Democratic Sentinel, Volume 7, Number 6, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 March 1883 — Typographical Unions. [ARTICLE]

Typographical Unions.

.. . Remarks or Mb. Voorhees Thareon • in the United States Senate. An Indorsement of Their Organiza tions AND Defense of Their Right to Protect Labor. Io the United States Senate Saturday. February 24th, the provision in the Legislative. Executive and Judicial appropriation bill increasing the salary of the Public Printer created spirited.discussion, during which Typographical Associations and Unions were assailed. The discussion was participated in by Messrs. Anthony, Hale, Plumb and others, but not one tvord favorable to the laborers was uttered by them. Mr Voorhees finally secured the floor and said: Mr. Voorhees —Mr. President. I want to submit a few words on behalf of .he printers. There are two two sides of a question. It seems that only one side of this question has been heard on this floor. The Presiding Officer -The Senator from Indiana has the floor. Mr. Morgan I beg pardon. I mere* ly wished to ask the question of the i Senator from Kansas before he tcok Lis seat. '

Mr. Plumb—There would be no trubk in filling the Govermcnt Printing Office f om every atate in tbs Union with printers who do not be long to the Typographical Union. It is a thing of the past almost. The Senator Tom Connecticut (Mr. Haw ley). I have no doubu, himself can bear witness to the fact that it has been largely broken up iu the last few years,and tint it does not exist at all in some States. Mr. Morgan—There were in 1880, according to t e census returns, 72, 726^j rinters in the United States, and I suppose that tight to supply a sufficient number for the Government Office.

Mr. Voorhees—l rose, Mr. Presi •ident, for the purpose of sayit-gafew words in behalf of tbe printers. It would seem from the debate the Inst half hour here as if they were a very dangerous class of people. Erom tbe unbroken strain of amazed and indignant talk on this subject it would seem that this Government had been outraged and plundered by them. That is not my understanding. My understanding is that a more painstaking. conscientious, hard working class of people does not live than the printeis who are now in question. If they have commit ed any abuse on any public interest I .should like to have it pointed out. I should like to know what they have done. Have they received two much pay for their i work ? I should like to see a Senator I who will rise here and say so. Mr. Plumb - Wil the Senator from Indiana permit me to direct his attention to one point? Mr. Voorhees-If you want to answer that point. Mr. Plumb—l want simply to state the abuse I speak of. While they want to labor lor themselves and do good labor and valuable labor, they insist that nobody else shall labor except at their beck Mr Voorhees —I will come to that directly. Let us take things as they are presented: I want to settle some t ings as I go along Ido not understand that anybody pretends that these men got too mucu pay for their work. I want to settle another point: I do not understand that anybody pretends that they do not do their work well. So we have two great propositions in employment and labor; oue is that the work is done well, and the other is that they do not get too much pay for it. Then I should like to know what the trouble is The Senator from Kansas says the trouble is teat they are assoated together so that their wage shall not be reduced by somebody coming in and working for less. That is about the plain statement, siMi Plumb— No; I did not state it that way. Mr. Voorhees—The Senator did not state it thatway, but that is all that he said. Mr. Plumb The Senator from Indiana is too fair to misstate me so grossly us thaty Mr, Voorhees—J do not protend that tuat was your statement, but that wai the pojut of it. Mr. Plumb - You say that is what I said. I did not state it.

Mr. Voorlieei—l will correct my/self, then. Of course I mean that the Senatoi said so iu substance. I repeat it, the Senator from Kansas said that they would nut allow other people to work in so many words. That is uot true, and he will have to correct his statement a little as well as I shall have to correct mine. Ibe Senator said that they were associated so as not to allow men to come in and underwork them and thus reduce rheir wages. Mi. Plumb—No; that is not the statement I made. Mr. Voorhees— I did not say it was the statement. I say that is what you m-> mt. Mr. Plumb—lt is not what I meant. Mr. Voorhees—Toen what did vou mean?

