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»ss ILE. Sf! K . m a 1 *. VOL, I, NUMBER 11. TROY, N. Y., JULY 17, 1886. PRICE 3 CENTS, CLEAR THE WATt. k. Muiotttouglitl M Bp AMlstlrrlsg NiKbt kjt^aar. 8owiai6seed,w't^ww me curtain. Men ot action: aid and cheer mem m s T . AS r e may! There's a fount aboac to stream, There’S a Uglit about to be«m, Theri's a wtnnm about to glow, There's a mldcigat bUckness chaoglig Into g te j: Men ol thought and men of action Clear tbe way I M In Onoe the welcome light has broken, Who shall s ir What me uDimigtned glories o r m e d a jr CLIKWrODMYTKOBELl THE AORBBMENT OT UABCH 18, WHICH FTTit.TO, WARUBIT * OO. HATE TIOLATED. The press of the city seem determined to do what they can to throw the onns What the erU taat anau peilsti la Re ray r Aid the dawtlDg, to&goeuid p8Hi Aid It, tu>p;s ot honeat men; Aid It piper; aid it type; Aid It, lor the hoar Is ripe; And onr eeroeK must cot titclran Into play! Men ol thought and men oi action, Clear the way I Loi aclond’aabo^to Tsclah Froatm d a y i And a brazen wrong to crumble Into clay I Loi the Right's abemt to eoaqwT! Clear thewayi with tee R^ht ^lall many more inter Mniiing a t the door; With the giant Wrong shall tall Many others great and small. That lot ages long haye h ell ne For their prey: Men ot thui^ht and meo ot action i Clear the way! A POOR RULE THAT WON’T WORK ; BOTH WAYS. He was a locked-out carpenter and in . quest of a job from an employer who possessed sympathy with the bard lot of those doomed to the rontine toil of wage slavery. “Are you in want of a hand ?” he asked of a sleek and well-fed member of the Builders’ association, as he leaned oat of . his carriage in front of a row ot build- “Tee,” smd tne employer, “I am.” *T want a job,” said tbe man afoot, as he laid his hand upon tbe tire of a front “Are yon a member of cither one of tbe carpenters’ organizations ?” asked the well-fed man in the buggy. “I am a member of one of these organ izations,” replied the anzioufl joarney- “Well, sir,” said the boas, “I’ll employ yon, if yon wiU do one thing.” “What is that?” “Bring me a written agreement from your organization that will show that you have sev»ed yonr connection with it.” “I will d o il,” 8aid the workman, “pro vided you wiUsever yonr connection with tbe Builders' asBOciation.’' “I can’t do that.” “Why not ?” “Because I would have to violate my pledge of honor.” “ Your pledge of honor?” \Do you suppose that I have no sense of honor ?” replied the carpenter. “My obligations,” said he, “are as sacred to me as any yon have taken upon yourself. 1 may not get work from yon, but I will never desert my colors on that account. Good day, sir.” SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT. Opinions grounded upon prejndice are always maintained with the greatest vio- True unionism has a higher motive than personal squabbles or factional wire pulling. To-day the workingmen are fighting aristocracy in the old world and mon opoly in the new. A man who gives his children a habit of industry provides for them belter than by giving them a stock of money. It was Victor Hugo, the poet, tbe patriot, the intellectual colossus of this century, who said: “To destroy the evils under which we groan there is no method but revolution. Mark and remember it! Those who make nothing by law or by force have all. It is your own. Do yon now be men. Cringe not and beg tor that which is thine own-, but, since it is thine own, go and take it.” The form of association, if mankind continues to improve, that must be ex pected in tbe end to predominate, is not that which can exist tetween a capitalist as chief, and work people withont a voice in (he management, but the associ ation .of tbe laborers themselves, on terms of equality, collectively owning the capita] with which they carry on their operations and working under managers elected or removaMe by them selves,—John Sluart Mill. of the recent disruption m tbe arbitra tion between the Fuller & Warren Co. and the Knights of Labor upon tbe latter. The latter has charged that the company has lived up to none of its agreements, and in substantiation of this charge we publish the following, which is copied from the stenoghriipher’s notes. e Knigl copied from the stenoghrapi The questions were by Mr. BaUey, the answers for the most part by Mr. Walter P. Warren. Tbe Knights of Labor in one or two instances made replies or re marks, which the careful reader will readily discern. We do not feel at lib erty to make additions to these notes, even so much as to Indicate tbe speake There were present on the occasii Messrs. Hayes, Bailey and Ban^ General Executive Board of the of L a b o r; Messrs, Joseph Puller and Walter P . Warren ol h e Fuller & Warren Co., and Messrs. Cattanoob, Davie, Bib- bits, Pitts, Mansion, Hickey and Hogan of the Enigbts of Labor. John Bropby was also present. T rot , N. Y,. March 18, 1886. Mr. Warren, 1 understand you to say that you are willing to live up to 'every letter of the agroemeut ? 