742 



STRIKES. 



was elected its presiding officer. Ho resumed 

 his legal prac.tie.e in Louisville on his retire- 

 ment from the Cabinet; was a delegate to the 



National ( ''invention of iNfiS, wliich nominated 

 (Jen. ({rant, for the presidency, mid al<o to that 



of 1870, but supported (Jov. Cleveland in the 

 canvass of IHH4. He WHH a professor in the 

 luw dcpiirtinent, of tin-. I University of Louisville 

 in 185(> T)H and IH7fi-'79. 



NTRIKIX. Strikes lire. by no means new prod- 

 ne.ls of industrial discontent. They liave, it, 

 is true, increased numerically as the laboring- 

 classes have grown in organization and num- 

 bers; for, as capital lius become, more power- 

 ful, labor lias Income more rebellious. There 

 can be, however, no strike without previous 

 organization among the strikers, and such or- 

 ganization among men of Anglo-Saxon decent, 

 almost, invariably takes the form of a guild or 

 trades-union. History toadies us that guilds, 

 or unions of the different trades, have existed 

 in Europe for many centuries, and this system 

 of organization (or at least a tradition of it,) 

 was, no doubt, brought to thiso cuntry by those 

 mechanics who immigrated hither prior to the. 

 Revolution. It is easy to imagine that at first 

 the conditions of society were such that every 

 worker could dictate the terms upon which he 

 would labor, without the intervention or inter- 

 ference, of others of his craft, but the need or 

 convenience) of organization must, have ben] 

 felt at an early date, for we find a ''Calkcrs' 

 Club" existing in Moston a score of years prior 

 to our national Independence, and a trades 

 union of bout and shoe makers vigorously 

 flourishing in Philadelphia in I7D2. The first- 

 mentioned society is remembered because from 

 it we have derived the word "caucus," nnd the 

 latter organization has not been forgotten be- 

 cause the early law reports have considerable 

 to say about the doings of its members. 



There were strikes that created much com- 

 ment in Philadelphia in I?'.)* and IH05; 

 there, was trouble between the master and the 

 journeymen cord wainer- in 1'ittshiirg as early 

 as IHIO; nnd New York witnessed the trial 

 of a score or more of strikers in 1809. Space 

 doe; not permit more than a reference, to 

 these, cases, hut it, is interesting to note, that 

 the term Hi-n.lt was in constant use by the 

 strikers in 17!)8, that them were then irulkin<i 

 (lt'll<ilcx (then called tr/t.ini>iii(j c,oin.inil,t,i<i'.), and 

 that, the word turnout was used instead of 

 xtril,-c. It may be also noted, for the henelit of 

 those curious in philological matters, that the 

 word "scab" is used by Shakespeare in 

 " Coriolanus,"Act I., Se. I ; "Troilus and Cn>- 

 ida," Act II., Se. I.; "King Henry IV.," 

 Part a, Act. III., Sc. 2. 



Strikes during IHHli greatly outnumbered 

 those, during Is.sfi. The reason of this is prob- 

 lematical. The former year was- peculiarly 

 noted for the, organization or combination of 

 labor; and possibly this may, to an extent, ac- 

 count for the result. |)uring the same year 

 there was also urn 'h political organization oil 



the part of laborers, and it is not improbable 

 that the resultant agitation was productive of 



strikes among the industrial classes. 



Tin; following is a list of the recent strikes 

 in the United States, as nearly complete as it. is 

 praeticable to make it: 



Agricultural-Machinists. Chii-ttyo. -Feb. 16, IKSfi. 

 About. I,:;oo employes nt' MeCormiek Reaper Works 

 Strike for difduifnt of all noii union hands. 



Feb. 17. Switchmen on Chicago, Burlington and 

 Quinr.y Hail road refuse, to switch curs laden witli 

 Mei '.imic.k good* or supplies. 



Murdi 1. li order uiiiong striker , nnd 'inn p-ilicc- 

 nicn guard works. The strike lulled, and strikers 

 gradually returned to work. 



