The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1911-03-18
HORACE GREELEY
FOR The UNION
w AN EDITORIAL PUBLISHED
SIXTY YEARS AGO THE GREAT
EDITOR STOOD OUT FOR JUS.
TIcE TO THE JouRNEYMEN
PRINTERS.

whenever he touched the welfare
OF the common people of this country.
especially the organized workers,
horace Greeley's pen rang true and
ms thoughts were full of wisdom on
FEB. 8, 1851, he published in his pa
Per- The New York Tribune, which
was then one of the most influential
dailies In the country, an editorial
which stated the case of the printer
or that day with remarkable clear
ness and force. The editorial is a..
follows:
An earnest effort is now beinj
made by the great mass Of journey
men printers of this city to place
their calling on a basis of Justice and
security. They do not ask nor expect
nigh wages; on the contrary, their
average recornpense per hour at the
rate prescribed in their scale is less
than that of the matters, shipwrights,
olaeksmiths or almost any other trade
requiring intelligence and capacity
commensurate with theirs. They do
not claim the right Of themselves to
establish and regulate the prices even
OF their own labor, for they began
by inviting the employers as a class
TO confer and unite with them in a
free and friendly council, wherein the
rates of compensation for all descrip-
tons of Journey work at printing
should be established by mutual and
general consent. Such q scale, once
adopted, would have been binding on
both parties until changed by mutual
consent. Al good portion OF the EN-
ployers responded to the invitation by
holding one or two meetings, but con-
cluded by simply rejecting (19 to 14l
the scale proposed by the journey
and adjouTning without delay. They
suggested no modification, proposed
no substitute; they gave the Journey
men no ultimatum. no chance to UNI
derstand what portions or provisions
of their scale were deemed inadmissl.
ble' and what notifications would
render 1t acceptable. The only alter
native practically offered to the Jour
neymen was this: Submit to work at
as many different rates and under as
many different sets of regulations as
the several hundred different employ
eTs in the city may see fit to establish
and to change at their own good will
and pleasure. or-heip yourselves
Scale Accepted by Many.
Thus, repealed, the journeymen
have waited, deliberated, reasoned. ex-
postulated, and finally, giving ample
notice of their resolve, fixed Feb. /
as the day on and after which
their scale should be the common
measure OF their duties, their rights
and their recompense while working as
journeyman printers within this city.
Most Of the employers have acceded
to their scale, and the great mass OF
the work In our city is now executed
and paid for in accordance Herewith.
The daily journals have nearly all ac-
ceeded to it promptly and cheerfully.
The Journal OF Commerce is a con-
spicuous and natural exception.
journal Makes War.
The Journal is not content with
rejecting the scale and refusing to
employ any journeyTnen who respect
1t. That paper engages in a bitter and
disingenuous warfare on those who
framed and support it. II stigmatizes
the printers union as self consti-
tuted tribunal, when in fact that UNI
ion was expressly authorized and I'M
structed to frame scale of prices
by aregularly called and fully attend
ed meeting of the whole body of jour-
neymen printers seven or eight months
ago. 1t speaks of the scale as an
'edict' OF said self constituted tribun-
al utterly concealing the facts that
the printers union embraces employ
ers as we'll as iourneyn1en, and that the
employers as a class have been invited
entreated and patiently waited for, to
unite in forming d scale which should
be satisfactory to and binding upon
all.
1T dTags in certain regulations Of the
printers scale of a distant city In order
to. excite prejudice against those of
this city which contain no such pro-
visions. 1t talks loudly OF liberty ana
'dictation, but seems to have no idea
OF any right on the part Of the jour-
neynen mechanics to frame general
regulations as to the hours OF their
own labor and the rates Of it's COM
pensaticn. carefully avoiding any clear
statement Of the principles involved
In this contest. The Journal virtually
maintains a craed which would make
of every printing onace despotisn,
every employer an autocrat. aEerv
jouTnnyrnan a slave. with the single
exception That he might run away.
without dread Of arrest and return un-
der the fugitive slave law.
Stands fer Despotisrs.
$50 long as he remains In an once
he must work for sucl1 prices, DUR
Ins such hours and Under such Tcgu-
tasionz iii every respect as the ems
pioyer may see DIT 10 djctats, sub1tct
to any change wainia that employers
cnpricc or pupiAiky naay dictAfe
New, witfesit presenting that tns
5oarmsy7aeH's scale Ii in al respects
pegfeek, and deeply resrettirs that the
employers az d class have not seen
fiji I'd participate III feTTnsns d scale,
whieh Should be thbiFs also, We yes
Yepai Gs4a principles Oh wficl The
J0urnai pgoeaeds and tfas epuFss til
wffish trey Isavs iEspeiisd IT, eons
daeteT. There ssaould 20 4 regular scale
6f pficss and e0ds of regulations IN
each trade. binding alike On employ
ers AFid 5eAFrsvrsen and eenelusiva
IN ali eaaea 1T difference iiiegy to arise
between them as 10 their reciprocal
duties and fsslite.
Wasss shsuid - unlfeFnsr
stTfsre ought not to BE one rate If