'The first part of this agreement Messrs. Fuller 4 Warren ^ e e that in future there shall be no discrimination against the members of the Knights of L‘>bor in any o t the departments of the Clinton stove works? Yes, sir. That those men employed in the ove moantlng and pattern makers’ de- rho wereere Knightsnights off Laborabor paitment who w K o L and expelled by D. A. 68, be suspended from work pending an invesliga'tioD, and until tifey have paid the penalty of violating their pledgee to the Knights of Labor? to give you a list to lay them Yea. sir. Yon also said, Me.‘^8rs. Fuller & War- m, when questioned how many men could yon put at work at once, you said aoout fifteen you thought? Y'e8,eii. Our people said there were in the neighborhood of tweuty-tive ot thirty who were expelled. They belug laid off would make room for forty or forty- Yes, sir. You also agree, Messrs. Fuller & War ren, that no new men shall be employed in the above departments until sU former employes who are members of the Knights of Labor are re.instated? The Executive Board said to you, that upon signing (he aboveagreemen(, which means carrying it oat, the Executive Board will at once remove the boycott and recommend the Fuller 4 Warren Co. as wor^y of patronage by all members. Will yon hold any malice against any ot our members taking any band in ..the When our pec^e go back, and you people get figbtmg and refuse to employ tbs one and that one there will be a fight. You also said, Messrs. Fuller 4 Waiten, that you would have no objec tions to onr people getting their mem bers back who are in difiereut parts of tbe country, that worked for you pre vious to the strike? Is there anything else? We will allow you to state any other thing that has not Men said in reference to this agreement. I would like to know when the Clinton would start up, Messrs. Fuller 4 Wtr- ren, do you know what you said in ref erence to resuming work? 1’lea.se state. Wes&idwe would like to start upaa soon as we could get the molders. Didn’t yon say that yon would like to start up Apnl or May? I say now we would like to start up to-morrow. Have you any people at work now, Mr. Warren? Very few; only wood pattern makers, and Iron pattern filers. I tsked Mr. Mansion if there were any Knights of Labor in that shop, and he said no. Mr. Mansion said he could go to a telegraph office and nut this boycott on in five minutes. Let me say this; I don’t want any of you to say yon can go to a telegraph of fice and do something which you are not in power to do. The Executive Board are the only ones that can put on a boy cott. How many men were employed in this department, Messrs. Fuller 4 War ren, at the time it closed? Between forty and fifty meo, 1 think. There was abont ninely that originally worked there two years ago. Are all tbe names on this li tbe Knights of Labor ? We appear to understand the agree ment, and I think we will let this board present us the agreement. Is it satiafao torv to you? Messrs. Fuller 4 Warren, the agree ment being understood, and being satis factory to all. when do you think yon can start op ( My dear sir, I cannot tell yon. Have you a list of all tbe men ? We want to get ail of our men to work. We have men all over the country, and we wantto get them back. That is the list you want to present, We will give yon a written interpreta tion of them. We will also give Fuller & Warren a written interpretation. Weil, that’s all we wan(. Youou arere allll satisfiedtisfied youou shallt have a a sa y a ten interpretation ? tend to i t Is not that satiafsotory? For heaven out half-cockeu. If Messrs.«srs. Fulleruller F 4 Warren give us oc casion to place another boycott on their goods, it will be a great deal worse. Will ever go on? (Interruption.) ^boycott w ll never go on, said it. a boycott Then a boycott will ’ esers. Fuller 4 Wairei Are you satisfied? y « , you si right, gentlemen, we stand adjouned. HOW POOR GIRLS ARE VIUTIM- A correspondent ot the Detroit Labor Leaf thus describes the treatment of girls in two large factories of that city; Tbe shoe firm of Rotenson, Burten- shaw & Co. employ a man by the name of Colby, who has tha contract to de liver in a specified time a certain num ber ol pairs of ladies' shoes. This Colby 18 a fair specimen of a “robber of tbe nineteenth century.” Here are a few facts; The girlsheemploysmnst buy their own silk thread and needles from Colby at an enormous profit to him. For ex ample: a girl had n ot sent in her name for supplies for some time. Colby noticed this and questioned her about it. The girl replied that she bought her thread and needles outside, wherenpon Colby replied, “We do not want any In ferior material used upon our