Secrist—The Anti-Auction Movement of 1828. 
149 
THE ANTI-AUCTION MOVEMENT AND THE NEW YORK 
WORKINGMEN’S PARTY OF 1829 
HORACE SECRIST. 
The following paper is a part of a larger investigation of the Anti- 
Auction Movement. This study was undertaken primarily to test the 
assertion made by some students of the early American Labor Move¬ 
ment that the Workingmen’s Party of New York City was a direct 
outgrowth of the Anti-Auction Movement of 1828. 
The sale of goods: at auction even in large quantities during 
the period 1812 to 1830 was common to all the larger cities 
along the Atlantic coast. The chief center, however, was ISTew 
York City. Before 1812 such sales had created no alarm, for 
the importing and retail business was chiefly in the hands of 
home merchants. Goods were generally of uniform quality, 
and the importers responsible men. 1 But by 1828, sales had 
passed into the hands o)f foreigners, 2 or their agents, who took 
advantage of the loose methods at the custom houses, of the 
facilities for undervaluation, of long time credits for custom- 
duties, etc., and the practice became oppressive. 3 The first de¬ 
termined stand taken against the auctions by blew York City 
was in 1828; although protestations had been registered in 
meetings as early as 1802, 4 and memorials frequently addressed 
to Cbngress on the subject in 1817, 18, 19, 20, 21, and 1824. 5 
These memorials had not borne definite fruit,, although they had 
put Congress in possession of the facts, and had created consid- 
1 Remarks upon the Auction System, etc., p. 8. 
2 Tbree-fourths-four-fifths of import trade in tbe bands of foreigners, 
Niles Register, Vol. 35, p. 209, Nov. 29, 1829. 
3 Goss: Tariff Administration in the United States, p. 37. 
4 New York American, Jan. 16, 1829, p. 2, col. 3. 
e Workingmen’s Advocate, Dec. 12, 1829. 
