Jump to content

Page:The Economic Journal Volume 1.djvu/188

From Wikisource
This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.
166
THE ECONOMIC JOURNAL

turned to work for the firm, and apparently the boycott was at an end. About a year after, however, the firm found that in some seven or eight towns the boycott broke out with great vigour and without apparent reason. Inquiry being made in the distant localities, where the goods of the firm could not be sold, it was found that some zealous trade unions acting, as they thought, in a spirit of 'pure fraternity,' were energetically persuading their members, and all whom they were able to influence, not to buy the goods of this firm. As soon as the actual position of affairs was explained to these unionists they admitted they had been hasty in their action, and promised to look into the matter. But the boycott still continued and with increased vigour. The firm was absolutely unable to find out who was responsible for this partial blockade of their trade, and therefore, as a final resort, locked out the whole of their employés, to whom they suggested the desirability of finding out from their fellow-workmen why their produce was boycotted. This brought about a speedy investigation by the representatives of organized labour, who came to the conclusion that the boycott was an outrage unwarranted by any of the circumstances of the case. In this way the boycott ended. It was suggested by the examiners of the Bureau that some other manufacturers may have been selfishly interested in stopping the sale of the goods of a rival, and might have assisted to keep on the boycott. The possibility of such action was admitted by the firm, but no definite evidence could be given on that point. This lock-out lasted Eve weeks, and entailed a wage loss of $50,000. Another employer gave direct evidence to show that in a very similar case rival producers had assisted to circulate the printed notices proclaiming the boycott. In this case the boycott was made so effective that the employer had to give way, although the strike which led up to the stoppage of his trade had been settled a year before.

The trade unions made no secret of their policy in such cases. For instance a carpenter said: 'Our organization is in sympathy with every other trade. Whenever any other union boycotts, we assist them to the best of our ability.'

A cigar-maker testified that his organization used the boycott. Their method is special and peculiar. The union has a label called the 'union label,' and the members of the society all through the States and in Canada boycott all places where cigars are sold that do not bear the union label. The effect of this was to stop the trade not only of tobacco shops selling the prohibited articles, but it extended also to stores, hotels, and saloons selling