riioes; yon must buy it of me.” The girl refused to pay bis exhorbitant prices,' and was sum marily disoliarged. Hera is part of his price list, quality and quantity the same: Silk thread from Colby, $1: outside 90c. One girl tried to see bow much she conld turn out a day, and found that it she had been working piece-work she would have earned $1 from 7 o’clock in the morning until 10 o’clock. Every stitch after 10 o’clock was a clear profit to Colby. Is it any wduder that, at this rate of making money, Colby can present bis wife ivith a 5185 gold wsAch for a i Christmas gift ? The members of the firm undoubtedly are ignorant of this prac- In the laboratory of Parke,Dava 4 Co. are abuses that ought to be made public. The girls employed there work mostly piece-work. They have no means of knowing how mnch they earn a day. Their work when done is token from them and oonnted in the office. Then there axe some of the girls who are obliged at some seasons of the year to work from 6:80 a. m. to 10 o'clock p. m.; mark you standing there hours. The re - 1 creation they have consists of a half holi day on Wednesday—without pay of course. All this for the mtmiflcenC sum of from 93 to $4 a week. Now, a girl trying to make an honest living, cannot clothe and board herself on sneh wages; that is out of question. Another fine rule is that if any employe is late, no matter bow little, she is obliged to watt until 8 o’clock, thus lorii^ a quarter of a day. The firm of Parke, Davis 4 Co., or the members thereof, have fine mausions, horses and carriages, in fact enjoy all the luxuries, while the poor girls are barely keeping body and soul together working for a pittance. I ask any right-minded person; Is this equity ? Is this right ? Wherever you find land relatively low will yon not find wages relatively high? And wherever land is high, will yon find wages low? As land increases in value, poverty deepens and pauperism appears. —Henry Geoige. r subserme for the CLARION, i i a year. ^ T he E nfranchisement of M an , We have all of ns read the Arabian Nights, and all of us, no doubt, in out' childish minds, thought with wonder ment not unmized with awe, of those mighty genii who were slaves to tbe b id ding of the fortnnate man who- possessed the secret of their mastery. How we wished that each genii were not fabnlons, but might becompelled to serve mankind to-day. In tuose times, when genii transported men from place to place with startling rapidity, when they opened doors in solid rock, and did all the other marvels ascribed to them—in those far away times the mass of men were slaves to tbe few. Wc find the relics of their servitude in tbe pyramids, and in the Cyclopean architecture of the ruined cities o f the old world; we find the record of this servitude written in hieroglyphics crumbling walls, on rocks and tablets. These mighty achievements with which the present does not attempt to compete, are the monuments not only of human ' ambition, b u t ol human toil and untold agony. Those enduring blocks of granite were lifted to their resting places by the , sheer 'united Btrength of myriada o! men, whose recompense was tbe condescending consent of their royal taskmaster that they might live. Man was no genii; be possessed no f^isman save that of strength . and endurance; he seemed bom to slave, to suffer and to die. Not 80 very many years ago a boy sat by an English hearth while a tea kettle was singing its homely song. That boy was a wizard. Ho perceived what no before him ever had seen. He saw the breath of a genii ascend from that kettle; he commanded it to come forth, and iV obeyed him. He commanded it to do the work of many weary millions, and again it obeyed him. And to-day in factory and steamship, on iron roads and deep down in miues. tbe genii of the tea kettle is busy at bis labors, and through him man has become enfranchised. We once saw a railroad bridge in pro cess of repair. The genii of tbe tea kettle there. An engineer, playing a little with his machinery, directed the mighty monster in his wmk, Half a dozen men stood idly by and watched him while with giant hand he picked up a cedar log, which would have requited the strenstth of many men to lift, awnng it easily into an upright position, backed 'he engine up to tbe proper place, dropped tbe pile into position, and then with mighty blows hammered it into the ground. There was no numan labor. Tbe spirit of mechanical force—the genii of the tea kettle—has done it all. . When we contrast the coudilion of the laborer ot to-day with that of the slave of many years ago, we may realize what human invention has done for ns. Men no longer work in throngs under the cruel laah ot the overseer. With lerist- less strength and unerring accuracy tbe mighty arms of the genii stretch forth to lift tbe heavy burdens from their shoul ders; bis swift feet