Mr. Plumb—My meaning is that they will not let any person work unless he first joins their Association and subscribes io their rules. Mr. Voorhees -And Work at the same wages. Mr: Plumb—But it is more than a question of wages. tis general di reetion and control in the relation of labor

Mr Voorhees—l do not remember how the Senator from Kansas voted on the Chinese ques ion, but I know the idea of protecting American labor from the competition of cheap Chinese labor swayed this entire Congress, both the Senate and Hojse, I believe in fact as J turn my eye io the Chair as it is now occupied that about the only conspicuous and distinguished opponent of that idea is now in the Chair. I do not remember the eloquence of r he Senator from Kansas or anybody else’s particularly, except that of the Senator from Massachusetts [Mr Hoar] now in the Chair, against the proposition which we were then putting in the form of a law that labor in this country should not be brought in contact with cheap labor from China.

I said I intended to say something for the printer, I want to talk on his side for a little while. The way he is th»s; He has as much right to protect hiiqself in the wages that give him bread and shehep and c|oth 4ng as other people have to protect themselves. Is it wrong that they associate together? To hear the Senator from Maine (Mr. Hale) and other Senators .it would seem as if there was a sort of Cataline conspiracy.. There\ is not an Association in the world, either of tilent, or la or, or capital, that does not do exactly the saiue thing A medical Association fixes the fees, and if one of their number comes

And administers quinine for less than the agreed fees be will be expelled from that Association. It is the same principle exactly with theTypograpb leal Union, iheyssya num must work at particular wages. The physicians of the countiysay me same thing, and if cne is employed at less than the agreed pri e those who are already employed will walk away from the bedside of sickness and leave you to die. In many cases the Bar hate their associations and agree* meats also. Goi g still further, ta e up the great industries oi the country. Take the Wool Gro wers’Association* the Iron Mongers’ Association, the Spinners’ Association. Liq tor Deal ers* Association, to say nothing o. that mastr r of -11 associated stiengtht the National Banking Association. No words of reproach for them; no outcry; no danger; but the Typographical Union, those men who work day and night at their printers’ cases, Mem ♦<» alarm Senators. They do not alarm me. lam much more alarmed at the National Bunging Association which meets eveiy year at Saratoga to have | heir annual cc&gress, when the champagne corks pop and the terrapin is good, and they lay-down lines of financial policy agreed upon in luxury and splendor, und come down here to dictate to this Congress from end to end of this. Capitol, and every Senator knows it.

Theve typos are not dictating here The Senator from Kansas is alarmed; oth«*r Senators are alarmed, and they say this thing had better be met on the threshold. Let us meet it on the threshold, but let us not have a Dest in a teapot on the threshold. Talk about Congress being dictated to by associated capital, ass elated talent; * ut lees than on any otner subject will it be dictated to by Government printers. Sir. associated talent, associated wealth, associated labor have govern ed the world in all times, and they will continue to do so. It is just as legitimate and just as innocent and harmless, and more so. for these people who toil with their hands and make their Associations to pioteet them in their rights as it is to those who are more powerful. I presented a pap?r here this morning from an association known as workers in iron und steel in my State, and I want them to have their voice heard. It is an association of men who delve in the earth and Who work in the blast-furnaces and all that. I believe theyjhaye as much right to be heard here as tne National Association of banks. Yet h,w different would have been rhe reception of a memorial of the annual Nutioaal Banking Association held at Saratoga from that which was given to those workers in iron and steel, und how differently we would speak of some thing the National Banking Association was doing from that which we speak of the poor Government print ers down here with no voice on this floor.

Mr. Piesident, I cnn generally be counted on on that side which is not here to speak for itself. It seems to me that therj are plenty to speak on the other side. It seems to me there are plenty to get up here a sort of fictitious alarm about Government printers, who do work and get none too much pay, and who do not want to be underworked by others. We have bad the most eloquent appeals here about the protection of American labor. That is just what this Ty pographical Union are doing; they are protecting American labor in their own profession and calling.