TRADE-UNIONISM. 551 



ers or employed. &quot;When the Black Death had swept away a 

 large part of the population (more than half it is said) so 

 that the number of workers became insufficient for the work 

 to be done, wages rose immensely, and maintained their 

 high rate notwithstanding all efforts to keep them down by 

 laws and punishments. Conversely, there have been numer 

 ous cases in which strikes have failed to prevent lowering of 

 wages when trade was depressed. Where the demand for 

 labour is great, wages cannot be kept down ; and where it is 

 small, they cannot be kept up. 



832. What then are we to say of trade-unions? Under 

 their original form as friendly societies organizations for 

 rendering mutual aid they were of course extremely bene 

 ficial; and in so far as they subserve this purpose down to 

 the present time, they can scarcely be too much lauded. 

 Here, however, we are concerned not with the relations of 

 their members to one another, but with their corporate rela 

 tions to employers and the public. Must we say that though 

 one set of artisans may succeed for a time in getting more 

 pay for the same work, yet this advantage is eventually at 

 the expense of the public (including the mass of wage- 

 earners), and that when all other groups of artisans, follow 

 ing the example, have raised their wages, the result is a 

 mutual cancelling of benefits ? Must we say that while ulti 

 mately failing in their proposed ends, trade-unions do 

 nothing else than inflict grave mischiefs in trying to achieve 

 them? 



This is too sweeping a conclusion. They seem natural to 

 the passing phase of social evolution, and may have bene 

 ficial functions under existing conditions. Everywhere ag 

 gression begets resistance and counter-aggression; and in 

 our present transitional state, semi-militant and semi-indus 

 trial, trespasses have to be kept in check by the fear of retali 

 atory trespasses. 



Judging from their harsh and cruel conduct in the past, 



135 