run hither and thither to do the errands of his human master, and to deliver their messages, while . another genii—the genii of tne clouds—has come to help him and out strip him in the latter business. Still another genii, more powcrfnl sltll, and sometimes both dangerous and treacbe- ons,opens tbe rocky doors to the recesses of the earth, and hews pathways through the very hearts of mountsins. Shortsighted indeed is the man who bewails the invention of machinery as an evil to the workingman. True, it unset tles tbe condition of things; but when the equilibriam has been once more re stored, tbe workman finds his work easier, ■ and his pay comparatively better. We cannot judge in a single day or genera tion of the effects of any measure ; but we must learn onr lesson from history by comparing one generation with another and one age with another, befewe we can rightly judge of the resuhiug good or evil. As we read the pictnre-stories of of tbe remote age of the world, before human invention bad in any way lifted the burdens from human endurance, and compare the ignorant, abject slaves of that time, with the independent intelli gent workmen ot to-day, who owns him self and has an interest in his govern ment, shall wc not say that man has be come enfranchised through the exercise of his own inventive feculties ? UsKKOWM K sioni, S hall L mmi 6 ration be C ueceed ? Shall immigrsAion and American citi zens be taxed 910 and 85 rea^tively on landing in oiuhparts ? Is immigration an evil ? Is the return ing of American citizens an evil? The taxation of $10 to a sober indus trious immigrant, who has become sick aod discouraged at the struggle for exist ence In his country, and who wishes to come here to improve his condition (the troe Knights of Labor, the material that mtfie I’owderlies and Ericsons and built up the brains and improvements of our country), is a serions hindrance; but to the anarchist, the lawless refugee, the contract-hired laborer—the pest of Europe sent here for riddance, what is $10 ? The contractor would soon get it back from bis slaves, the hunted felun is only too glad to give it for safety; and all Europie would jump at the chance of getting rid of its unworthy wretches at $10 apiece. The idea of taxing an American citizen for returning is simply amnsing. Y'on put a hindnmee to his coming back and cannot impose anything to prevent his leaving here. The eSect, it the sum was enough to speak of, would be that absen teeism would be very much promoted. Now, when a man makes up his mind to cross the ocean, he does it either for pleasure, iustcuction, business or duty, or because he prefers to live on the other side, and it is a matter of from one ban- dred to several thousand doUara Imagine tne awful influence that 95 wo'Jid have in the matter. Then sup posing the sum to be more, see the injus tice it would be to those who go for in- structiou, business or duty, while those who go for pleasure or to reside the most of their lives could well afford to pay $500 or $5,000, for nothing obliges them to return very often. Why should we want to discourage healthy immigration, unless we desire to go backward, (Chinese like)? Tbe ar rival of every able-bodied immigrant is a source ol national wealth. The least it would cost to rear, feed and bring up a child, until it become s.^lf-snstaining, is 91.000, or the small average of 966 per year for 15 years, not counting sick ness and tbe death of other members, which add so much to tbe cost of bring ing up a &mily. I would compute the average worth of immigrants to be nearer 95.000, but will leave it at $1,000, and the little earnings they bring with them as ettichiD g tbe conutry by miiiions. In other words, to build those people up as they come here, there has been a drain upon others of $1,000 per head, which oar people ate not obliged to pay, tor they come here ready equipped to pro duce and consume to an equal extent, while tbe American brought-np citizen mnst be a drain to this country to the amonnt ot $1,000 before he reaches this Bat you will claim, and rightly too, immigration undermines tbe relations between capital and labor by displacing nakve workmen, as often as they try to better their condition. So cfotho mfluenccs of money, machin ery, law, natural ^encles, competitions, adaptabilltv of employers aud other causes, which are in themselves tbe product of a higher civilization; but under ihc grinding effect of bad laws, brought about by greed and unrestrained by tbe people who suffer, through their ignorance and lack of forsight. In my opinion tbe solution to the im migration question lies in the adoption of such laws as the f&Ilowing : 1st. No immigrant should be allowed to land who is unable to earn his living; unsound in mind and body, unfit lor human society, or bionght ov « a by con- 2d. That the government send those