, and the
retail dealer did not know why.
So the Bucks people will find that
this contest with organized labor is like
a battle field that requires years of
nature to cover over with trees and
vines and briars. Not until the in
famous proceedings in the United
States courts that grew out of the
Bucks fight have been dismissed and
labor assured its rights to buy where
it pleases and publish to the world, its
friends and enemies will the Bucks peo-
pie find the boycott forgotten.