May f>, 1880. A bout 2,000 employe's ol I >< < nn-/ Har- 

 vester Works strike for eight iiours and 20 pei .-.nt,. 

 advance, in ATI 



May l'(. Settled by cin[iloyerH granting eight hours 

 arid 16 per cent.. advance. 



Bakera. M-.w York City. April 14, 1880. l'..,he- 

 mian bdkcr.s cniplovvd liy Mrs. Ijindgruf strike for 

 higher pay and discharge of non-union bakers. I'.o.y- 



I'ott, dl'.-|;,|i'd. 



April 21. >iews]p:iper8 open subscriptionH for Mrs. 

 Landyzafi 



May 5. Seventeen strikers and hoycotters in- 

 dicted. 



. I une 28. Mrs. LundgraPs liorscs and wagons .sold 

 to pav debts. 



.tuiv !i. Mrs. Liuiilgnif sells out her business. 



PUMVfff, l'<i.- -May :i, 1886. Bakers at I'itt bug 

 Mlrikr for shorter hours. 



May 11. Fears of bread famine. 120 out of IW 

 l>:ikeric., -|,, ,.,| 



July IIO. Strike ended ; employe yield to de- 

 mands of the. workmen. 



Basket-Makers. /''/t/V;///v/, Fa. Juno 18, 1HST. 

 Kmployes in |, U sk< t hotORM ,-trike lor more ]>ay. 

 BtrijU settled by inut.iial concessions. 



Boatmen. , \< : n< Yrk ('if//. .Inly '{, I8si;. Owners of 



8(1 vessels refu.-e. to lighter coal exe.ept, at advaner.l 

 rates. 



.Ian. 27, 1H87. /See, (bnl-//nHtllrn.) 



Box-Makers. /;/'///////, N. )'. Sent, 4, 18Ki; 

 i-m|ilo\(',s in Smith's box-fiidory .strike for advance n I' 

 !jc; a week ; they had been getting JjU-'i n week. 



1'1'1,-ni/i,. Sept,. 2V, I88(i. 700 box-makers strike 

 for '., per cent, and \'.> per cent, advance in fourteen 

 out of 1C> factories. 



Brass- Workers. Clic'tyo. A pril 80, 1880. 850 

 employes of the 1'nion lirass Manuliu:turing <'om 

 pany strike for the e,ight-hoiir system. 



\i'ii' //"///, ('nun. April 17, I SHU. Having n. I ed 

 for and olitained an advance of lo per cent, wages, 

 and relinoilishment, ol tlie eont i:i'-l : \ Icm, employ i s 

 of I'eck it Co. struck because of di.seharge of one 

 union nun. 



April 27. Striker., return to work uneomlitionally. 



\i'/i< }>'//,' rill/. Oct. -I, ISHIi. Kmployes of loiir 

 linns strike against IIK-K -a e in the hours of labor. 



Nov. l, r >, IKKi;. JJrass- workers strike lor Saturday 

 hall' holiday. 



.Ian. 7, 1887. Strike settled l,y mutual concessions. 



/;/',//////, A', y. Sept. 84. |s7. 5,000 brass- 

 workers strike for Satunlay hair-holiilay. 



Nov. , r i, I8H7. Strike seltlcil l>\ mutual eonc(^sioliK. 



riii,-in.nati< (). May 2, 1887. Kmployesof I ! 

 berg & Co. striker for shorter hours. 



Brewers. Milint.uk, <-, ll'/x. May I, I8sc>. About 

 2,ooo hrewers strike for eight hour svslem. 



A',//> York Otty. July 19,1888. Driven for Her- 

 man l.rewerv strike lieeitu e ol' discharge of one un 

 ion man. lie was reinstated and strike, ended. 



riiili:,li-lj>hiii. Dec. 2:1, I SHI;, (iencral strike. ,,f 

 employes 111 lager-beer breweries for higher wages. 



About ,''.,000 men go OUt. 



tit. Louis. Sept. 1, 1H8I). Strike of employe's of 