withont destination to colonize land, giv ing them adequate assistr ' 3d.d. Thathat those who 3 T bodies, their some corpora with the above if upon inquiry tbeburcan of immigration abaft find that they are intended to displace American labor, 4th. That the skilled mechanics (we have nothing to fear from a skilled me- cbauic,) be lurued over to tbe labor or ganizations who will recognize him and class him as one ot their number, pro vided he signifies his intention of becom ing an American citizen. PopiL OP 4865. Workingmen subscribe fortheCLABiOH It is yonr paper. It is devoted to youi iaterest, aud you should support it. CUT THE HOURS OE LACOR. Machinery was revealed to tbe world to lighten the burdens of tbe toilers. It 18 a gift from God, for the good of all humanity, and not a thing of accident; not for the good of a few, and a terrible scourge to the many, as .we find it under our present long-hour system. See how fearful Its effects are upon the poor, snatching their working hours by which they won their bread, and forcing (hem into a position that makes them both helpless and worthless. These unfortunates need employment; but onr cruel, blind system denies them the right to exist as producers. Their work is not required, their means of ex istence is now cut off. Do we need plainer facts than these ? Let us assist one another to shorten the hours of labor. Let ns make room at the table for those who have been denied. Let every one eat who is willing to provide, for many hands makes labor light. Out tbe hours of labor till you have made room for all tbe idlers, and then, and not till then, will we realize what general prosperity means. Tbe capitalist stands defiant, holding the weight of power. .\nd how is it that he bolds so much, 1 lak ? Are we not all free men ? The law says we are all free. Then if we are all free, where is the loop-hole that admits of so much disproportion? I hear some one say their wealth, their money. Moonshine and nonsense, it is not true. The laws of the United States treat all classee alike. But it is this inhuman system, of which one of the'greatest abases is long working hours. This is the system that steals your liberty, it turns men into cowards and staves You are doing youz brothers’ or sisters' shore of the work as well as yonr own, while they are forced to beg for a living, and beg for the ver'y job yon arc working at for less than you are getting, forcing them to sell their liberty, and yours at the same time. This is the loop-hole; this is the grand secret; this 18 the market place where you dispose of your liberty. Let ns be free men. Do not let us sdl our birthright, our freedom, to sat isfy our immediate wants. Let us suffer yet a little more if necessary to cut down the hours of labor. Cut them down and show no quarter, for if we were working hut three boors per day instead of ten, we would be far better off than we are to-day. It is a long lane, (hey say 'with truth, that has no (uining. But now we are nearing a coange, w d let us hope for the time coming, when we can afford to look back aad see wuat long-winded simpletons we have been. 3275. A LONG STEF FORWARD. Tbe biU legalizing the incorporation of national trades nnioos, givmg them thereby the right to acquire and hold property, to enact laws tor the proteo tion of their wages, to sue and be sued, etc., having pasecd both houses of Con gress and being signed by the I ’resident, is now a law. Wepredicted months ago, that such a law would be passed in the near future, bat were hardly willing to believe that its passage would come so soon. Nor would it have come at all, had i t n ot been for the agitation of the labor question, which Congress could not ignore. In the face of such a success, agitators can well afford to pocket all the foul abuse heaped upon them by the or gans of monopoly, consobng themselves with the knowledge that after all, their work has not been in vain. Labor or ganizations should hasten to avail them selves of the benefits of this law and be come incorporated at once. In a short time capitalists, who are at present so fond of “going for” trades unions, will call a halt, when confronted by a body, recognized in law, and will thiuk twice, before engaging in a conflict with labor and capital. For the incorporation of the unions will have the effect of increasiDg the funds, by every member being legally held to the prompt payment ot hiaduea and 'will thus give the national anion tbe necessary means to carry any contest, which may t>e forced npon them in the courts to a snccessfol issue. Unril now a trade union had no legal standing; hence forth every national union, can, If it chooses, become a corporation, with the same tights before the law, as tbe Mis souri Pacific or the Standard Oil Com pany, It is a long step forward in the march of human progress.—Mechanic’s
