A life's secret; a story
Mrs. Henry Wood
Paperback
(RareBooksClub.com, May 16, 2012)
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1901 Excerpt: ...at home." "Why don't you join the Union?" cried Sam. "All do, who ai-e good men and true." "All good men and true don't," dissented the man. "Many of the best workmen among us won't have anything to do with Unions; and you know it, Sam Shuck." "Just clear out of this," said Sam. "When I've had my say," returned the man, "not before. If I would join the Union, I can't. To join it, I must pay five shillings, and I have not got them to pay. With such a family as mine, you may guess every shilling is forestalled afore it comes in. I kept myself to myself, doing my work in quiet, and interfering with nobody. Why should they interfere with me?" "If you have been in full work, five shillings is not much to pay to the Union," sneered Sam. "If I had my pockets filled with five-shilling pieces, I would not pay one to it," fearlessly retorted the man. "Is it light that a free-born Englishman should give in to such a system of intimidation? No: I never will. You talk of the masters being tyrants: it's you who are the tyrants, one to another. What is one workman better than his fellow, that he should lay down laws and say, You shall do this, and you shall do that, or you shan't be allowed to work at all? That rule you want to get passed--that a skilled, thorough workman shouldn't do a full day's work because some of his fellows can't--who's agitating for it? Why, naturally those that can't or won't do the full work. Would an honest, capable man go in for it? Of course he'd not. I tell you what"--turning his eyes on the room--" the Trades' Unions have been called a protection to the working man; but, if you don't take care, they'll grow into a curse. When Sam Shu...