About Our Own Affairs

The statement in certain daily papers that "the Courier office has been closed by the typographical union," is a malleious falsehool, made with the espress and on' y pnrpose of deceivIng people and injuring the office in a business way. The Courier office has not been a "unión'" office f or several years, ever since au agitator carne up from Detroit, and succeeded in inducing the local unión to interfere in an unwarrantable manner with the aifaire and business of the office, endeavoring to force its proprietor to do things that were not to his interest, nor, in his opinión, in the interest of those in his employ. Later on, after the strike had died out, and the Courier had maintained its position, the union asked, and was granted the ight to make this what they cali an "open office.'" That is. allow union printers to work in it. It made no difference to the. Courier or its proprietor, whetlier the workmen were in the union or not, as long as they were sober and industrious. Recontly, no doubt induced by outuide influences, the union commenced another agitation, with a view to forcing the Courier to becorae a union Office. Wliile we have nothing against the individual members of the union. and no objection to hiring MiIon men if they can earn thelr salary, yet to discharge the help who have stood by the office in its needs, and wlio are industrious, reliable, good workmen, to force them against their will to unitc with the union, or replace them with other workmen, was something that could not bö done. As a consequence the union ordered its two men who were here, one receiving $15 a week, thé other $12 a week, to quit on Saturday night, and they obeyed the order. Tlieir places have been filled by competent hands. It may dawn upon these two men, at no distant day, that the union has demandad of them a great injustice. It may be that the union itself, in ordering a man who has a wife and ohildreu to support, to quit work and become idle. will find out that it is taking upon itself a terrible responsibility. Every one admires loyalty to principie, but no one approves oí injustice, especially when it may entail idleness and its attendant sorrows, cold and hunger. Tlüs office has always paid its hand good wages. the same as union hands have received, providing tliey were capable of earning such wages, and its workmen have always 'eceivéd their cash every Saturday night. Such being a fact the proprietor desires to retain the privilege of managing his own business affairs without interference or dictation. The Courier has malice toward none, and has often exercised a harity that should have been appreciated, but seems not to have been.